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Annotating your work

Written annotations are an important part of Assessment Objectives 1, 3 and 4. Annotations can provide:

• information, such as the title of an artwork, artist's biographical details or when the work was made
• a record of your experiences and emotions connected to an image
• a record of how you intend to use these images to develop your own ideas
• an example of your progress through a project

To annotate your work successfully, you should explain:

• what you have done and why you did it
• how you did it, such as the media and techniques used
• why you chose a particular medium or technique
• how an artwork fits in with your project
• what aspects you like
• how you could improve the work
• what you think you will do next

Using the correct vocabulary

You must use the correct vocabulary when annotating your work to show that you are developing your knowledge, understanding and skills. Key terms are:

• Subject - what is shown in the artwork, such as a portrait or a still life
• Composition - how the elements of the work are arranged, ie whether they're close together or far apart
• Foreground and background - elements that appear to be in front or behind other aspects of the artwork
• Line - can vary in width, length, curvature, colour or direction
• Shape - describes the two-dimensional outline
• Form - describes a three-dimensional object
• Texture - the way surfaces look and feel, ie rough, smooth, soft, etc
• Tone - shading, from dark to light

Evaluating your work

An evaluation is a piece of writing where you look at your project as a whole and discuss its successes and weaknesses. This can help others understand what you were trying to achieve. You need to be honest and use appropriate art language. Evaluating your work is really important for getting marks in Assessment Objective 4.

Evaluating your preparatory work

When you're evaluating your preparatory work, you should consider:

• What was the theme for the project?
• How have you developed your ideas? How did your work change through the project?
• How much reference material did you find? Do you think you should have done more or less?
• What artists, art movements or cultures have you looked at to help and inspire you?
• What materials, tools and techniques did these artists use?
• How have your skills developed during the project?
• Are there any aspects of your studies that you wish you had explored further?

Evaluating your final piece

You also need to evaluate your final piece. You should reference relevant work from your preparatory studies.

• How have you used formal elements such as line, tone, colour and shape?
• What materials did you use, and why? Did they work successfully?
• What meaning and messages did you want to convey and were you successful?
• Are you happy with your final piece? Are there any elements you like in particular?
• Is there anything you would change? Why?

When you're evaluating your work, don't forget to say why and how you worked in a certain way.