Art and Design

This is a dynamic project-based course for students who need an exciting, layered and individual portfolio for progression to HND or degree courses in visual art areas.

Build your portfolio from a series of experimental projects exploring personal and cultural ideas.

You’ll benefit from tutors with an expansive range of specialisms whose critique and support will help expand your work technically, conceptually and critically.

What’s more, you will be working in specialist studios and workshops that are fully equipped to reflect professional practice and enable you to build a varied and diverse body of project work that reflects you as an innovative creative individual.

We are looking for engaged, motivated individuals who are open minded and excited to trial and experiment in unfamiliar techniques, unafraid of taking risks in their work. You must be able to deliver a high volume of creative artwork and apply the creative process to consider and play with ideas and concepts in sketchbooks. You need critical skills to extract intriguing ideas for development and the motivation and concentration to take these ideas to compelling conclusions.

You may be experienced through

• art courses at school
• art clubs and groups
• successful completion of Advanced Portfolio Production: Visual Arts at Ayrshire College or a similar college course at level 6

You must be prepared to advance the level and volume of your work in pursuit of a career in a visual art area. You need good organisational time skills to meet the demands of this intensive course of study and construct the expansive portfolio you need for your chosen progression route.

Applicants will be invited to an interview where they will be expected to show their suitability for this course by:

• showing a portfolio of your artwork
• being prepared to discuss your work, ideas and influences

Other factors that could support your application can include:

• existing qualifications, e.g. Higher or Advanced Higher Art
• alternative experience, e.g. membership of a community art group
• a strong personal statement

Further guidance on the interview process and portfolio requirements will be provided following the submission of your application.

Working in 2D, 3D and digital media you’ll develop work for your portfolio, while gathering ideas and experimentation in vibrant, tactile and personal sketchbooks.

In 2D portfolio projects, you will experience:

• Printmaking
• Painting
• Mixed media
• Life drawing
• Expressive drawing

3D portfolio project will explore:

• Ceramics
• Sculpture
• Installation

Contemporary art project encompasses:

• Conceptual art
• Digital media
• Video and sound 

Throughout the course, projects will be underpinned by exciting and relevant workshops in visual research, contextual awareness, communication and critical discussion.

Students who make the most of this course and construct an expansive and expressive portfolio have the opportunity to progress to our HND Art and Design programme or potentially to degree courses within visual art areas, e.g. Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art, Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee, Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, Edinburgh Napier University or Perth College.

Or you may wish to explore your future career options including: Self-Employed Artist, Practising Artist, Community Arts, Youth Arts Worker, Art Therapist, Photographer, Teacher.

You will develop your ability across a range of Art disciplines, techniques and mediums. As well as important Meta-Skills and soft or transferable skills that will allow you to enhance your academic and career prospects.

You may have the opportunity to be involved in community projects, live briefs and external exhibitions in gallery spaces.