​​​​​​​Visual Arts

Year 9 program: Module 9 weeks

In the year 9 Module, our students learn how to work with the 7 basic Elements of Art (Line, Colour theory, Value, Shape, Form, Space, and texture) through weekly projects. 

Mediums used: Pencil, Indian ink, acrylic paint, chalk pastels, textural sculpture, and collage.

Year 10 program: Module Approx 20 Weeks

In the year 10 Module students strengthen their creativity for NCEA Level one by generating a body of work on a chosen personal theme. Students research their own topics and are introduced to multiple image-making techniques and Mediums. Students are then guided in producing work in each medium.

Mediums used: Pencil, Indian ink, acrylic paint, dyes, chalk pastels, textural sculpture, collage, Printmaking (monoprints, collagraph prints, etching, woodcut)

NCEA Level 1

In year 11 students research and choose an Art Focus they want to work with for the entire year. They then generate and develop their concept using wet and dry mediums to produce a cohesive Portfolio of work due at the end of term 3. 

Mediums used: Pencil, Indian ink, acrylic paint, dyes, chalk pastels, collage, shellac, watercolor pencils, watercolor paint, gouache, Printmaking (monoprints, collagraph prints, etching, woodcut, pronto prints), Digital photographs, Black and white photography, Chemigrams, photograms.

NCEA Level 2/3 and Scholarship

In year 12 & 13 students branch out and focus purely on their best proven or chosen field/medium. From here students Generate and develop their concept in their chosen medium to produce a cohesive Portfolio of work due at the end of term 3.  (Level 3 Visual Arts credits contribute towards UE and can be assessed as Scholarship)

Painting: watercolor pencils, Indian inks, dyes, watercolor paint, gouache, inktense, acrylic paint, airbrushing, paint texture mediums, mixed media, marbling.

Printmaking: monoprints, etchings, pronto prints, collage, woodcuts, vinyl prints, dendritic prints, collagraph prints, transfers, screen printing, marbling.

Photography: automatic, manual, digital DSLR , film, Darkroom photography, photograms, chemigrams, Adobe Photoshop/Indesign/Illustrator, digital tablet, trick photography, underwater photography.

Art Club: All students are invited to join a weekly Art Club after school on Tuesdays from 3:30- 5:000pm. This is an opportunity for Art students of all fields and year levels to mix with non-art students, learn new mediums and techniques, not in our curriculum, and expand their repertoire in the Arts.


Art Camp: Year 12 and 13 Art students are invited to attend and engage in the Annual Taranaki Arts festival. They spend a weekend living on the mountain visiting Artists in their home studios.