My theme is 'Birds'. Though that probably seems a little broad and odd, I've managed to branch off and narrow my ideas down completely. Birds are a massive part of my life; I own a parrot (orange winged amazon named Zippy), two budgies, and I'm currently fostering an African Grey names Barney. As well as that, a lot of people on my dad's side of the family are avid ornithologists. They fascinate me, as well as other people, and by picking it as my theme, I hope to explore why people love the idea of flying and things so much.

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Hi, I am also teaching IB art in Japan. What school are you at? I am at Katoh Gyoshu Gakuen in Shizuoka. Let's stay in touch.

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Hi Ceden07!
Are you smart and creative? It's hard to help in a reply because there are so many things to say but if you feel you are not as technically strong as you wish you could be then it's an area to focus on....and if you are able to generate creative ideas and a way to express them visually, then you should have success. Technical skills are important, don't get me wrong but if you look at the IB assessment criteria for art then you should see that it's not all there is. And by the way, I don't believe that it's a "can draw" or "can't draw" world...you can learn to draw with practice...just like learning anything else. But how can you learn without proper instruction? Take a look at Betty Edward's book "Drawing from the right side of the brain". Hope this helps and send me a message to let you know how you are doing!

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Our school wasn't able to get an examiner. I have graduated and the other students who were seniors last year, haven't heard anything either but they dont seem to care as much. I mist admit that my school was terribly unorganized. I'm looking for, maybe, an email address for the coordinator. I highly doubt going to the school would help especially when they've just started back up from simmer vacation. The whole examination process was just so strange. We did the usual workwork/scorebook process. But our teacher had to interview us, using a tape recorder, then we pack our work up, and the school was supposed to mail it. (the work, workbook, scoreboard, and interview). I haven't heard of any process like this.

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Hi Emily,
There is not a clear cut answer for this question...I think that they should be aware of the criteria and do as you have stated in your question (especially in the beginning) but as they get further into the program they might not include all of that for every piece. They might have a series of works that does not require it all but overall there should be a balance. Perhaps they have already brainstormed ideas previously and just need to refine the idea...they should do further investigation to gain more depth but it might just be further research into an artist or idea they have already begun exploring. I think they should always show their process and reflections are always good as well. In my class there is always a lot more structure in the first year with a gradual progression towards more independence but I use the rubrics that have all the IB criteria on them when grading and giving feedback and I let them know if there is an area that needs more attention. I hope this helps!
Michelle

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I have to say that I think this is an area where many are very confused. My experience has been that the examiner is able to do exactly as you say...give you general feedback but not on any individual student. How are you supposed to improve otherwise? When I went to my first IB training, the leader running the workshop even said that he would, as an examiner, spend at least an hour "debriefing" the teacher to give them feedback. However, our examiner at that time would not tell us anything. Our examiner last year was wonderful and gave lots of great feedback. But as n.sibal has suggested, it's a very tricky area to challenge your examiner depending on their personality. Is there any way you could politely ask them to check into it further? Otherwise....make sure you get a different examiner next year and see if you can check them out if you know anyone in another school who have had them. :)

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Hi there and so glad you found us! The books sent for moderation are the copies and not the actual blue CRB's...the blue CRB goes to the visiting examiner and the copies are sent for moderation and you copy everything in the crb including the IWB pages.

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My immediate thought was not about the painting itself. Have you thought of turning the canvas into a 3d display/sculpture. Wrapping the fabric around a wire form or on a frame. Henna tattooed hands also spring in to my mind...What type of painting do you paint...abstract, impressionism, pointillism....? Oh no a sacred cow has now wandered into my thoughts...its got painted hooves and wears henna tattoos and dark makeup around the eyes...it only has to start morphing or eating a melting clock and yes it becomes Dali like in style. My suggestion is to draw, sketch, draw, draw and sketch until things begin to evolve.....

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Hi Dalal4lyfe!
What is the theme you are working on? Your studio work and IWB should be connected and there should be a thread of ideas connecting one piece to the next. (See "all about themes" page) You should not be randomly creating pages that have nothing to do with your studio work. True...if you see something that grabs you and is possible inspiration for future work, then out it in....but if you look at the IB Art criteria "Integration" it has to do with the book's relevance to your studio work. If you have ideas that have depth and you are really interested in then the IWB should flow and you will never run out of ideas to research...so are you working on ideas that interest you?...and then continue them on in more depth and/or breadth in the next piece. BTW...research does not only have to be of the formal kind (from a book or website) but can take all kinds of forms. Research is information gathering from sources outside yourself...observations, conversations, movies, tv, news, experimentation...but should all connect with your ideas. OK, I could go on and on but I hope this answers your question. :)

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