Visual Arts  

Introducing our 2024 Art Captains....

We are excited to introduce ourselves as your Art Captains for 2024! I’m Romy and I love how art and expression are unique for everyone, with my hobbies being design and crafts like crochet. I’m Estelle and I enjoy how expressive art can be, no matter the skill level. Drawing is one of my biggest hobbies outside of school. We hope to create a cosy community to enjoy various art techniques alongside peers and better promote creativity within the school. Even if it’s just once, please give Art Space a go! Hope to see you there!

Estelle Lau and Romy Simpson (Year 12)

Year 9 VCD - Learning about Design Elements and Design Principles

The Design Elements & Principles :

Just as the letters of the alphabet help us put together and create words, the Design Elements & Principles (E&Ps) are the ABC’s of design and is the formula that designers live by. When applied effectively the E&Ps are powerful tools that assist with the intended purpose of a design. 

Students have been asked to summarise E&PS of design in a video or power point format. 

Koonung features in Whitehorse news....

Helen Briffa

Visual Arts / Technology Teacher

Visual Arts Domain PLC  Leader 

The Arts - Year 12 Visual Communication Design 

The year has started fast in Unit 3 VCD as we navigate our first Outcome which examines contemporary designers' practices. This week we were privileged to interview two Melbourne designers Natasha Dumais and Suzannah Waldron about their design practices and gain great insight into the working life of a designer.

Natasha from children's furniture company Ubabub spoke of her small niche business, working with her partner, and the arduous process of acquiring patents for Australia and the US to protect her unique clear sided cot design. She also gave us a background on the design process for her in her business and the importance of safety standards in the baby industry.

Suzannah talked about how the group of people in her design firm collaboborate together on projects but also how Searle X Waldron's registered architect are the leads on each job. She spoke of the mostly public architecture works they produce and how each project can take a few years to complete. Suzannah spoke about the growing need to respect country and the traditional owners, and how deep conversations between stakeholders are vital in creating worthwhile outcomes.

Year 12 students will use these insights to write an analysis of industry practice of their chosen design field. They will then complete a practical response to an idea in the same field using the drawing conventions of the field. A big thank you goes to Suzannah https://www.sxwa.com.au/ and Natasha https://ubabub.com/ for sharing their time and expertise.

Amy McLellan

Director of Curriculum

Visual Arts/Technology Teacher