HKDSE Visual Arts cheat sheet

Four-step criticism framework: description (what is visible), analysis (how formal elements and principles are organised), interpretation (meaning and intent), judgement (evaluation against criteria).

Formal elements: line, shape/form, colour, texture, space, tone/value. Principles: balance, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, proportion, unity, movement, pattern.

Contextual analysis weighs four frames - personal, cultural, social, formal - and asks which frame the work invites most strongly.

Judgement criteria must be stated explicitly (e.g. expressive coherence, technical control, originality, communicative power); unstated criteria make evaluation arbitrary.

Chinese painting conventions: 留白 (reserved blank space), 六法 (Six Principles of Xie He), 工笔 (fine-line) versus 寫意 (expressive) modes, 詩書畫印 integration.

Western period markers: Renaissance linear perspective and anatomy; Baroque chiaroscuro and diagonal composition; Impressionism optical colour; Cubism multiple viewpoints; Pop Art mass-media imagery.

Design analysis vocabulary: function versus form, ergonomics, visual hierarchy, grid systems, semiotics (icon, index, symbol), and the signifier/signified distinction.

Comparison questions require a shared criterion: compare two works on the same dimension (e.g. spatial illusion) before contrasting, and cite specific visual evidence from each.

Design process cycle: research and brief, idea generation, development studies, selection, realisation, evaluation. Sketchbooks must show iteration, not only finished outcomes.

Media properties: watercolour is transparent and relies on reserved white paper; acrylic dries fast and can be layered opaquely; oil allows slow blending; gouache is opaque water-based colour.

Composition decisions: rule of thirds as a placement guide, focal point established by contrast or isolation, negative space given equal weight to positive shapes.

Colour mixing: primary mixing to secondary hues, complementary pairs neutralise each other, tint adds white, shade adds black, tone adds grey.

Clay and 3D work: wedging removes air pockets, leather-hard is the ideal joining stage, slip acts as glue, kiln firing stages are bisque then glaze firing.

Printmaking categories: relief (linocut, woodcut), intaglio (etching, drypoint), planographic (lithography), stencil (screen printing); registration controls multi-colour alignment.

Digital workflow: resolution in ppi for screen versus dpi for print, layer and mask separation for non-destructive editing, RGB for screens and CMYK for print output.

Safety and ethics: solvent ventilation, dust extraction when sanding, correct disposal of paint waste, and sourcing of images or reference material without plagiarism.