NZ Scholarship Visual Arts cheat sheet

Design is assessed on the coherence of concept, function and audience: a workbook must show the brief, the intended user, and evidence that formal decisions answer that brief.

Standard design conventions to name precisely: grid (column, baseline, modular), hierarchy (scale, weight, colour, position), alignment, proximity, repetition, contrast, white space.

Typographic decisions are examinable: type classification (serif, sans serif, slab, script, display), x-height, leading, tracking, kerning, measure, and the difference between legibility and readability.

Colour decisions require a stated system: RGB for screen, CMYK for print, Pantone for spot colour; contrast must be justified by function (accessibility ratio 4.5:1 for body text under WCAG 2.x AA).

A design workbook is judged on iterative divergence then convergence: multiple distinct propositions, testing, selection, refinement, and final presentation in context (mock-up, prototype, or applied outcome).

Brand identity work must show a system, not a logo alone: mark, wordmark, colour palette, typeface pairing, layout templates, and rules for application across formats.

Spatial and environmental design evidence includes plans, elevations, sections, sightlines, and scale figures; a poster or screen design needs stated dimensions and viewing distance.

Sequence and narrative design (editorial spreads, motion, wayfinding) is assessed on pacing, rhythm across a series, and consistency of the system from first to last item.

Painting is assessed on the relationship between intention and outcome: the candidate must articulate what the work is doing and demonstrate decisions that serve it, not merely describe subject matter.

Media distinctions matter: oil (slow drying, blending, glazing), acrylic (fast drying, layering, medium additives), watercolour (transparency, reserving white, wet-in-wet), gouache (opaque, reworkable), tempera and encaustic (fast-setting, layered).

Ground and support choices affect outcome: stretched linen or cotton, panel, paper; gesso or size; absorbent versus sealed grounds change edge quality and luminosity.

Compositional analysis vocabulary: picture plane, focal point, sightline, notan (light-dark structure), figure-ground, cropping, format orientation, and the rule of thirds as a convention rather than a law.

Colour structure: hue, value, chroma; warm-cool contrast; simultaneous contrast; local versus optical colour; limited palettes and mixing systems (split-primary, complementary, earth-based).

Surface and mark: impasto, scumble, glaze, wash, dry brush, sgraffito, underpainting, alla prima versus layered indirect painting.

Historical and contemporary positions to cite accurately: Renaissance perspective and oil glazing, Impressionist optical colour, Cubist multiple viewpoint, Abstract Expressionist scale and gesture, Pop appropriation, and contemporary post-medium and installation painting.

Registration of process in the workbook: annotated studies, colour tests, photographic documentation of stages, and a resolved body of work that shows a sustained inquiry rather than unrelated pieces.

Exposure triangle: aperture (f-number, depth of field, halving/doubling per stop), shutter speed (motion blur or freeze, reciprocal rule for hand-holding), ISO (sensitivity and noise).

Depth of field is governed by aperture, focal length, and subject distance: wider aperture, longer lens, and closer subject each reduce depth of field.

Focal length and perspective: wide angle exaggerates foreground and depth; telephoto compresses planes; perspective changes only with camera position, not lens.

Light qualities to name: direction (front, side, back, top), quality (hard versus soft, set by relative source size), colour temperature in kelvin (candle ~1800K, tungsten ~3200K, daylight ~5500K, shade ~7500K).

Digital workflow facts: RAW versus JPEG, histogram reading (clipping at either end), white balance, colour spaces (sRGB for screen, Adobe RGB for print), and non-destructive editing in layers or adjustment stacks.

Darkroom and analogue vocabulary where used: ISO film speed, exposure and development push/pull, dodging and burning, contrast grades, contact sheets, and the difference between negative and print.

Photographic genres and their conventions: documentary and photojournalism (ethics of intervention, captioning), portraiture (pose, gaze, environment), landscape (the sublime, the New Topographics), still life, and constructed or staged photography.

Series logic: a photographic body of work is assessed on edit and sequencing, consistent visual language, and a stated conceptual frame, not on the strength of single images alone.

Relief family: woodcut, linocut, wood engraving - image is cut away from the surface, ink sits on the raised areas, printed by hand or press; characteristic bold flat shapes and visible tool marks.

Intaglio family: etching (acid bites through a ground), drypoint (direct burin scratch with burr), engraving, mezzotint, aquatint (tonal); ink is pushed into incised lines and wiped from the plate surface, printed under high pressure with dampened paper.

Planographic family: lithography relies on the immiscibility of grease and water on a stone or plate; offset lithography is its industrial descendant.

Stencil family: screenprint (mesh, squeegee, photo-emulsion stencil) allows flat opaque colour and photographic imagery; stencil and monoprint are related one-off or layered processes.

Registration is the alignment of successive layers or plates; it is controlled by pins, tabs, jigs, or a registration mark, and misregistration is a visible quality judgement.

Editioning conventions: an edition is a stated number of identical prints; the edition number, title, signature, and date are written in pencil below the image; artist's proofs (AP) sit outside the numbered edition; a monoprint is unique.

Material facts: paper weight (gsm) and sizing, dampening for intaglio, baren or press pressure, ink tack and transparency, and the difference between oil-based and water-based inks.

Reduction and multi-block methods: a reduction print destroys the block as it proceeds so layers cannot be repeated; multi-plate and key-block methods separate colour from line.

Core processes to distinguish: additive (modelling, construction, assemblage), subtractive (carving), and casting (lost-wax, sand, plaster piece-moulds); each carries different evidence of the maker's hand.

Formal analysis vocabulary: mass, volume, weight, scale, proportion, axis, silhouette, positive and negative space, and the relationship between object and plinth.

Material properties drive meaning: clay (plastic, needs armature, fired or unfired), plaster (fast-setting, mouldable), wood (grain direction, joinery), stone (compressive strength, carving), steel (welding, tensile), and found or synthetic materials.

Structural and safety facts: armatures support green clay; undercuts must be avoided or the mould must be flexible; kiln firing requires even wall thickness and dry work; welding and resin work require ventilation and PPE.

Site and installation: the work is assessed in relation to site (scale, sightlines, approach, light), and to documentation, since the exam sees photographs of the work in situ.

Temporal and participatory sculpture: kinetic, sound, light, performance, and socially engaged practice are assessed on how the concept is enacted, not on durable objecthood alone.

Historical anchors to cite precisely: classical contrapposto, Rodin's modelled surface, Brancusi's direct carving and simplification, Duchamp's readymade, Minimalist seriality and industrial fabrication, Land Art and site-specificity, and contemporary installation.

Documentation requirements: multiple viewpoints, a scale reference, detail shots showing surface and joinery, and evidence of maquettes, tests, and construction stages in the workbook.

Design is assessed on the coherence of concept, function and audience: a workbook must show the brief, the intended user, and evidence that formal decisions answer that brief.

Standard design conventions to name precisely: grid (column, baseline, modular), hierarchy (scale, weight, colour, position), alignment, proximity, repetition, contrast, white space.

Typographic decisions are examinable: type classification (serif, sans serif, slab, script, display), x-height, leading, tracking, kerning, measure, and the difference between legibility and readability.

Colour decisions require a stated system: RGB for screen, CMYK for print, Pantone for spot colour; contrast must be justified by function (accessibility ratio 4.5:1 for body text under WCAG 2.x AA).

A design workbook is judged on iterative divergence then convergence: multiple distinct propositions, testing, selection, refinement, and final presentation in context (mock-up, prototype, or applied outcome).

Brand identity work must show a system, not a logo alone: mark, wordmark, colour palette, typeface pairing, layout templates, and rules for application across formats.

Spatial and environmental design evidence includes plans, elevations, sections, sightlines, and scale figures; a poster or screen design needs stated dimensions and viewing distance.

Sequence and narrative design (editorial spreads, motion, wayfinding) is assessed on pacing, rhythm across a series, and consistency of the system from first to last item.

Painting is assessed on the relationship between intention and outcome: the candidate must articulate what the work is doing and demonstrate decisions that serve it, not merely describe subject matter.

Media distinctions matter: oil (slow drying, blending, glazing), acrylic (fast drying, layering, medium additives), watercolour (transparency, reserving white, wet-in-wet), gouache (opaque, reworkable), tempera and encaustic (fast-setting, layered).

Ground and support choices affect outcome: stretched linen or cotton, panel, paper; gesso or size; absorbent versus sealed grounds change edge quality and luminosity.

Compositional analysis vocabulary: picture plane, focal point, sightline, notan (light-dark structure), figure-ground, cropping, format orientation, and the rule of thirds as a convention rather than a law.

Colour structure: hue, value, chroma; warm-cool contrast; simultaneous contrast; local versus optical colour; limited palettes and mixing systems (split-primary, complementary, earth-based).

Surface and mark: impasto, scumble, glaze, wash, dry brush, sgraffito, underpainting, alla prima versus layered indirect painting.

Historical and contemporary positions to cite accurately: Renaissance perspective and oil glazing, Impressionist optical colour, Cubist multiple viewpoint, Abstract Expressionist scale and gesture, Pop appropriation, and contemporary post-medium and installation painting.

Registration of process in the workbook: annotated studies, colour tests, photographic documentation of stages, and a resolved body of work that shows a sustained inquiry rather than unrelated pieces.

Exposure triangle: aperture (f-number, depth of field, halving/doubling per stop), shutter speed (motion blur or freeze, reciprocal rule for hand-holding), ISO (sensitivity and noise).

Depth of field is governed by aperture, focal length, and subject distance: wider aperture, longer lens, and closer subject each reduce depth of field.

Focal length and perspective: wide angle exaggerates foreground and depth; telephoto compresses planes; perspective changes only with camera position, not lens.

Light qualities to name: direction (front, side, back, top), quality (hard versus soft, set by relative source size), colour temperature in kelvin (candle ~1800K, tungsten ~3200K, daylight ~5500K, shade ~7500K).

Digital workflow facts: RAW versus JPEG, histogram reading (clipping at either end), white balance, colour spaces (sRGB for screen, Adobe RGB for print), and non-destructive editing in layers or adjustment stacks.

Darkroom and analogue vocabulary where used: ISO film speed, exposure and development push/pull, dodging and burning, contrast grades, contact sheets, and the difference between negative and print.

Photographic genres and their conventions: documentary and photojournalism (ethics of intervention, captioning), portraiture (pose, gaze, environment), landscape (the sublime, the New Topographics), still life, and constructed or staged photography.

Series logic: a photographic body of work is assessed on edit and sequencing, consistent visual language, and a stated conceptual frame, not on the strength of single images alone.

Relief family: woodcut, linocut, wood engraving - image is cut away from the surface, ink sits on the raised areas, printed by hand or press; characteristic bold flat shapes and visible tool marks.

Intaglio family: etching (acid bites through a ground), drypoint (direct burin scratch with burr), engraving, mezzotint, aquatint (tonal); ink is pushed into incised lines and wiped from the plate surface, printed under high pressure with dampened paper.

Planographic family: lithography relies on the immiscibility of grease and water on a stone or plate; offset lithography is its industrial descendant.

Stencil family: screenprint (mesh, squeegee, photo-emulsion stencil) allows flat opaque colour and photographic imagery; stencil and monoprint are related one-off or layered processes.

Registration is the alignment of successive layers or plates; it is controlled by pins, tabs, jigs, or a registration mark, and misregistration is a visible quality judgement.

Editioning conventions: an edition is a stated number of identical prints; the edition number, title, signature, and date are written in pencil below the image; artist's proofs (AP) sit outside the numbered edition; a monoprint is unique.

Material facts: paper weight (gsm) and sizing, dampening for intaglio, baren or press pressure, ink tack and transparency, and the difference between oil-based and water-based inks.

Reduction and multi-block methods: a reduction print destroys the block as it proceeds so layers cannot be repeated; multi-plate and key-block methods separate colour from line.

Core processes to distinguish: additive (modelling, construction, assemblage), subtractive (carving), and casting (lost-wax, sand, plaster piece-moulds); each carries different evidence of the maker's hand.

Formal analysis vocabulary: mass, volume, weight, scale, proportion, axis, silhouette, positive and negative space, and the relationship between object and plinth.

Material properties drive meaning: clay (plastic, needs armature, fired or unfired), plaster (fast-setting, mouldable), wood (grain direction, joinery), stone (compressive strength, carving), steel (welding, tensile), and found or synthetic materials.

Structural and safety facts: armatures support green clay; undercuts must be avoided or the mould must be flexible; kiln firing requires even wall thickness and dry work; welding and resin work require ventilation and PPE.

Site and installation: the work is assessed in relation to site (scale, sightlines, approach, light), and to documentation, since the exam sees photographs of the work in situ.

Temporal and participatory sculpture: kinetic, sound, light, performance, and socially engaged practice are assessed on how the concept is enacted, not on durable objecthood alone.

Historical anchors to cite precisely: classical contrapposto, Rodin's modelled surface, Brancusi's direct carving and simplification, Duchamp's readymade, Minimalist seriality and industrial fabrication, Land Art and site-specificity, and contemporary installation.

Documentation requirements: multiple viewpoints, a scale reference, detail shots showing surface and joinery, and evidence of maquettes, tests, and construction stages in the workbook.