InThinking

Independent
Innovative
International
About us | Visit our hub website

Disclaimer: InThinking subject sites are neither endorsed by nor connected with the International Baccalaureate Organisation.

School visits

If you are interested in Heather McReynolds visiting your school to work with teachers and/or students, please contact us.

Most popular

Amy, HL CS13 August 2021

This student compared three self portraits by three prominent 20th century painters: Alice Neel (USA) Frida Kahlo ( Mexico) and Lucien Freud (UK).Amy Liu recieved a 7 ( 42 points). Many thanks to her... more

Nicoletta, Process Portfolio HL11 December 2022

This portfolio accompanies the strong body of work we have already seen in Nicoletta's Exhibition gallery and gives insight into her process and the development of her ideas. It is a dense and well documented... more

Choosing Art Works to Compare16 September 2022

This page Choosing Art Works to Compare is automatically available to students using student access. The information on this page will help them in making appropriate selections. Recommend that students... more

Nicoletta, Exhibition HL1 December 2022

Nicoletta addresses some complex and disturbing topics in her work which evolves around religious trauma and "Divine Metamorphosis" as she entitles the exhibition. She draws on sources from historical... more

Grade Boundaries16 July 2022

What do those numbers on the assessment criteria charts add up to in actual 1-7 grades? Grade boundaries are the cut off points established for each mark band, ie points needed to reach a 7. The boundaries... more

Art Making Forms Table10 September 2022

Please take note that from 2023 we are back to pre-Covid normal assessment requirements as detailed below. In order to encourage ample experimentation with a range of techniques and media, there is... more

Start Here TeachersFree17 November 2022

Teachers are busy people, and art teachers may be the busiest of all! This site is designed for you to find all the information you need to successfully teach IB Art, with a variety of resources to supplement... more

Kashish, Process Portfolio SL22 May 2020

Kashish explores a wide range of art making forms in her SL portfolio, which recieved a mark of 32/34,. Her main focus is 3D media, including alginate casting, sculptural assemblage and installation,... more

Kashish, CS SL26 September 2021

This student chose a topic " Challenging the Patriarchy" for her comparative study (a topic is not a requirement). This guided her selection and analysis of three apparently very different artworks by... more

PP Template and Student Rubrics20 December 2021

Need a little extra structure to make sure you meet each criteria? Try the PP template below for your level.Should students be addressing the criteria holistically or individually?The "make a slide to... more

Reviewing, Reflecting, Refining9 October 2020

The Process Portfolio naturally supports and informs your developing studio work, through the exploration of skills, techniques and processes and critical investigations into artists, artworks, art forms... more

Isabella Comparative Study, HL3 June 2022

This HL Comparative Study looks at 3 artworks that explore the human condition of isolation and alienation within modern urban contexts: Edward Hopper´s portraits of solitary figures evoking loneliness,... more

Formal Elements of Art24 July 2022

The formal elements are the core of visual analysis and important vocabulary for an art student. This page appears under the The Comparative Study as well, when your students are analyzing an artwork... more

Isabella Process Portfolio HL17 May 2022

This engaging Process Portfolio documents process, techniques, concepts and development of ideas very clearly with a nice balance of visuals and text.Isabella experiments with a range of media and techniques... more

Camera Obscura10 December 2022

The term camera obscura simply means “dark chamber.” It refers to a device…a box…into which light is allowed to enter through a small round opening. Since light travels in a straight line, the... more

Curating the Process Portfolio30 November 2021

The Process Portfolio is a selection of slides that document the students artistic journey during the course and as such, should be curated in order to present the clearest most engaging version of the... more

Elspeth Process Portfolio SL10 August 2022

This lively standard level PP from 2021 received a 7.Elspeth's interest in fairy tales and story telling through costume accompany this portfolio through vibrant explorations in various media, including... more

Isabella Exhibition HL3 June 2022

Isabella presents a selection of art works ranging from painting on canvas to sculpture, digital graphics and photography. The pieces focus on urban solitude and the delicate nature of the built environment.... more

Exploring Function and Purpose23 February 2022

We are looking at House by British artist Rachel Whiteread (1993). This temporary public sculpture was a concrete cast of the inside of a house scheduled for demolition in a neighbourhood in east London.... more

Stefanie CS SL2 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2022

This Standard Level Comparative Study looks at works by Bosch, Bacon and Schiele. It is very detailed, thorough and engaging, if you are not put off by the density of the text :)This CS was awarded 30... more

Sunaina, Process Portfolio HL27 September 2020

This student explores the complex idea of home, both her Indian roots and her current home in Denmark. Her Process Portfolio is an excellent example of exploring a wide range of media and techniques that... more

Exhibition Texts 11 February 2022

For each piece of art work included in The Exhibition students must write a brief exhibition text which states the title, medium, size, followed by a brief text that supports or explains your focus/intentions... more

Sofia F, HL CS1 October 2020

This in-depth, detailed Comparative Study looks at three artists ( and respective artworks) from different periods and cultures: Franz Kline, William Kentridge and Ciprian Muresan. Each artist tells stories... more

Alberta, Exhibition HL19 May 2021

Alberta's work addresses social protest with a focus on "the crowd" as a source of imagery. She starts with her own photographs taken at various demonstrations about Climate Change, Refugees, and Womens... more

Regina, Process Portfolio HL16 April 2022

I posted Regina's exhibition work a while ago and have had several requests to see her Process Portfolio. She recieved a 7 on all 3 components! Many thanks to Regina and her teacher Sharon Moore at Edron... more

Writing Guidelines for Rationale18 March 2022

The Curatorial Rationale explains and supports the final exhibition. It is also a chance to highlight any particular challenges or discoveries along the way, including why these art works were chosen,... more

Design and Layout Skills for the Process Portfolio22 August 2016

Design & layout of Process Portfolio screens by Guest Teacher Rachel Swinburne After gaining my first class honors in BA Textiles at Goldsmiths College, University of London, I coordinated Art gallery... more

Mock Exams in Visual Arts28 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2022

There is no official mock exam in IB Visual Arts, but... wait a minute, that doesn't mean we can't use this opportunity!All IB subjects are scheduled to have mock exams for year 2 students a few months... more

Sarvani, Process Portfolio HL2 December 2020

Sarvani contacted me herself to ask if I would feature her work in the student gallery. She got a 6 on her PP ( 28 out of 34). Her Portfolio is pleasingly designed, easy to follow, and full of clearly... more

Kashish, Exhibition SL29 July 2020

Kashish received a mark of 27/30 for her Exhibition component at Standard Level. ( 7) She completed the minimum number of pieces required, but each piece shows considerable time invested in materials... more

Marc, Process Portfolio SL25 February 2021

I am so pleased to include a different kind of example here. Many of the examples in the student gallery are visually arresting, top scoring portfolios. This is a standard level Portfolio that recieved... more

Curriculum Review15 November 2022

Revision and renewal are an important part of progress in education, and the teaching of art always occupies innovative territory as well as tradition.Over a period of 3 years the IB Visual Arts curriculum... more

Visual Arts EE Topics16 June 2022

IS IT VISUAL? Be sure to choose a topic that specifically addresses the visual arts, including fine art, architecture, applied art and visual culture.The emphasis of the EE should always be on written... more

Journal Page Examples13 September 2022

a visual journal supports the personal development of your art work and your art thinking processThe journal is private place for putting down ideas, capturing images, trying out a technique, or making... more

William KentridgeFree4 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2023

“William Kentridge: In Praise of Shadows,” is a new show which opened recently at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles and prompted me to refresh this resource on Kentridge.Contemporary South African artist... more

Seed: Overlapping Drawings5 May 2021

This drawing exercise develops awareness of design, composition, shape and space through the simplicity of pure contour drawingChoose a selection of several everyday objectsMake a contour line drawing... more

Lens-less Photography20 June 2020

Column 3 of the Art Making Forms Table includes lens photography AND lens-less photography techniques. Explore some of these alternative image making processes as part of your Process Portfolio more

The Research QuestionFree25 April 2020

A good research questionChoosing the research question is perhaps the single most important factor in determining the success of the EE.The EE topic must be formulated as a Research Question, not as a... more

Film and Video as Teaching Aides20 April 2019

Films and videos on artists are widely and readily available. How can we make active rather than passive use of these valuable resources? Studies have shown that students ware likely to gain much more... more

Seed: 23 of Me28 November 2021

Rather then make a picture of yourself, describe yourself with a collection of 23 small objects, drawings or photos that tell a personal story. Why 23? It's the number of pairs of chromosomes we each... more

Introducing the Comparative Study 16 December 2020

This is an independent critical and contextual investigation in which you explore art works from differing cultural contexts. Both SL and HL students compare three different artworks, by at least two... more

Seed: Mapping your hand15 July 2020

Cup your palm and look into your hand at all the wrinkles formed.Draw the lines with a sharp pencil or fine liner pen, like a complex roadmap, just the internal lines without the outline of your hand. more

Seed: A Body Map1 August 2022

This seed takes inspiration from Body mapping as an arts based therapy using visual symbolic forms of expression.MaterialsLie down on the paper, position yourself as you wish, and have a friend draw an... more

Thematic Threads27 May 2018

This activity helps year 1 students to investigate a topic or theme through looking at images from art history. See Finding a Focus for more about developing individual directions.This is a fun way to... more

SS Process Portfolio HL18 February 2022

Through her art work SS explores feelings of vulnerability and loss, experimenting with painting, photography, clay and sculpture and drypoint printmaking. Thank you SS and her teacher Gora for sharing... more

Art Language24 October 2020

so lets make the most out of it. This section includes links to glossaries, tips for incorporating art vocabulary into class discussions, - and a new feature: Art Terminology quizzes. Test your knowledge... more

Resolved Work15 JIB Docs (2) Teamary 2017

What is meant by "resolved work"?Resolved is the new way of saying completed, but with a different emphasis. Resolved doesn't just mean finished, but signifies work that has been successfully developed... more

Self-Reflection1 May 2021

To Reflect, Review and Refine is part of developing a growing artistic self awareness and the ability to self reflect, analyze and review own development. It is to ask, How have I developed as an artist? more

Mark Making Activities28 March 2020

4 drawing exercises to get off the screen and in touch with the physical act of drawingThe materials required for these activities include pencil, eraser, charcoal, ink, and chalk, but you could substitute... more

Theory of Knowldege2 November 2021

Theory of Knowledge is a pivotal point of the IBDP core model that encourages students to think critically and curiously.In TOK class students examine how we know things, if we are sure we know them,... more