The Related Study

Research Project
What is the Related Study?
• The Related Study is an independent project where students choose
an art-related area of interest to research in some depth.
• It should be visual but also includes a substantial written component
(1000 – 3000 words).
• The final outcome can be presented as a poster, blog, PowerPoint
presentation, essay format or an illustrated book
• This resource aims to ease this uncertainty and to make the Related
Study a more easily understood Component.
Examples:
Example Weeblies / blogs
• http://niamhgrady.weebly.com/related-study.html - (password moderation19 or loreto17)

• http://mayabewley.weebly.com/ - (password moderation19 or loreto17)

• http://mohammediqbal17.weebly.com/related-study.html - (password moderation19 or loreto17)

• http://umeadkhaled.weebly.com/related-study.html - loreto17
Selecting a Topic
1. The topic must relate to Art
or Design
• This sounds obvious and something that should not need saying, but,
absurdly, it does. Some students continue to submit projects that are
completely unrelated to Art or Design. This is a quote from a recent
Examiner Report:
• There were numerous inappropriate submissions which were not
concerned with any aspect of Art and Design. These included such topics as
‘Giving up smoking’, ‘The biology of the senses’, ‘Growing tea on a
plantation’, as well as aspects of tourism, green issues and political themes.
2. The topic should be something that you are genuinely interested
in

• The ultimate purpose of your Related Study is to teach you

something: to help you develop as an artist and to strengthen your
understanding of art-related issues. The most successful Personal
Studies communicate ‘a strong sense of involvement through personal 
enthusiasm and a commitment to sustain the investigation’.
• Simply speaking, when you are passionate about a topic, you are
more likely to do well.
3. A topic should provide you sufficient material to write about, but
be very focused and specific

• In order to produce a high quality Related Study, you need to have a

clear, well-articulated focus. This gives you something to organise
your project around and encourages you to write with coherence and
structure (a lack direction is a common weakness in low achieving
Personal Studies). Completing an entire project around the analysis of
one or two artwork, for example, is limiting, while attempting to
analyse Abstract Art in all of its entirety (without any connection to a
specific artist) sets up an enormous, daunting task which cannot be
given justice in the time given.
4. The study should be about someone else’s art, not your own.

• This is an area where Art & Design students are often confused. There
is an incorrect belief that students are expected to submit a body of
original creative work as part of the Related Study, similar to that
produced for the Coursework project. While the Related Study
certainly can include beautiful practical work completed by the
student, the Related Study is about analysing, studying and learning 
from other artists: it is NOT about producing original artwork on your
own topic.
5. A link to your Coursework can be advantageous

• Although it is not necessary for Art & Design students to select a

Related Study topic which relates to their Personal investigation, the
examiners comment that ‘good practice might suggest that a link 
between the two is advisable’. This is because a selecting a related
topic allows you to acquire knowledge, skills and understanding that
may help you to complete your Coursework to a higher standard.
6. Choose a topic that allows you to view artwork first-hand

• The best Related Studies are produced when students view artwork in
the flesh (in a gallery or museum exhibition, for example), even better if
you are able to meet and interview the artist or designer and see their
methods of working. This gives opportunity for the work to be
understood in great detail (seeing true colours, textural surface qualities
and the real scale of the piece) and encourages truly personal insight. It
also means that students can take photographs of the artist or designer
working in their studio and see all of the processes and various stages of
completion.
• The Craft Centre in Manchester has several studios with working artists
and is good to see artists working and selling their work.
7. Contrasting and comparing the work of artists can be helpful

• Studying the work of a mainstream or critically acclaimed artist

alongside a local artist can be beneficial, especially if the local artist is
less established. This gives you the best of both worlds (the enthusiasm
and first-hand contact from a local artist, plus the insight that comes
from studying historical, contemporary and/or international artists who
work in another cultural context). You may, for example, choose to focus
upon two artists who paint the same subject in a different way, or to
discuss the influence of a famous artist upon a local painter. It should be
noted that the examiners understand that many students will not be
able to see all of the artworks they study in the flesh, so supporting first-
hand study with those viewed in reproduction is absolutely acceptable.
8. Select a topic that is supported by quality reference material

• While the Related Study is centred around your own personal

responses, drawing on the opinions of educated critics (art reviews)
can provide insight and a depth of understanding: grounding,
validating and/or challenging your own views.
• Before deciding on a Related Study topic, check to see if there are
existing articles, books or online reviews about the artists in question.
This also helps to verify that the artist you have selected is well known
or successful and is thus likely to be an appropriate and valuable
person to study.
9. Word your title so that it captures the essence of your Related Study and indicates a well-chosen focus

• For example: ‘The Portraiture of [artist name]: An Appreciation of Light and Colour’ is

more appropriate than ‘Portraiture in Art’. ‘The use of Symbolism in Traditional and 
Contemporary Weaving’ is more appropriate than ‘The Art of Weaving’. ‘Landscapes of 
the Idurah Valley’ (another example given in the syllabus) is more appropriate than
‘Landscape Paintings’. ‘An Investigation into Gender Roles in Contemporary Art’ is
better than ‘Contemporary Art’.
• In the former examples, the title helps to clarify the focus of the study; the latter
suggest an enormously broad study that would be difficult to complete well. Similarly,
it is also beneficial to avoid overly simplistic titles that convey little information, such
as ‘[artist name] Related Study’ or ‘Fish’. Ideally, the examiner a clear idea about what
your study is about (and be impressed) from the first moment they encounter your
project.
10. Select your Related Study topic near the start of the Personal Investigation

• The Personal Investigation is a large and comprehensive project. It is

impossible to complete in its entirety (and achieve a good grade) at
the last minute. It is good practise to start your topic selection at the
end of the L6. High achieving students often use the summer break,
seeking out artists who are available for interview locally. This leaves
them in a strong position to start the U6 year. Regardless of how the
summer period is utilised, it is essential that the Related Study
receives regular attention so that students can plan, research and
complete the project in a systematic, organised way.
Tips & Guidance
1. Research Thoroughly

• The Related Study should be comprised of informed personal views –

that is, views that are supported and shaped by an in-depth
understanding of the area od study.
• Before starting the project, students should conduct thorough
background research, selecting and recording information from
second-hand sources (such as books, websites and other publications)
and first-hand sources where possible (interviews with artists, studio
visits / gallery visits etc).
2. Evaluate and interpret
research findings
•Conducting research is critical for creating an excellent Related Study,
however, it should be noted that submitting research on its own will not gain
a student any marks.
•Instead, students must select the information which is relevant and analyse
this in detail, evaluating and interpreting findings in relation to the focus of
their study. Research should be used to help form intelligent,
knowledgeable, personal responses.
•Evidence of research might be demonstrated, for example, through the use
of carefully chosen quotes (to support or contrast the student’s own ideas).
Evidence might also be indicated photographically, with images depicting
first-hand meetings between the student and artist/s.
3. Structure the Study in a logical and clear way.

• Before writing the Related Study, students should plan the content,
order and structure of their study thoroughly. You should use the
related study booklet for this. This should include headings and
subheadings of material discussed and rough diagrams indicating how
this will be supported by images. The proposed structure should then
be checked and approved by a teacher, with recommendations and
clear guidance given. While the structure of each Study will differ,
depending on the topic chosen, every study should follow the
following basic format:
• Introduction. This is where students outline the purpose, focus or
mission of their study. This may include question/s they are going to
answer; themes they are going to explore; issues they hope to
address etc. It should set the scene for the project and may include
reasons for selecting a topic and an indication of how / why the topic
is of personal relevance or interest to the student. It is important that
the intentions of the project are clearly set out in this section, so that
the remainder of the project can be structured accordingly.
• Body. This is the main part of the Related Study and will need careful
thought.
• It is usually organised into separate sections, usually with individual
headings and sometimes sub-headings. i.e. ‘Analysis of Composition:
[artwork title]’. This means that the examiner is able to see
immediately that the student has covered a range of appropriate
areas).
• The sections should be ordered logically and address the focus of the
project; they should not ramble haphazardly from one issue to the
next.
• Conclusion. This is where students summarise key points from the
project, arrive at final conclusions and make considered personal
judgements about what has been learnt.

• Bibliography / References / Acknowledgements. This should list any

resources that students have used in their project, including books,
websites, articles and videos. It might also include sources of first-
hand information, such as museums, galleries or websites, as well as
acknowledgements, thanking the artist for their time.
4. Write clearly and coherently
• Just as it is expected that a Coursework project should contain beautiful well-
composed artwork, a Related Study is expected to contain well-structured, well-
edited material. Even if a student has chosen to produce a largely visual project,
submitting a sequence of annotated images, the text should communicate with
intention and the writing quality should match that achieved by an A Level
English student. Poor grammar, spelling errors and ‘txt’ speak are not
acceptable. You should also avoid writing in the first person.
• As with any important written project, drafts should be rewritten and refined
several times: chapters re-arranged; paragraphs and annotation reorganised;
repetitive material, waffle and unnecessary regurgitation eliminated.
• Use the resources provided to help with this.
5. Understand ‘cultural context’

• Within the Related Study, students must demonstrate an

understanding of cultural context – an understanding that an artist
does not create work in isolation, but rather creates work that is
shaped and influenced by the circumstance/s they finds themselves
in.
• This might mean that discussion of the influence of natural, social,
political or cultural environments is appropriate, or that – as is more
common – the influence of other artists is discussed, with
comparisons made between artwork that has been created in similar
or differing contexts.
6. Critically analyse artworks
• The core of the Related Study is the in-depth analysis of selected artist
works. Some of these artworks must be viewed in person, however it
is common (and completely acceptable) for students to analyse work
from a combination of primary and secondary sources. In the best
studies, artworks are chosen specifically to facilitate the discussion of
issues which are relevant to the study.
• In all analysis of artwork, whether this involves discussion of
composition, aesthetic qualities, cultural contexts, use of media, or
approach to a theme, it is important that students move beyond
simple observations and add perceptive, personal insight.
• The ‘Analysing Art’ handout should be used for this.
Resources