Certificate III in Visual Arts – NSW Education – Accelerated Program

Welcome to Sydney Art School. We look forward to meeting you in person for your participation in this course.

IMPORTANT!! YOUR ONBOARDING & STUDENT PORTAL ACCESS

In your welcome email you there is a unique link for you to create your login to our Student Portal (powered by the aXcelerate Student Management System)
Please click that link and complete the form to enter your student details.

Once you have done that you can access the Student Portal via this link. https://sydneyartschool.app.axcelerate.com/learner/

TRAINING OVERVIEW

Your training will be split into 3 phases.

Phase 1: In Studio Skill Sessions: Block 1 (Mon 17–Thu 20 Nov 2025) You will be with us in-studio from Monday to Thursday of that week.During these sessions you will be participating in classes covering Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture Photography and Digital images. Krista Brennan and Joe De La Hoyde will be your Student liaison Points of contact.
Phase 2: Remote Self-Directed Workbook Completion (Fri 21 Nov 2025–Mon 16 Mar 2026) During this period you will continue to work on you assessment tasks. We will periodically check in with you and schedule remote tutorials or virtual sessions if required.
Phase 3: In Studio Skill Sessions Plus Mini Exhibition: Block 2 (Mon 16 – Thur 19 Mar 2026) During this block you will return to the studio. Finalise any open items in their assessment workbooks. We will run mini exhibition on Wednesday evening and award Certificates and wrap-up on Thursday.

Timetable Block 1

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
AM 9.30 – 12.30	CUAPRI312 Produce prints	Program General Information & BSBWHS211 Contribute to the health and safety of self and others	CUASCU311 Produce Sculpture	CUADIG303 Produce and prepare photo images
PM 1.00 – 4.00	CUADRA311 Produce Drawings	CUAACD311 Produce drawings to communicate ideas CUAPAI311 Produce paintings	CUASCU311 Produce Sculpture	CUADIG315 Produce digital images

Timetable Block 2

	Monday 16 March 26	Tuesday 17 March 26	Wednesday 18 March 26	Thursday 19 March 26
AM 9.30 – 12.30	Studio Sessions Artistic Skills	Studio Sessions Artistic Skills	Exhibition Preparation	Exhibition Bump Out
PM 1.00 – 4.00	Studio Sessions Artistic Skills	Studio Sessions Artistic Skills	Exhibition Preparation Exhibition Opening 6:30 PM Award of Qualifications	Closing

Units of Competency, Assessment Tasks & Recommended Materials

Below is the schedule of Units of Competency to be completed and the recommended materials.
Please note, that not all Units have Assessments activated in your student portal. These will be activated before the start of Block 1.

Core Units		Recommended Materials
BSBWHS211	Contribute to the health and safety of self and others	N/A
CUAACD311	Produce drawing to communicate ideas	Visual Diary (A3 Size Recommended) Selection of Pencils varying hardness on the HB Scale Kneadable Eraser
CUAPPR311	Produce creative work	N/A – materials are noted in each of the respective artistic disciplines
CUARES301	Apply knowledge of history and theory to own arts practice	N/A

Standard Electives
CUADIG303	Produce and prepare photo images	Laptop or Tablet plus Photo Editing Software e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom or GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program), or Krita Tablet and stylus. (Wacom Small recommended)
CUADIG315	Produce digital images	Laptop plus Photo Editing Software e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program) or Krita Tablet and stylus. (Wacom Small recommended)
CUADRA311	Produce drawings	Visual Diary (A3 Size Recommended) Selection of Pencils varying hardness on the HB Scale Kneadable Eraser
CUAPAI311	Produce paintings	Paint Set – Artist Quality (Acrylic recommended) (Odourless solvent if using oil paints) Selection of Brushes Small Canvas
CUAPHI305	Use wet darkroom techniques to produce monochrome photographs	TBA (Block 2 Activity)
CUAPHI312	Capture photographic images	Your own device to capture images. DSLR Camera or Smartphone Camera suitable.
CUAPPR312	Document the creative work progress	N/A
CUAPRI312	Produce prints	SAS will provide tools & materials
CUASCU311	Produce sculpture	SAS will provide tools & materials

Questions & Answers – NSW Education CUA31125 Certificate III in Visual Arts Course

Topic	Question	Answer
Student Exhibition & Graduation	What art work should I bring?	We recognise that many students are travelling from regional areas. We recommend that you bring 1 artwork that you feel is representative of your artistic practice. In addition we will be presenting a digital showcase of student works and we encourage you to submit digital images or videos to be included in the showcase.
Student Exhibition & Graduation	Where can I submit images or videos to be included in the digital showcase?	You can submit your images or videos here … https://forms.gle/CEVidig9zzMTYoRA8
General – Tutor feedback sessions	Can I book a 1 on 1 session with a tutor to clarify questions or get feedback?	Yes. You can book a 30 minute session with Senior Trainer & Assessor Krista Brennan. Her standard availability is Tuesdays 1pm to 4pm or Saturdays 11.30am to 12.30pm You can schedule an appointment here … https://calendar.app.google/PPtTiudXSr1zSnkK6There is also a general group Q &A session every Tuesday at 12 noon. Access is via Zoom https://sydneyartschool.zoom.us/j/86748305306?pwd=7Io02b0N7AiPsVpLGbT90bmNBqqHUE.1 Access Code: SAS21
General – Tutor or “Appropriate Person” feedback options	Are we able to use other Art teachers at our own school for ‘tutor feedback’?	Yes — another art teacher would qualify as an “Appropriate Person” for Unit consultation/discussion and feedback requirements. Current industry practitioners, art teacher colleagues and content experts can provide meaningful, informed feedback This mirrors real industry consultation (e.g. peer critique in studios/galleries). Document the discussion: who (name/role, e.g. “Jane Doe, Art Teacher at xxx High School”) & list key points, feedback received, how incorporated.
General – Level of Detail for Responses	What level of detail should my submissions in the Assessment Workbooks be?	Our general guidance is “Don’t overthink it!” Start with the simplest minimum viable input that you think demonstrates an answer to the question or evidence required. Your assessor will let you know if they need more detail or discuss with you when you return to the studio.
General – Order of completing responses	In the assessment workbooks do I have to respond to each item in order or can I skip ahead and complete some answers and return to complete earlier answers and/or upload images.	You can complete the items in the workbook in any order. We encourage you to do a read through of the complete workbook before starting, that can help you to organise your thoughts and process in preparation for including specific responses.
CUAPPR311 – Produce creative work	Do I need to complete an Assessment Workbook for this unit?	No. This will be assessed as competent once you have completed 3 or more of the specialist “Produce …” units (e.g. CUADRA311 drawings, CUAPAI311 paintings, CUASCU311 sculpture, etc.)
CUADIG315 – Produce digital images	Do these works have to be digital drawing or can they be Photoshop creations as well? (for example a surrealist landscape creating through combining images?)	The unit encompasses a broad range of digital image production methods, including but not limited to: Digital drawing/painting (e.g. tablet-based) Image compositing, photomontage and manipulation (e.g. combining multiple source images in Photoshop to create surreal or conceptual works) Photo-based digital enhancements with strong creative intent Hybrid techniques Examples such as surrealist landscapes created through layering, masking, blending and digital adjustments are valid and encouraged, as they demonstrate exploration of combined techniques to realise creative ideas.”
CUAPRI312 – Produce prints	Is there a size this has to be to be considered a ‘major work’?	Size is your choice — select what best supports your idea and technical goals (e.g. intimate small works for detail-focused etching, or larger for bold relief printing)
CUAPRI312 – Produce prints	If I have my own etching with two editions of the print is this acceptable?	For the ‘major work’ and ‘two different design ideas’ in Performance Evidence: You can produce two separate prints (different plates/concepts), OR A single etching/plate with two editions/variations (e.g. different inking, colour, wiping, or additions that show design variations, interpretations or adaptations.
CUARES301 – Apply knowledge of history and theory to own arts practice	What work is this theory meant to be in relation to? Or are we just researching in general?	In CUARES301, research into history and theory must be relevant to and applied to your own arts practice — not general unrelated study. Focus on how historical movements, artists, theories, or cultural contexts inform/influence your current creative work (e.g. drawings, paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, digital images). You do not need to link every piece of research to one single finished artwork — it can relate to your overall practice, style, techniques, or ideas across projects
CUASCU311 – Produce Sculpture	Can sculptures be made from any materials and any scale?	Sculptures can be created using any materials (traditional like clay/wood/metal, found/recycled objects, mixed media, soft/found, or experimental) and at any scale (small maquettes to large installations).
CUASCU311 – Produce Sculpture	Will we be completing a second sculpture when we return to the studio for the second intensive week?	Yes. If you need to complete a second sculpture there will be additional studio time and instruction to create a second piece. (We are planning use a carved foam exercise)
CUAPHI305 – Use wet darkroom techniques to produce monochrome photographs	Will we be completing this unit?	Yes. We have constructed a dark room in the studio and will be taking students through it in groups of 2 or 3 to complete the tasks required for this unit.

Certificate III in Visual Arts – NSW Education – Accelerated Program