The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit in this unit

The following evidence is critical to the judgement of competence in this unit:

production of prints which demonstrates a command of selected techniques and which is consistent with the conceptual vision

knowledge of materials and tools and how they are used and extended in printing.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

The assessment context must provide for:

evaluation of visual language and technical execution of work pieces produced by the candidate

practical demonstration of skills using required tools, equipment and materials to produce multiple prints or a single major work.

Method of assessment

Assessment may incorporate a range of methods to assess performance and the application of essential underpinning knowledge, and might include:

direct observation of work in progress

questioning and discussion of the candidate's intentions and work outcome

verbal and written reports

review of portfolios of evidence

third party workplace reports of performance by the candidate.

Assessment methods should closely reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy) and the needs of particular groups (e.g. people with disabilities, and people who may have literacy or numeracy difficulties such as speakers of languages other than English, remote communities and those with interrupted schooling).

Assessment of this unit requires access to the materials, resources and equipment needed to learn and extend printmaking techniques and practise them safely.

Required skills:

literacy skills sufficient to read product safety labels

numeracy skills sufficient to calculate quantities, cost and process times.

Required knowledge:

the physical properties and capabilities of the range of materials, tools and equipment used in printmaking

work space requirements for printmaking, including ways of organising and maintaining space

ways of exploring, adapting and combining techniques and materials to achieve different effects in printmaking

general knowledge of the formal elements and principles of design and their specific application to the production of prints

cleaning and maintenance techniques for tools and equipment used in printmaking

general knowledge of the historical and theoretical contexts for prints

awareness of copyright, moral rights and intellectual property issues

environmental issues associated with the tools and materials used in prints

organisational and legislative occupational health and safety procedures in relation to printmaking.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Tools and equipment may include:

equipment for paper preparation and handling, e.g. soaking tray, preparation tables, scissors, knives, cutting blades, rulers drying racks and boards

lithography stones and plates

plate grainer

printing tools and equipment, e.g. presses, blankets, cardboards, burnishers, barens, screens, squeegees, vacuum tables

protective clothing

tools and equipment for applying colour and tone, e.g. rollers, brushes sponges, scrapers

tools and equipment for plate preparation, e.g. cutting tools, metal scribes, burnishers, scrapers, roulettes, found tools, brushes, sponges, acid trays, aquatint equipment, dryers.

Materials may include:

materials for block preparation, e.g. sand paper, steel wool, polishing liquids, plate grounds, etching acids, gum, carborundum, rosin, sugar lift, carbon paper, tusche, crayons

materials for block/plate making, e.g. lino, wood, copper, zinc, aluminium, perspex, plaster, cardboard

materials for printing, e.g. water and oil based inks, oil paints, water colour, pigments, chine colle papers, protective papers, tarlatan, rages

substrate materials, e.g. papers (handmade, commercial, found), e.g. cardboard, fabric, perspex.

Prints may be:

artists books

editions

installation work

series

unique states.

Workplace procedures may relate to such things as:

cost control

process-specific procedures

recycling

reporting

safety

use of materials.

Safety requirements would be in accordance with:

Federal, State and Territory legislation, regulations and standards.

Organisation and maintenance of the work space may relate to:

bench space

light

presses

process-specific requirements

ventilation

wet and dry areas.

Assessing the capabilities of the techniques, tools and materials may involve:

experimenting directly with work in progress

producing test pieces or samples

systematically testing a range of processes.

Within this unit the candidate would generally extend, build upon and combine a range of printmaking techniques, which may include:

collograph

dry point

intaglio

lithography

mezzotint

monotype

photocopy transfer

relief (lino block, wood block, perspex)

screen

wood.

Extending capabilities of techniques refers to:

exploring the potential of techniques and discovering new ways of using techniques.

The conceptual vision may be determined by:

elements and principles of design

the relationship of the work to a theoretical and historical context

the subject matter or theme for the prints, e.g. the body; identity; land and place; political, cultural, social issues; spiritual concerns.

Criteria for the selection of techniques may relate to:

access to materials, tools and equipment for the techniques

consistency with the conceptual vision for the proposed prints

ease of application of the techniques

personal affinity with the techniques.