The artistic and creative foundation course, attended by students of all faculties in the first two semesters, is one of the distinctive features of the Berlin Weissensee School of Art. In the main, its structure is the same for all disciplines and it is obligatory for all students. It intends to provide not only elementary artistic experience, but also communication skills which go beyond each individual course of study. Students can explore methods of working, from the direct and sensory to the analytical and systematic, by means of practical comparison and theoretical reflection.

The process of integrating art and design determines the content and structure of this first part of the basic study period. The focus of this study phase is the teaching of the basics of art and design as well as craftsmanship, in particular in the areas of image, colour and language, body and space and drawing, as well as the fostering of creative skills.