Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Prerequisite
The AP Studio Drawing and Painting Art Portfolio course is designed for students who are seriously interested in the practical
experience of art and wish to develop mastery in the concept, composition, and execution of their ideas. Specifically in mark-
making through the process of Drawing and Painting.
Requirements: Current or previous teacher, counselor, administrator, or parent recommendation, or review of past
student artwork. Students must have successfully completed Art I and/or II Studio Art courses.
I. Course Description
AP Studio Art is a college level course taught in high school. Students will study Drawing and/or Painting, 2-D and/or 3-D
design with a focus on mark making skills. Students will have the opportunity to compile a portfolio of their best work for
submission to and review by the College Board. Students will submit this portfolio in the first week of May; submissions will be
in the form of digital images uploaded to the College Board web site and actual work. Students submitting the drawing
portfolio are limited to “mark making” techniques such as drawing, painting, or printmaking.
Breadth: This section of 12 works in slide form shows a variety of drawing or design approaches using different techniques,
compositions, and media. The student’s work in this section should demonstrate a n understanding of the principles of
design, including unity/variety, balance, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, repetition, proportion/scale, and figure/ground
relationship. Successful works of art require the integration of the elements and principles of design; students must therefore
be actively engaged with these concepts while thoughtfully composing their art. The work in this section should show evidence
of conceptual, perceptual, expressive, and technical range.
Concentration: This section of 12 works in slide form shows the development of a unifying theme or idea. A concentration
is a body of related works describing an in-depth exploration of a particular artistic concern. It should reflect a process of
investigation of a specific visual idea. It is not a selection of a variety of works produced as solutions to class projects or a
collection of works with differing intents. Students should be encouraged to explore a personal, central interest as intensively
as possible; they are free to work with any idea in any medium that addresses two-dimensional design issues. The
concentration should grow out of the student’s idea and demonstrate growth and discovery through a number of conceptually
related works. In this section, the evaluators are interested not only in the work presented but also in visual evidence of the
student’s thinking, selected method of working, and development of the work over time.
Quality: This section consists of five “best” works.” These works may not exceed 18” by 24” is size. Quality refers
to the total work of art. Mastery of design should be apparent in the composition, concept, and execution of the works,
whether they are simple or complex. There is no preferred (or unacceptable) style or content.
The quality section is 5 quality actual works that are submitted by MAIL.
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II. OVERALL GOAL
To encourage creative as well as systematic investigation of formal and conceptual issues in the Quality, Concentration, and
Breadth sections of the AP studio art portfolio. Also, this course includes group and individual student critiques and instructional
conversations with the teacher, enabling students to learn to analyze and discuss their own artworks and those of their peers.
Drawing Portfolio: Students will expand their drawing and two-dimensional design skills and advance their visual
communication skills by exploring a variety of design processes and techniques, and compositional and aesthetic
concepts.
2-D Design Portfolio: Students will expand their two-dimensional design skills and advance their visual
communication skills by exploring a variety of design processes and techniques, and compositional and aesthetic
concepts.
3-D Design Portfolio: Students will expand their three-dimensional design skills and advance their visual
communication skills by exploring a variety of design processes and techniques, and compositional, aesthetic
concepts and sculptural form.
This course has been developed to accommodate students who have expressed an interest in completing the AP
Studio Art Portfolio. Therefore, all content meets the requirements as stated in the student exam poster. Through direct teacher
instruction, emphasis will be placed on the production of a volume of quality pieces of art work. Students will address all three
sections of the portfolio: Breadth, Concentration and Quality.
Students will be challenged to develop their own personal work. Students will develop mastery of concept, composition, and
execution of their personal ideas and themes. Students will also understand that art making is an ongoing process that uses
informed and critical decision making to determine outcomes to problems. Students will be expected to develop a comprehensive
portfolio that addresses each of these issues in a personal way. Formulaic solutions to problems are discouraged.
Students will use a variety of mediums, techniques, and approaches in drawing to develop concepts and ideation.
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Critiques and displays of work are ongoing. Students are expected to participate in class critiques of their
personal work as well as the work of their peers and master artists. The vocabulary of art will be used to engage
in written and verbal critiques of these works.
Individual Student Critiques with the teacher will help students learn to analyze and discuss their own
artworks and artworks of their peers.
Individual Conferencing will assist students in the development of their Concentration work. Students will
develop a body of work that is an investigation of an idea or theme that is of personal interest to them.
Ongoing instructional conversations with the teacher will help students develop their work. Assessing the
strengths and weaknesses in their images, and will provide feedback on how they can further develop their
drawings. This will also help students learn to analyze and discuss their own artworks and the works of their
peers.
First Semester: Students will focus on completing the Breadth section of the portfolio. The instructor will provide a list of ideas
that serve as starting points for works to be included in the portfolio. Students will compile twelve accomplished works of art that
show the breadth of each student’s ability.
Week 2 Movement through Mark-Making—experiment with a variety of mark-making tools and Brth 1
techniques to establish a sense of rhythm and movement in a nonobjective drawing. Drawing
Portfolio
Week 3 Mark-Making Study still in progress, Create 2nd Picture, 2nd Media Brth 2
Emphasis Composition and Balance Drawing Portfolio
Week 4 2 Sided Self-Portrait—with a combination of mixed media and materials. Focusing on Brth 3
contrast and black/white emphasis in artwork. Drawing Portfolio
Emphasis - Effective use of Light and Shade – With a greater emphasis on contour
line drawing with this group.
2 Sided Self-Portrait—with a combination of mixed media and materials. Focusing on 2D Design
contrast and black/white emphasis in artwork. Portfolio
Emphasis - Effective use of Light and Shade
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Week 5 Dramatic Lighting/Portraits Brth 4
Emphasis Contrast/Dramatic Lighting/Mass Drawing Portfolio
Emphasis –High Constrast
2 Sides of me in progress if it is needed this week.
2 Sided Self-Portrait in progress—with a combination of mixed media and 2D Design
materials. Focusing on contrast and black/white emphasis in artwork. Emphasis - Portfolio
Effective use of Light and Shade
Week 6 Gesture Drawing—create a pen drawing of a person in his or her environment Brth 5
demonstrating your ability to capture reality and movement with relative speed and Drawing Portfolio
accuracy.
Emphasis – Line Quality
Enlarged Abstraction—using black/white imagery and text to create a composition with a 2D Design
range of value and an interesting narrative (use safety with essential oils to transfer Portfolio
images).
Week 7 Cross Hatch or Cross-Contour Drawing—experiment with cross-contour drawing using a Brth 6
variety of subjects including still-life objects as well as the human form. Drawing Portfolio
Photocopy Transfer Collage in progress and Layered Mixed Media Piece 2D Design
Portfolio
Week 9 Living Object: Fruit/Vegetable Drawing Series—create a series of drawings using colored Brth 8
pencils or pastels that capture the fruit or vegetable Drawing Portfolio
Digital Anti-Self-Portrait—using a digital photo of yourself and Adobe Photoshop, portray 2D Design
yourself as a stereotype OR Text and Image Collage #2—create a traditional or digital Portfolio
collage that communicates both a visual and a literal statement. Focus on contour lines with
color emphasis as well. Needed if online programs aren’t at school.
.
Week 10 Drawing Brth 9
Conte on 18x24 brown paper Drawing Portfolio
Still life study of similar forms – focus on a chair and other art materials for round 2.
2D Digital/Hands-On 2D Design
Adobe Illustrator/Gouache Portfolio
Text as Shape, Figure/ground reversal/activating ground
Study of Dine, Noguchi, Indiana, Still, Johns, Motherwell
.
Week 11 Perspective Drawing or Painting Brth 10
Emphasis – Unity, The illusion of three dimensional forms Drawing Portfolio
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Perspective Drawing 2D Design
Portfolio
.
Week 12 Perspective Drawing or Painting in progress. Cont. Brth 10
Drawing Portfolio
Figure Drawing Unit—make a series of drawings utilizing a variety of tools and 2D Design
techniques. Portfolio
.
Figure Drawing in progress. Cont. Brth 12
Drawing Portfolio
Figure Drawing in progress. 2D Design
Portfolio
.
Week 16 Drawing Portfolio Drawing Portfolio
Individual Portfolio Review—sign up for a time to meet with the instructor to discuss
class critiques and previous work that may be used for the AP portfolio.
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Extra Art Assignment Titles for the BREADTH section – Weeks 1--‐18.
Each piece has the same title, but the techniques change based on the portfolio – whether it is 2D or Drawing and
Painting. It also included the objective beside the project name.
1. Two Sides of Me: Create an artwork that shows two sides of you. One side is how people see you – the other side is how
you see yourself. Use the mirrors to observe yourself. Work on: your choice – paper, cardboard, etc. Medium: Your choice.
Remember the image on the left is what others think. The one of the right is what the artist thinks.
2. Enlarged Abstraction: Find an image of a photograph that you took and enlarge a portion of the image. First you
need to print the image, and then crop an area of the photograph out. The cropped area is the artwork that you
are going to create. You can choose your medium.
3. Living Object: Create a piece of artwork using a living object that you draw from direct observation. Draw the
living object on multiple types of papers and change the medium of choice between the different layers. For
example, colored pencils, charcoal, or graphite.
4. Layered Mixed Media: Create a piece of artwork that has multiple layers of media to create an artwork of choice.
Suggestion: Use your collaborative piece from the first week of school and build layers upon that piece.
5. Fractured Portrait: Create a portrait study of a family member or a classmate and then fracture the image
emphasizing repetition, balance, and contrast. You can fracture the portrait through cutting
6. Contour Line Figure: Create a contour line figure drawing of a person in your family or a peer at school. Draw them
continuously and non--‐continuously at least 30 minutes or more. Use a pencil and a plain white piece of paper.
7. Contour Line Hand: Create a contour line hand drawing of a your hand. Draw your hand continuously and non-‐‐
continuously at least 30 minutes or more. Use a pencil and a plain white piece of paper. Increase the difficultly of
the project by drawing an object in your hand as well.
8. Oil Pastel Close Up: Create a self--‐portrait that emphasizes an area of your face using the black pastel paper and
oil pastels. Use multiple colors that are NOT all flesh tone.
9. Contour Line Object: Create a contour line figure an object with more complexity than a simple cylinder from
home or in the classroom. Draw the object continuously and non--‐continuously at least 30 minutes or more. Use
a pencil and a plain white piece of paper.
10. Social Commentary: Create a piece of artwork that demonstrates a focus study on a social issue that you are
passionate about.
11. Contour Line with Color: Draw loose contour lines of a building, a figure or an object with a pencil. Then go over
the pencil with a pen. After that, apply color with watercolor.
12. Text as Artwork: Create a piece of artwork that incorporates text within the artwork somehow. This could be in
a variety of forms from script, to graffiti, to block. This can be done by hand or on the computer.
*Lengths and dates of units are subject to change
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Concentration work through individual and whole-class assignments. Early in the term students must attend a mentoring appointment
at which time they are individually counseled about their choices of plan for a Concentration study. By term end, student will not only
have completed a significant portion of the Concentration pieces but will also have initiated a written statement to describe the
intent and development of the project using accurate artistic language.
Semester Project: Portrait in a Box, or Students may choose Theme of their choice.
Objective: Illustrate twelve pieces of artwork that relates to one theme/subject, idea, or concept that demonstrates best skills,
growth over time and cohesiveness.
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. SKETCHBOOK EXPECTATIONS and DATES:
Scholars are required to keep a sketchbook and have it in class daily. They will complete their warm-ups in it, take notes, and
complete weekly homework sketches. Sketches are due every 2nd Friday of the Month. Even though they are only due once
a month, it is expected that students will spend a considerable amount of time outside the classroom working on completion of
assignments due to the college level course they are taking. Ideas for projects or solutions to problems should be worked out in
a sketchbook both in class and outside of class. The sketchbook is an essential tool in recording ideas, capturing visual
information, working on compositional issues, and/or just exploring. Sketchbooks will be checked frequently for progress.
This is included below as well but students need to remember this always: DO NOT DRAW FROM PHOTOGRAPHS, magazines,
etc. The use of published photographs or the work of other artists for duplication is plagiarism. Draw from observation,
things you see in the world. Learn to translate the dynamic three-dimensional world into a two- dimensional world.
More Ways to work in your Sketchbook will be further discussed in your SKETCHBOOK HANDOUT and EXAMPLES.
However, Express yourself! Work to develop mastery in concept, composition, and execution of your ideas.
Students will be pushed throughout this course in activities of how to develop original ideas and move forth in new and creative
ways. Some of those activities of how a student can understand artistic integrity, plagiarism, and moving beyond duplication: still
life studies, portrait still life studies, partner still life studies, perspective painting outside, self portraits,
2-D studies with personal photographs, and many more.
The great thing about the AP Studio Art is there is a possibility for students to earn college credit for their work. AP Scoring is
from 1-5. Most universities give college credit for a score that is 3 or higher. That is COMPLETELY dependent on the specific
university and not guaranteed.
AP Rubric Descriptor
6 EXCELLENT AMBITIOUS RISK-TAKING INVENTIVE
5 STRONG COMPLEX CONFIDENT DIVERSE
4 GOOD CLEAR EFFORT EMERGING
3 MODERATE INCONSISTENT OBVIOUS TENTATIVE
2 WEAK LITTLE ENGAGEMENT SIMPLISTIC MINIMAL
1 POOR CONFUSED TRITE CLUMSY
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VIII. Parent Communication and Information of Class Culture
Class Rules:
. COMMUNICATION
Please feel free to communicate with me anytime you when you have concerns about your scholar or have any other questions.
Never hesitate to ask anything. E-mail is the best way to communicate and I guarantee to e-mail you within
24 hours of reading them. However, please feel free to call if that is more convenient for you.
. REWARDS/CONSEQUENCES
I have a HUGE desire to push your scholar towards self-motivation beyond an immediate reward. With that being said, rewards
will happen on a class level at random times for random reason. I want to push students to avoid a mentality of “If I do this, than I
get this”.
Individual Rewards:
- C.Q.’s: Character Quality Awards
- Artwork Displayed in Gallery at PCA, GCS office, and other locations around school.
Individual Consequences: Behavior inconsistent with the class expectations will be addressed as follows:
- 1. Verbal Warning
- 2. Written warning, recorded in Power Teacher and Parent Phone Call
- 3. After School Detention or Service and Behavioral Reflection
- 4. Office Referral
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***After you have read over the entire syllabus, please sign and date below. Have your scholar return only this page to
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me by Monday, August 10 ***
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Scholar(s) name(s):
Please tell me a little bit about your scholar, their learning styles, and their likes/dislikes. Also,
include anything about yourself so I know how to serve you best as well. Thank you!
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