AP Studio Art Syllabus

1. 2 - D Design Portfolio 2. Drawing Portfolio

Course Description:

This AP Studio Art course is offered as a combined portfolio class; initially this syllabus will generalize for 2-Design and Drawing Portfolios and then each portfolio individually as warranted.

Through studio practice, the application of design concepts, and informed decision-making, students will assemble a portfolio of artworks over the course of the year that demonstrates a high level of quality and growth over time in regards to artistic content, techniques and processes. Students will create, present, and assemble artworks to address each of the three components of their portfolio: Concentration, Breadth, and Quality. Each AP Studio Art Student will receive a poster from the College Board that will show examples of the previous years' portfolio entries, as well as serve as a resource to guide them along the portfolio creation process. The poster contains all the pertinent information and instructions for all sections of each portfolio (2D Design, Design, and Drawing). Students will also receive materials throughout the school year compiled to assist them in the creation and tracking of their individual portfolios.

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. Instruction will include various approaches to creating art including those afforded by a range of traditional and non-conventional media and others illustrated by historical movements and contributing artists.

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. Instruction will include various approaches to creating art including those afforded by a range of traditional and non-conventional media and others illustrated by historical movements and contributing artists.

One Portfolio, Three Sections:QualityThe rigorous pacing and analytic component of the AP Studio Art course enables the student to develop mastery in concept, composition and execution of their artwork, whether it is in 2D Design, or Drawing. This “mastery” will be facilitated by the application of the student’ s prior knowledge to breadth assignments, concentration work, and new information gleaned from teacher demonstrations and lectures, and individual and class critiques. This mastery should be especially evident in the pieces submitted for the Quality section of the portfolio.

For the 2D and Drawing portfolios, five actual works are required.

Concentration

Students will learn more about the three sections of the AP Portfolio Concentration, Breadth, and Quality) in later discussions, but a brief explanation of a Concentration would be this: a thoughtful, step-by-step, planned investigation of an idea that is of interest to them - a related body of work with a unifying theme. It is a pictorial journey, a story, and a logical progression. Strength in this area is shown through an apparent evolution of the original idea as opposed to just repeating the same expression with minor changes. This can be a somewhat open-ended and exploratory body of work, or it can be the execution of well- planned ideas with sketches and concepts from start to finish already in place.

For the 2D and Drawing portfolios, 12 slides are required and some may be details.

Breadth

This course will also teach a variety of concepts and approaches in 2D, and Drawing so that the student will be able to demonstrate a range of abilities and versatility with techniques, problem solving, and creation of ideas. This variety will be demonstrated through the use of a wide range of media and these works will generate the Breadth section of the portfolio.

An AP Studio Art Portfolio should not reflect obsessions with genres, styles, or subjects, but rather, should show ingenuity, sensitivity, and boldness. Assignments for the Breadth section will primarily be teacher driven. They will often be completed in your sketchbook and outside of class. Examples of these assignments are given in later in this syllabus.

For the 2D and Drawing portfolios, 12 slides are required.

Critiques:

Critiques, both formal and informal, with peers and with instructor, are invaluable for getting objective feedback regarding our artwork and are therefore mandatory. Critique dates and project due dates will be set and provided with each assignment. Students will be expected to have projects 'critique ready' at the beginning of class on critique day. If the student is absent on critique day, no grade for that project will be assigned until the artwork is presented to the group during the next critique. Requirements for each critique (written/oral, formal/informal) will be provided ahead of time. Each student will be involved in one-on-one critiques and mentoring sessions with the instructor from the first week of school and continuing throughout the entire portfolio creation process.

Academic Honesty:

All students will be required to submit portfolios to the College Board in May for scoring and possible college credit. (Much more about the scoring process will be discussed as the year progresses). All work submitted in each portfolio must be wholly original and not plagiarized or derivative in any way. All work must be observational and each student and their instructor will be required to sign affidavits attesting to the artistic integrity and originality of each portfolio and it's contents. No copying of another person’ s artwork will be allowed. However, photographs taken by the AP student may be used in whole or as reference. The point is that even though as artists, we find inspiration and direction in the creations of others, we must develop our own individual artistic voice, creating original artworks that reflect our own personal statement.

Expectations:

The process of developing a college-level portfolio is extremely time consuming; AP Studio Art Students must have a strong dedication to art and the process of producing art before entering the class. Because of this students may be able to use works of art they have created previously (in other classes or outside of school altogether) for their portfolios if the work meets the standards for AP Portfolio pieces. But it must be understood that students will be required to attend and participate in class every day - and will also be expected to spend as much time as is necessary out of class creating artworks to fulfill the portfolio requirements. Students will often be expected to be working on more than one piece of art at a time. Sketchbooks will also be used for skill building and to record ideas for future artworks.

In the Drawing and 2-D portfolios, students will be required to complete a minimum of 24 artworks that meet the requirements for each of the three sections of the AP Portfolio. Again, these are the minimum acceptable quantities of college-level, AP quality artwork that each student will be expected to create for each portfolio.

Ideally, each student will create well beyond the minimum number quoted here, so that only the student's very best pieces will be selected for use and submission in their final AP portfolios.

Learning Objectives

The student will:

• Show an understanding of the focus of the portfolio selected.

• Demonstrate a breadth of high-quality work, 12 pieces.

• Develop a personal Concentration of 12 pieces.

• Select five Quality pieces for presentation.

• Discuss and record the development of the Concentration.

• Refine their ability to draw and interpret what they see.

• Understand how the elements and principles communicate visual ideas.

• Maintain a strong work ethic and a positive attitude.

• Use critical thinking skills to work through and solve all problems.

• Increase their knowledge of the creative and art making process.

• Increase skills in the use of art tools and materials.

• Fearlessly pursue the process of making art and creating a portfolio. Grading: Grades will be based upon participation (10 possible points per day), and performance on assigned homework in sketchbooks. Artworks, written critiques, and verbal critique participation will also be graded on a standard

percentage scale as needed. Outside of class artworks will constitute as much as 50% of a students' overall grade. Students will also regularly participate in ongoing individual conferences with their instructor. Grades will be earned according to established College Board rubrics, and both volume and quality will be taken into consideration for overall grades. All students will be expected to participate in all photography sessions of their work, and will be expected to develop the group slides on a rotating basis. Supplies: AP Studio Art students will typically use two-to-three times the amount of materials non-AP art students use during the course of a year. As such, AP students will be required to pay higher lab fees than other non-AP Students pay, and will pay them in August at the start of school and again at the star of the second term in January. These material fees will cover the cost of most art materials, but students will be expected to purchase their own highly specialized or expensive materials on their own. Supplies will primarily be for in classroom use, but some of them may be checked out for home studio use as well. AP Studio Art students will be expected to have art materials of their own at home as well. Students will also be expected to provide slide and 35 mm film and cover the development cost of both. Course Sequencing: Students will be preparing work simultaneously on the Breadth and the Concentration sections of the portfolio throughout the school year. While the attached timeline is to be strictly followed, it is the minimum pacing required to complete the portfolio in one school year. It is, therefore, perfectly acceptable and even encouraged for the AP Studio Art Student to 'look ahead' and create something even though, as a class, we may not have reached that point in the syllabus.

One last word about due dates is needed. The pacing of the class is grueling. It is not a realistic expectation for a student to complete

an entire portfolio in one school year of 55 minutes sessions per day. Even when out-of-class time is figured in, the time to mentally work through the evolution of a concentration, while experimenting with breadth, is compressed. It is much more realistic to expect that a student ready for the AP Studio Art class has arrived at this point having accumulated a number of pieces of art that can be used in the final portfolio.

In the timeline below, the week’ s activity guide in the pacing of the Concentration and Breadth sections of the portfolio. The breadth pieces will be assigned on a weekly basis and chosen to match the portfolio type (2D, Drawing) and other specifics of the individual student or the circumstances of the school year. Sample Breadth projects for each portfolio are listed prior to the timeline.

Students will begin working on Breadth pieces as follows: (Students will ALWAYS be expected to reference and know names of any artists they may be influenced by or reference in the creation of their own works. Examples, idea sources, and suggested artists to investigate will be provided to students.) All Breadth projects and assignments will have requirements, but are open-ended enough to allow you to develop your own style and mode of expression. Students are NOT to draw from someone else's photographs - it is already someone else's composition, a student must develop their own compositions - regardless of media chosen - direct observation is mandatory!

Breadth and Concentration pieces are worked concurrently from the second week of school through the completion of the portfolio in May. Breadth assignments are your solutions to visual, functional, conceptual, and procedural problems that I put in your lap. In thinking about these problems, you learn how to seek out the most effective solution. In a way, Breadth assignments relieve you of the burden of deciding what to create while also training you to be more resourceful and divergent in your approach to creating art.

Sample Drawing Breadth Projects

Marriage of two artists (use one for style, the other for technique and medium)

Charcoal portrait assemblage from multiple models

Flash labs with pastels (drawing in steps from an unfocused to focused source)

Subtractive (erased photocopy) portraitsDraw one object from multiple perspectives in the same composition Divide and color (four separate color schemes in one sectioned portrait)

Design paper currency and render with crow quill and inks Art Nouveau rendition of modern functional objectLogo replacing stroke and fill with textGiant group grid portraits in charcoal

One subject – three versions (Formalism, Expressionism, Imitationalism) Neutral ground with Conté crayon or white and black charcoal Illustrations for a songGesture-type drawings of fruit and vegetables as if in motion

Art Tectonics sketches (colliding two historic art movements into one) Monocular focal point drawings (everything else becomes fuzzy)Rule of thirds compositionsMaking marks in ink using unconventional objects (sticks, feathers, etc.) Good dream/bad dream sketches in sketchbook

Drawing without line (using only ink washes)Deconstructed grid drawings (three variations on the same scene) Extreme foreshortening of a common objectDesign related to psychological, historical, or narrative event Redesigning the school (existing area plus newly created modification)

Sample 2D Design Breadth Projects Collage with text, restricted color palette.Digital self-portraitFashion design for

vegetables

Color Reorganization-assigning colors randomly or alphabetically Abstraction from nature in conté crayonGraphic design – packaging sans textCD design – fictitious musical group

Propaganda flyerIndustrial, hard design for clothing, pet accessories, or plantsColor symbolismAbstractions from urban environmentArchitecture made by Mother NatureDesign related to psychological, historical, or narrative eventOne subject – three versions (Formalism, Expressionism, Imitationalism) Redesign an everyday object with humorSelf-portrait as a favorite industrial product in oil pastel Kaleidoscope-radial balance designCool-warm contrastHidden message (shapes of objects in a composition spell out a word). Seedpods, and forms evolving from themDesign a deck of cards; e.g., "New Wave"-styleEndangered animals doing X-treme sportsDesign a new Tarot deck with humorous cardsDevelop a modular repeat pattern for a fabric based on a symbol Illustration for a song

Render an organic object as man-made, and a man-made object as organic Game board and game piecesSnapshot of an emotional momentOld fashioned signs for new businesses and services

3D Breadth Projects Course Schedule:

Summer Assignment:

All: Develop five ideas for different Concentrations and produce multiple sketches for each idea in a sketchbook.

Week 1All: AP syllabus will be covered including course expectations and timeline.

Individual Portfolio Reviews: Students will meet individually with instructor to present previous artworks and discuss ideas for new artworks and a Concentration. Individual mentoring between

students and instructor begins. How will you communicate your Concentration idea in a visual format? A written Concentration statement will also be included in the final Portfolio submission; this statement describes the artist's intent and outlines the development of the Concentration. Additionally, writing informs the artwork, and the artwork informs the written statement. Thus the written statement and the artworks go hand-in-hand in the creation of a concentration.

Week 2All: Continue to develop ideas on Concentration. Students must have a

Concentration proposal approved and in place by the end of the second week of class when it will be presented to the entire AP class.

Week 3All: Begin working on first Concentration piece. Produce five more ideas and

sketches for the Concentration section due at end of week. First Breadth assignment given.

Week 4All: Continue with Concentration. First Concentration piece due and first class

formal critique (walk through) at end of week. Art vocabulary will be used in all critiques.

Week 5All: Rework previous Concentration piece and/or begin another. First Breadth

piece due.

Week 6All: Sketches for five more concentration pieces due on Monday. Continue with

second Concentration piece, due on Friday.

Week 7All: Begin third Concentration piece.

Week 8All: Continue with third Concentration piece, due on Friday.

Week 9All: Continue with Concentration – now working on fourth Concentration piece.

Week 10All: Continue with fourth Concentration piece. Informal class critique midway

through piece. Second and Third Breadth pieces due.

Week 11All: Rework current piece based on critique feedback. Fourth Concentration piece

due on Friday.

Week 12All: Continue with Concentration, working on fifth piece.

Week 13All: Fifth Concentration piece due on Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving weekend.

Week 14All: Continue with Concentration beginning sixth Concentration piece. Fourth and

Fifth Breadth pieces due.

Week 15All: Sixth Concentration piece due. Informal critique.

Week 16All: Begin working on Seventh Concentration piece.

Week 17All: Seventh Concentration piece due Friday. Sixth and Seventh Breadth pieces

due.Winter Break Assignment:

All: Develop five more ideas for different Concentrations and produce sketches for each idea in a sketchbook. Two Breadth pieces completed over the break.

Week 182D and Drawing: Critique Winter Break Concentration

piece. Continue with

Concentration work (Eighth Concentration piece). Eighth and Ninth Breadth

pieces due.

Week 19All: Continue working on Concentration. Ninth piece due Friday.

Week 20All: Continue working on Tenth Concentration piece.

Week 21All: Continue working on Tenth Concentration piece which is due on Friday. Tenth

and 11th Breadth pieces due.

Week 22All: Continue working on 11th Concentration piece.

Week 23All: Continue working on 11th Concentration piece which is due on Friday.

Week 24All: Continue working on 12th Concentration piece.

All: Continue I complete week 22 artworks. Second Breadth critique at end of week, each student must have a minimum of four NEW BREADTH only works completed to be critiqued. (Students should have completed 8 Breadth pieces by this time.) Second set of BREADTH 35 mm photographs and slides will be taken.

Week 25All: Continue working on 12th Concentration piece which is due on Friday. 12th

and 13th Breadth pieces due. (Although 12 pieces are required for submission in the Concentration and 12 in the Breadth, students will continue working on additional pieces for both sections so that the best 12 may be chosen for inclusion in the portfolio.

Week 26All: Continue working on 13th Concentration piece.

Week 27All: Continue working on 13th Concentration piece which is due on Friday.

Spring Break Assignment:

All: Work on two breadth pieces at home over the break. Week 28

All: 14th Concentration piece due and 13th and 14th Breadth pieces due.

Week 29All: Individual review with teacher of Concentration section of portfolio. Continue

with Concentration if additional work is advised. Otherwise, work on the weakest section of the portfolio. Additional Breadth or Quality work may be needed. Students will continue with Breadth section artworks, adding, deleting, changing, adjusting Breadth portfolio contents as indicated from critique sessions.

Week 30All: Students will continue with Breadth section pieces.

Week 31All: Students begin assembling and labeling sections of the portfolio, pick Quality

pieces, and determine which artworks will not be used. Additional artwork is begun as necessary. Begin photographing work.

Week 32All: Begin writing Concentration statements, begin slide

prep/presentation/organization, and complete any re-shoots.

Week 33All: All portfolios must be completed and ready to ship; slides verified, labeled and

in correct order. Commentaries prepared, proofed, and checked for spellings/grammatical errors, readability and labeling. Quality pieces labeled and prepped for traveling and reading/display.

Week 34All: Students assist with preparations for student art

show, and firm up post-high

school plans.

Week 35ALL: Continue with week 34 preparations.

Week 36All: Student Art Show and student post-high school presentation summaries.

Bibliography:

Drawing, Seeing, and Observing. Ian Simpson, 2nd Ed., 1982, Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Creating and Understanding Drawing. Gene Mittler, James Howze, 4th Ed., 2006, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

Art in Focus. Gene Mittler, 5th Ed., 2006, Glencoe /McGraw-HilI.

Discovering Drawing. Worcester, Mass., 2000, Davis Publications, Inc.

100 Creative Drawing Ideas. Audette, Anna Held, 2004, Shambhala Press

Shaping Space, The Dynamics of Three-Dimensional Design. 3rd Ed., 2006, Paul Zelanski and Mary Pat Fisher, Wadsworth Thomson Learning

Visual Literacy. Richard Wilde, Judith Wilde, 1st Ed., 1991, Watson Guptill Publications.

Claywork. Leon Nigrosh, 3rd Ed., 1995, Davis Publications Hand-Built Ceramics, Kathy Triplett, 2000, Lark Books.

Making Ceramic Sculpture: Techniques, Projects, Inspirations, Raul Acero, 2001, Lark Books.

The Art of handbuilt Ceramics, Susan Bruce, 2000, Crowood

Press, Ltd.