AP STUDIO ART

COMMITMENT

AP Studio Art is for highly motivated students who are seriously interested in the study of art. The program demands significant commitment. You will need to work outside the classroom, as well as in it, and beyond scheduled art periods.You should plan on working eight to ten hours per week outside of class. Previous AP Art students have found it very effective to use their “study period” for “studio time” throughout the week.

You are responsible for one finished art work per week. This is a significant workload and requires full participation during class and use of your “study period”.

Daily attendance is critical in attaining success in AP Art.

Assignments will be monitored closely for on timeturn in of your required work. If your assignments are not turned in on time during the first month of school, then transfer into Honors Art II will be required.

STRUCTURE OF THE PORTFOLIOS

The three portfolios, Drawing, 2-D, and 3-D, share a basic three section structure, which requires you to show a fundamental competence and range of understanding in visual concerns (and methods). Each of the portfolios asks you to demonstrate a depth of investigation and process of discovery through the Concentration section. In the Breadth section, you are asked to demonstrate a serious grounding in visual principles and materials techniques. The Quality section permits you to select the works that best exhibit a synthesis of form, technique, and content.

CONCENTRATION DEVELOPMENT

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. You are encouraged to explore a personal, central interest as intensively as possible; you are free to work with any idea in any medium that addresses Drawing, 2-D or

3-D issues. The concentration should grow out of your own idea and demonstrate growth and/or discovery through a number of conceptually related works.

The AP “evaluators” are interested not only in the work presented but also in visual evidence of your thinking, your selected method of working, and development of the work over time.

The list of possible concentration topics is infinite. Below are examples of concentrations that have been submitted to the College Board in the past. They are intended only to provide a sense of range and should not necessarily be considered “better” ideas.

  • A series of expressive landscapes based upon personal experience of a particular place.
  • A personal or family history communicated through the content and style of still-life images.
  • Abstractions from mechanical objects that explore mark-making.
  • Interpretive self-portraiture and figure studies that emphasize exaggeration and distortion.
  • A project that explores interior or exterior architectural space, emphasizing principles of perspective, structure, ambience created by light, etc…
  • A figurative project combining animal and human subjects – drawings, studies, and completed works.
  • An interpretive study of literary characters in which mixed media, color and form are explored.
  • The use of multiple images to create works that reflect psychological or narrative events.

AP STUDIO ART

2D PORTFOLIO

SUMMER ASSIGNMENT 2012

Dear Students,

Your summer assignment is as follows:

  1. Sketchbook:
  • Include leaf studies for project #1. (first 3 bullets of project is practice)
  • See below for additional sketchbook assignments for project #2.
  • List of 100 concrete and abstractConcentration ideas. (brainstorm)
  • Include studies/thumbnails for 2 or 3 of your favorite Concentration ideas.
  • Include journal-written entries about concentration ideas/possibilities
  • Please label and date sketches and entries.
  1. 3 finished projects, listed below.
  1. Power Point Presentation on Master Artist’s Concentration.(to present in class)
  1. Visit an Art Museum – Sketch and journal about 3 or 4 art works that intrigue you. (make sure you ask permission to bring pencil and sketch book into museum).
  1. Add to your art supplies to use at home. (Suggested supply list included).

ALL WORK IS DUE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

  1. LEAF STILL LIFE- Line quality

Materials needed: sketchbook, pencil, thin black marker, erasers (reg. and kneaded),

16” x 20” drawing paper, chalk pastels

Go to “Youtube”. Search “modified contour”. Choose: Andover High School, (Mrs. Nielson…….) See all 47 videos – download until you find the following:

  • Sketchbook assignment for Project 1:
  • Drawing Plants – practice this technique in your sketchbook.
  • Line Quality: leaf with textured edge – practice in sketchbook.
  • How to draw a twisted leaf: practice in sketchbook.

Final part of project:

  • How to draw leaves: begin your final composition on 16x20 drawing paper. Use entire paper for creative composition. Use pencil – black marker as demonstrated.
  • Pastel Background tutorial: Finish composition with one of the pastel

techniques as demonstrated. Use your own color choice.

Spray with fixative or fine mist of “Aquanet” hairspray.

  1. CUT PAPER SELF PORTRAIT

You will use your design skills to create a complex portrait in an environment that will be used to explore positive and negative space as well as contour line. You will utilize your knowledge of organic and geometric shape when establishing an overall composition to base your final paper cut on. Large sample is provided here.

  • SKETCHBOOK ASSIGNMENTfor project 2.
    Create positive - negative drawings or paper-cuts experiments from your environment. All drawing or cuts must be from life and explore complexity of composition and line. Draw many thumbnails of yourself in different poses, angles. Turn these into positive –negative thumbnail drawings.

Student Sample: 24X36

Materials Needed:

Large sheets of black Construction Paper (size 18” x 24” minimum)
Exacto knives , thick cardboard to lay under black paper so table isn’t damaged

Rulers
Mat Board (same size as black paper)

Directions

  • Create 3 self portraits from life, with a mirror, or using the digital camera. Remember to find a location that will allow you complexity of composition. This will help your overall paper-cut connect together as you cut it. Select one of the thumbnails and create a large scale drawing on 24”x36” black paper. Add a 1-2 inch border to connect all of the pieces.Cut with a sharp Exacto knife. Make sure table top is protected. Be aware of your craftsmanship skills.
  • All space must hold together using a border that you create.Think of this as a piece of finely constructed lace as you work on it. The more intricate the lines the more interesting the final work will be.
  • When you are complete select a light colored mat board and carefully glue the paper cut down using glue stick or rubber cement.
  • GRADE:Design, Positive/Negative Space, Complexity, Craftsmanship, Overall Idea
  • Websites:Sculptural Paper Cuts - Peter Callesen
  • Chris Natrop - cut paper art
    His work is all cut paper - using utility knife as a "drawing" tool. Embellishments include watercolors, tape and nail polish. Chris Natrop is from California.
  • The Heart of Papercuts- A great blog with just about all you wanted to know about paper cutting
  • Hina Aoyama- A great Japanese cut paper artist. This is the artist's MySpace gallery.
  • Book:Chinese Cut-Paper Designs - This book includes paper-cuttings from Mainland China. Many photos of work.

3. FLIPBOOKS!

Create a series of 5 flipbooks. They must all be related to each other with an in depth and comprehensive idea. Go on Youtube and see what some other people have done. Make yours unique.

Add color.

Videotwo or more of your favorite flip books and post them on Youtube.

Email me when you have them posted.

Materials – “Post It”pads make good flip books, or any small pad. Start your “flipping” from last page. (You can also make your own using any paper that is uniform.)

Markers, paint, colored pencils etc.

4. Power Point:Master Artist Concentration (themed series of work)

1. You will research anartistof interest who has developed a series of art work.

  • Create a Power Point of amaster artists’ series that shows their “concentration’ or theme.
  • 6 slide minimum.
  • Highlight 3 or 4 pieces of art work from the artist. Borders around all pictures.
  • Bullets for talking points.
  • Visually aesthetic: spacing, color, font etc.
  • Upon presentation you are expected to speak about the artist’s theme, why it is a themed series of work, how the series shows unity and variety within the theme, and which techniques the artist used to create the works.Include the Elements and Principles of design the artist used, compositional effects, and the artists drawing/paintingstyle.
  • You may choose an artist from the following lists oryou may choose your own.

Magdalena Abakonowitz

Cecilia Beaux

William Beckman

Joseph Cornell

Chuck Close

Charles Demuth

Richard Diebenkorn

Aaron Douglas

Gaela Erwin

Eric Fischl

Xenia Hausner

Connie Hayes

Derek Hess

Winslow Homer

Edward Hopper

Jasper Johns

Frida Kahlo

Anselm Kiefer

Gustav Klimt

Alfred Leslie

Juan Munoz

Elizabeth Murray
Alice Neel

Georgia O’Keeffe

Sigmar Polke

Robert Rauschenberg

Faith Ringgold

Larry Rivers

Betye Saar

David Salle

John Singer Sargent

Egon Schiele

George Segal

Sandy Skoglund
Wayne Thiebaud
Kishinev Wiley

More Artists to Investigate

The following artists all have narrative elements in their work.

Abakanowitz, Magdalena

Beckman, Max

Bellows, George

Benton, Thomas Hart

Birchfield, Charles

Chagall, Marc

Chicago,Judy

Eakins, Thomas

Fischl, Eric

Gentiluchi,Artemesia

Goya, Francisco

Grooms,Red

Homer, Winslow

Hopper, Edward

Kahlo, Frida

Kienwoltz, Ed

Kollowitz, Kathe

Lawrence, Jacob

Remington, Frederick

Ringgold, Faith

Rivera, Diego

Rockwell, Norman

Segal, George

Sherman, Cindy

Skoglund, Sandy

Tanner, Henry O.

Vermeer

Walker, Kara

Websites (only some!!)

(Museums are always good sources also.)

Resources for the Study of Art History

The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Art History

Please feel free to email me anytime this summer for any questions you may have about your assignments. (or just to say hi).

Have a wonderful summer.

Suggested Art Supply List for Home Use

  1. Set of graphite drawing pencils and sticks, ranging from 6B to 4H.
  2. Pink and kneaded erasers.
  3. Blending sticks.
  4. Charcoal pencil.
  5. Markers.
  6. Colored pencils.
  7. Exacto knives.
  8. Sketchbook, 11x14. You may continue with your 2011-12 sketchbook.
  9. Variety of drawing paper, approximately 12x18 and larger.
  10. Set of chalk and oil pastels.
  11. Watercolor tubes, basic colors.
  12. Watercolor paper, approximately 12x18 and larger.
  13. Basic watercolor brushes, round and flat.
  14. Acrylic paint, basic colors.
  15. Basic acrylic brushes, round and flat.
  16. Palette with lid or plastic wrap. (Wax paper works for disposable palettes).
  17. Variety of sizes stretched canvas and canvas board.
  18. Variety of collage and craft materials.