Activity 1: Natural Object

  • Medium: Soft lead pencil (examples: graphite, ebony pencil, 2b-6b)
  • Drawing paper: 11x14 to 16x20
  • Produce a drawing of a natural object concentrating on light and shadow. Use all values from darkest blacks to white. Select subject matter such as pine cones, shells, twigs, bark (i.e. birch, sycamore), or berries. Choose an object that is interesting and has detail, texture or pattern. Develop a composition that shows the entire object or draw a close up as if it extends beyond the edges of the paper. Use a viewfinder if needed to find an interesting area to draw.

Activity 2: Bicycle

  • Medium: Charcoal/charcoal pencil, soft (black and white, no color)
  • Charcoal paper (may be colored) heavy weight- 90lbs: size 11x14 to 16x20
  • Use a viewfinder to find an area of a bicycle that you find interesting and shows good composition. Sometimes using a digital camera helps in finding your composition. Take a series of pictures, close ups, from different angles and perspectives. Find something challenging and unique. Use the charcoal and charcoal pencils to render light and shadow. Look for how the shadows are casted away from the bike and what shapes they make. Tortillions will help assist in blending.

Activity 3: Portrait

  • Medium: Your choice of one, or a combo of two: soft graphite pencil, colored pencil, pastel pencils, inks
  • Personal choice of paper (may be colored) heavy weight- 90lbs: size no smaller than 11x14.
  • Create a composition that illustrates the personality of the subject. Use dramatic lighting, props, a different perspective or unique point of view when drawing your subject. If you choose a self-portrait use a mirror. You may ask a friend to take a photo of your with a digital camera if the mirror approach is too difficult.
  • Activity 4: Reference PhotoChallenge: AP Drawing students must have their own image bank for to use to complete their drawings. Using a phone, or digital camera, capture something creative and beautiful every day from a variety of subjects. Take photos from a variety of times of day and with a variety of light sources. Upload your photos to an image gallery on schoology! You should have at least 30 images of various subjects and compositions. See ideas below for tips on what to photograph. Begin on June 26th- End the night before the first day of school!

•What kind of balance am I using? Asymmetrical, symmetrical, radial, etc.

•Do I have portraits, self-portraits, full figure poses, landscapes, interior spaces, exterior spaces, still life scenes, groups of people?

•Do I show space (foreground, middle ground, background)?

•Have I cropped?

•Have I used overlapping?

•Have I included diagonals? Or does my image only read from left to right, or in a row?

•Does the photo show an unusual point of view?

•Does the photo show an unusual light source? (i.e: not only desk lamp, cell phone light, candle light, moon light, sunlight, colored lights)

•Do I use a variety of light sources and show different times of day and weather?

•Does the work evoke any emotion, expression or mood other than happy?

•Have I used cast shadows?

•Have I used reflections?

•Have I used transparent effects?

•Have I manipulated the above subjects using distortion techniques, wrapping objects, breaking things, using mirrors etc.

•Have I expressed myself?

•Does the image reflect my voice and style?

All summer work will be due during the first week(s) of school in September- Monday Sept 12th.