A.P. Studio Art Drawing/2-D Syllabus 2011 - 2012

AP Studio Art: Drawing/2-D Syllabus 2011 – 12

Overview: Advanced Placement Drawing is a college level course in the visual arts. Students who successfully complete the requirements can request credit from the college or university they will attend. Credit will be awarded once the AP Portfolio has been submitted and reviewed by the AP College Board.

Expectations: Students will be expected to produce approximately 24 works of art in a variety of media, techniques, and subject matter. Emphasis is placed on drawing from observation; the application of color and design principles (Breadth section); the development of a body of work of the student’s choice; (Concentration section); recognition of the history of art and its role in the development of visual ideas; and the application of the critique process, both written and oral. This course begins with a MANDATORY summer assignment of three (3) specific compositions for assessment due the first day of class. During the first semester, students will be given required assignments specific to the portfolio due at the end of each quarter.

Portfolios are reviewed every quarter. At the end of the first quarter students will conduct the portfolio evaluations, at the semester students and the instructor evaluate the portfolios. Prior to sending in portfolios to AP College Board, a mock AP reading using the College Board rubric will be conducted to evaluate the work.

It is expected that all AP Studio Art students will turn in a completed portfolio for AP College Board review.

Prerequisites: Instructor approval, portfolio review, Art 3 or Art 4 Drawing/Painting.

Suggested Reading Materials: Books: The Natural Way to Draw, Kimon Nicolaides, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1941, 1969
Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters, Robert Beverly Hale, Watson-Guptill Publications, 1964

Required Summer Work: As the focus on all drawing portfolios is drawing, the summer assignment is a series of assessment drawings in which students must generate a solution to an open-ended problem. This helps to determine a level of skill as well as thought process. The assignments can be done in any medium with the size not larger than 18 x 24”. Assignments are required for the first day of class, no exceptions. Students will select from the following list:
Fast food
Crumpled, crushed, folded
Sink, emerge, float
Unusual perspective
Reflections
Cultural diversity

Evaluation: Critiquing is the foundation for establishing an understanding of art. Critiques will take place once a week, set day to be determined. Students must also self-evaluate. Portfolios are reviewed every quarter with a final portfolio review conducted as a mock AP reading, using College Board criteria. Grades for AP will be based on:
Portfolio review - 15%
Studio work - 65%
Critiques - 20%

Further Requirements: Students are expected to complete a minimum of 24 works of art by the end of the year/AP College Board Portfolio submission date. Students must be committed to working on drawing/painting/other media both inside and outside of class. Out of class assignments will be handed out every 6 weeks with requirements and date work is due.

Sketchbooks: The art sketchbook is an important part of student development as a working artist. It should show evidence of constant seeing and reflecting. Sketchbooks are required and are a major portion of your student grades. This is an honors level class and there are high expectations for the quality and creativity of work. Students must acquire, create or purchase a sketchbook as a record of REGULAR creative thinking outside the classroom. Students will also be expected to visit an art museum, gallery, art opening or art lecture of their choice every 6 weeks. The visit must be summarized in-depth with specific work sketched and discussed. Homework may be assigned from time to time, including sketchbook work.


Units of Study:
Semester One - September, October, November, December
Assignments will be given with the purpose of introducing students to a range of experiences involving mark-making, drawing issues, art history and artists’ issues of their time, techniques and a mastery of a variety of materials. Students will achieve meaningful and personal responses to the assignments leading to the development of their own personal style and direction. By the end of term students will have completed portfolio-quality work for the Breadth section of the AP portfolio. Students will, at the same time, be defining their Concentration concepts and begin to develop specific imagery for that section of their portfolio. Assignments included are:
Gesture drawing
Contour/cross contour drawing
Monumental still life with cropping tool
Wayne Thiebaud shoes
Chiaroscuro a la Caravaggio
Perspective study
Reflective Identity self portrait
Charcoal/conte
Connection to the Game of Life

Semester Two - January, February, March, April, May
Assignments for the Breadth section will continue but the main focus of this semester will be the development of specific images for each student’s Concentration study for the drawing portfolio. As this section is very personal to each student, considerable time will be devoted to refining individual concepts and discussion/critiquing of work created. Each student will create an initial statement of purpose for his/her concentration concept which will be reviewed with each portfolio evaluation critique. In addition, students will work with both the instructor and each other to develop parameters for their concepts; narrow their areas of strength and interest; plan their approach to completion of the Concentration and prepare for the final portfolio selection and critique/mock AP reading.
Assignments for this semester include:
Color study – colored pencil/acrylic
Printmaking and design
Embossing (mark-making through dimension with landscape as subject)
Emotional imagery (personal refuge)
Wrapped object drawing (whole class with wrapped bicycle)
Figure drawing from the model
Painting from the model
Matting and photographing work

Final Portfolio: In preparation for the final portfolio, students are required to meet with the instructor individually to determine the selection of pieces for all sections of the AP portfolio, including selection of the five (5) Quality pieces. Once pieces have been selected and the mock AP reading has taken place, slides will be labeled and the final written statement will be edited.

Copyright Issues: Students are expected to create work that is wholly personal and original. It is understood that any published work or photograph done by another artist should be used only to develop a student’s personal image and as reference material only. Any published work of another artist, if used, must be significantly altered with the individual student’s own voice and expression.