You will paint at least one landscape in watercolor during class (of the BHS grounds), and create a second color landscape for homework (of your own yard, neighborhood, or nearby park) using watercolor or the color medium of your choice.

Due: One week

Medium: Watercolor on watercolor paper

Objectives:

• Learn to control the watercolor medium to mix a wide range of specific colors.
• Develop skill with watercolor to paint both larger areas and small details.
• Create depth using atmospheric perspective through color shifts -- More vibrant, and usually warmer, as the objects are closer to you; less saturated, less intense, and cooler as they move away.
• Learn to paint gradations/transitions of color
• ​Experiment with the medium

Steps: 

1. Use a viewfinder to establish placement and accurate proportions.

2. Draw thumbnail sketches with tonal value to establish placement of lights and darks in the composition.

3. With a light pencil line (HB or 2B pencil), draw your composition on watercolor paper. Be careful. Be accurate. Add some details in light pencil.

4. Paint with watercolor, capturing accurate hues and values of the actual observed scene. Be conscious of color shifts due to ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE. Try to maintain the delicacy of the medium. Start with more transparent color. 

5. Modifications and details can later be added with slightly more opaque colors.

------

6. Once you've completed the watercolor painting, experiment with gouache, another water-based medium.

7. Use gouache to add pattern, texture, and stylistic effects to your watercolor painting. Anything goes, but work thoughtfully to make a strong finished piece.
​

Student work below:

 1. Paint watercolor scales:

• Value scale of a color straight out of the pan (ex. blue)
• Value scale of another color, preferably a color that you had to mix first (ex. yellow-green)
• Intensity scale, with two complementary colors on either end, blending towards a neutral color in the center (brown or gray mixed from the two complements)
• Scale from a warm light version of a color (Add yellow and more water) to a cool dark version of a color (add blue). (Example, a light yellow-green transitioning to a dark blue-green).

2. Make a grid of 1” squares on watercolor paper, and mix to match the colors of a master landscape painting of your choice (from the reproductions in the room).

Project:
Draw a landscape en plein air (on site, from direct observation). Use a viewfinder if you have one. Draw from life, draw what you see, and don't make things up. Compose the picture thoughtfully, so that you use the Golden Section for placement of important elements. Emphasize some focal points that you guide the viewer's eyes to settle on. Add a full, wide range of tonal values, using a set of drawing pencils or a single ebony pencil.

Objectives:

• Organize the observable world into a strong composition
• Indicate the light source through your use of tonal value.
• Indicate the effects of atmospheric perspective. Distinguish foreground, middle-ground, and background through changes in the level of contrast, detail and texture.
• Improve observational accuracy
• Improve rendering of three-dimensional form
• Improve ability to concentrate on the big picture rather than small details

Materials:

• Graphite (pencil set - Use B, 2B, 4B, and 6B pencils, or an ebony pencil)
• Eraser
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook (11 x 14", 60 lb. paper) or whatever paper you have

Parameters

• Make this a "portfolio-worthy" drawing.

Resources
​Examples of student work and masterworks can be found at this link.

This is classwork.
​
Project Description:
A refined, finished line drawing of a flowering plant with multiple parts (stems, leaves, petals, etc.) or a branch with overlapping leaves. Draw large, and use the full picture plane. At first, draw lightly, to get the essence of the shapes you see and to place them on your picture plane to maximize the drawing’s visual impact (composition). Once the composition is established, use a variety of pencils and draw carefully, capturing accurate contour lines, shapes and proportions. Notice the shapes of the negative spaces as well as the objects themselves. Vary the line quality. Any tonal values (“shading”) that you make should be created with lines by hatching and cross-hatching.

Size: 11 x 14” (or larger) drawing paper
Media: To start, a variety of drawing pencils (HB, 2B, 4B, 6B)
You can use other materials in additional drawings, such as charcoal, pastel, ink, and paint.

Grading criteria:

• Strong composition
  • Consideration and use of picture plane (entire rectangle of drawing paper)
  • Consideration of placement of positive and negative shapes and their relationship to each other
  • Creating a visual “flow” from one part to another through use of lines.
• Accuracy
  • Contour
  • Proportion
• Positive and Negative Shapes
• Relationships between parts
• Line Quality
  • Thoughtfully use a variety of lines (light/dark, soft/hard, thick/thin, rough/smooth, confident/jittery, etc.) to provide contrast, differentiate parts, give a sense of three-dimensionality, add character, and improve the overall drawing.
• Value range with hatching marks

 Assignment:
Write about your life in diary/journal entries. Then, create a composition that illustrates several meaningful moments in your life, ideally in the past year or so. Include multiple events. Then, incorporate some of the actual text you have written into the artwork in an artistic and unifying way. Apply all your knowledge about good design to make the artwork as dynamic and visually interesting as possible. Do your best to make this a thoughtful and idea-filled artwork. 

Steps:
1. Brainstorm. Come up with several events and ideas.
2. Write "diary" entries.
3. Draft your compositions by drawing a number of thumbnail sketches.
4. Develop your best composition into a finished full-sized drawing.
5. Refine your image. Add detail, ink, and color.

Project Length:
One week

Size:
Any size between 11 x 14” and 18 x 24”

Media:
Drawing in pencil, then black ink, color (watercolor, acrylic, color markers, color pencils, or a combination), or mixed media.

Style:
Any

Objectives:

• Represent multiple events in a single, strong composition
• Convey mood and meaning
• Show off your strongest skills

Step One:
In your classroom journal or your sketchbook, write in detail about important moments and memories. The more detailed content you develop, the better.

Some things to consider:

• What are your most vivid memories? Go into as much detail as you can remember.
• What physical/visual details do you remember?
• Describe an emotional or dramatic moment.
• What important things happened to you in recent months?
• In what way(s) have you grown or changed?
• What have you learned from the experiences? What have you discovered about yourself?

Grading Criteria

• Creativity
• Content (Development and communication of ideas)
• Design
• Technical Quality (“Finished”)
• Studio Work Habits

This is a pre-assessment to find out what you already know, and I will be observing work habits and your process, your final work, and your participation in the final critique of student work. By observing your approach to the project, I will gain insight into your strengths and of how you could grow throughout the year.

Apply what you know about the elements and principles of art, and pictorial composition, to this complex image.

As the measuring tool, I will be using this rubric:
​
Rubric: Art Studio Habits of Mind
​

Self-Assessment:
Please answer these questions after you've completed your artwork:

1. Remember that the objective was to illustrate multiple events. What multiple memorable events did you include and how did you arrange them into a single composition?
2. How detailed and thoughtful was your written journal entry? Did you use it as a method of informing and enriching your visual work?
3. In what ways did you convey feelings/mood in your work? How did you convey the drama of your personal events?
4. What are some of the deeper meanings you've tried to convey in your piece? How is this a thoughtful, idea-filled artwork?
5. One of the objectives of this project was to apply what you know about good composition. How is this a good composition? Which of the principles of design did you consider in developing the composition? How have you used contrast? Emphasis? Balance? Visual movement? Positive and negative space? Etc.
6. Did you draw thumbnail sketches to test out ideas and develop the composition before you began your larger image?
7. Which of your skills and strengths did you show off in this piece?
8. When did you know this was finished? How does this fit your idea of a high-quality, finished artwork?
9. What do you like best about your final piece?
10. What do you think needs further work?

FOR STUDIO ART III STUDENTS ('20-'21) MOVING INTO THE AP STUDIO ART CLASS IN '21-'22:

DUE the first Friday of the new school year.

Summer Assignments weigh 30% of the Quarter 1 grade.

Art materials are to be returned to school at the beginning of the school year.
____________________________________________________________________

Summer work is an essential part of the AP Studio Art course. Summer assignments help alleviate the pressure during the school year of producing the many quality pieces needed for a successful portfolio. During the summer prior to the AP school year, you are expected to complete twenty sketches and six art assignments (listed below) in the media of your choice, which will all be due on the first day of the school year. Completing more of these pieces than required will only put you that much further ahead when school starts. Consider each piece’s potential for inclusion in your portfolio for the AP exam, and invest the time and effort necessary to produce high quality work. In addition to the sketches and six assignments, you must visit an art museum (online if they are still closed) and document the experience in your sketchbook.

• 20+ sketches/drawings in sketchbook (ongoing throughout summer)
• 1 art museum visit with essays and sketches
• 1 write-up (typed) of at least 10 possibilities for your Sustained Investigation
• 5 high-quality artworks (See list of choices)

SKETCHBOOK (20+ Sketches)

Your sketchbook should be one of your “best friends” this summer. Carry it with you as much as you can, everywhere! Open it up first thing in the morning and last thing at night and many times in between. Draw in it, write in it, scribble in it, paint in it, glue things into it, cut the pages, tear the pages, change the way it looks to make it look like your own book. At the end of the summer it should reflect YOU and your experiences throughout the summer. Work in your sketchbook is an ongoing process that will help you make informed and critical decisions about the progress of your work. Your sketchbook is the perfect place to try a variety of concepts and techniques as you develop your own voice and style.

In addition to using your sketches to plan your projects, you must complete 20 sketches and spend approximately 30 minutes on each. Sketchbooks should display forethought, good composition, good craftsmanship, and have mature subject matter (avoid trite, overused symbols). These sketchbook assignments should be finished drawings (Sometimes pieces for the Breadth section of the AP Exam come from sketchbooks.). Some of your drawings will focus on line quality, while others will focus on a full range of tonal value and good contrast, and still others will concentrate on subtle color shifts.

If there are drawings in your sketchbook that are outstanding, they may be used in your AP Portfolio Exam.

Guidelines for working in your sketchbook:

1. Imperfect drawings are OK; don’t be afraid to make mistakes; make false starts.
2. As much as you can, fill the page you are working on. Go off the edges whenever possible. Draw large. Do not make little drawings floating in the center of the page. Make every square inch count for something. 
3. Return to unfinished drawings. Go back later, change them, and make them into something else. Being able to rescue bad beginnings is the sign of a truly creative mind. 
4. Fill many, many, many pages of your sketchbook before school begins. 
5. Put the date on the corner of every page you finish. 
6. Draw from observation, things you see in the world, NOT from photographs, magazines, etc.  Learn to translate the dynamic three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional world. If you are going to use a photograph, tape/paperclip a copy of it to the page. 
7. Avoid cute, adorable images. This is a college-level art class, so expect your ideas about what makes good art to be challenged by others. 
8. Your sketchbook is a place for risk-taking. Don’t be boring with your work. 

Here are some ideas for what to draw in your sketchbook. Choose from this list or create your own ideas for your 20 or more sketches.

• your pet
• squirrels, birds, outdoor animals (from life)
• animals at the zoo, in a natural history museum, in the Science Museum
• pile of pillows
• effect(s) of extreme light source
• shoes
• fabric with pattern
• baseball glove
• sink with dishes in it
• tools (see the work of artist Jim Dine)
• extreme perspective; unusual viewpoint
• yourself in fifteen years
• insects
• proverb
• opposites
• draw on top of an old drawing
• social statement
• conflict of interest
• man-made vs. natural
• park
• anatomy
• close-up of an object making it abstract
• political cartoons
• transformation / morphs
• realistic cloud formations, in full value and texture, or in full color (what colors do you see in the clouds and sky?)
• fill a plastic bag with objects and draw from observation
• a figure drawn from an unusual perspective
• what was for dinner
• forest floor
• look up words you do not know and illustrate them
• an interior (for example, your room, your kitchen)
• how it works -- inner workings of a machine -- mechanics of an object
• negative space only
• glass bottles
• nightmares / other worlds
• outside v. inside
• metallic and/or reflective objects
• ballpoint pen only
• line drawings of organic objects
• ​a parked car, from a ¾ angle
• exaggeration
• the skeleton of a small animal or bird
• accidents -- random acts of art
• home is where the heart is
• grouping of seashells
• portraits of your friends as famous characters from books
• contour drawings of insects
• multiple drawings of the same object, one per night for a week, using different media
• buildings and man-made structures with character -- bridges, interiors of old churches, old theaters, etc.
• landscapes with and without buildings
• botanical drawings
• a single flower with all its petals, leaves, etc., drawn accurately
• a close-up set of 3 - 5 pieces of popped popcorn
• looking from an interior pace to an exterior space (i.e. through a doorway or window)
• a single object drawing from several viewpoints
• fabric with a pattern. hanging or suspended
• a chess set, partially played, or a different childhood game
• your favorite food, or the table setting for a meal
• an opened candy bar or packaged food, with the wrapper

MUSEUM VISIT 

Refer to the list of museums on the Resources page of the Art Department’s website (www.burlingtonhighschoolart.org). Visit one of them. Take your sketchbook.

Visit one of these museums (There are also other museum options on the Collections page of Google Arts & Culture):
Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA Boston)
Harvard Art Museums
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Fine Arts Boston
The Museum of Modern Art
The Smithsonian Museum of American Art

Complete these three activities:

a. In your sketchbook, describe the experience of the museum visit. What are the first things that you notice when you walk in the front doors? What do you notice about the space, the environment? Describe what you see and feel and why that has caught your attention. Be as specific as possible.

b. In your sketchbook, write a full page (in essay form, not notes) about two different artists’ paintings of the same subject matter. Compare and contrast approaches. Use the 4-step critique process when evaluating the works: Describe the work in detail, then Analyze it (i.e. what do you notice about composition, color theory, the use of the principles of design, technique, etc.), Interpret (What does it mean? Why did the artist make the choices he/she did?), and Judge/Evaluate (What works about it? What doesn't?) Write one paragraph for each of those four steps.

c. Draw full-value thumbnail sketches of both artworks. Your thumbnail drawings should indicate dark, middle and light tones to truly capture the basic composition of each, but will not focus on detail. These should be good (but small) compositional drawings.


SUSTAINED INVESTIGATION IDEAS

You are asked to make a commitment to the thoughtful investigation of a specific visual idea.

A sustained investigation is a body of work that:

• Grows out of a coherent plan of action or investigation;
• Is unified by an underlying idea that has a visual and/or conceptual coherence;
• Is based on your individual interest in a particular visual idea;
• Is focused on a process of investigation, growth and discovery; and 
• Shows the development of a visual language appropriate for your subject.

Generate a list of at least ten different GREAT possibilities for your senior-year Sustained Investigation series. Describe each idea in a few sentences (NOT just a few words -- be thoughtful about it.), being clear on what your main objective(s) will be. Each of these ten ideas should really be something you’d love to do for two months or more. Each idea would be for a series of at least fifteen pieces. Do not try to complete the list in one sitting. Think about it over time and develop the ideas, don’t just list them. Turn this in as a TYPED document.

Before beginning:

Look at the work of contemporary artists to get a sense of the wide variety of concepts and approaches being used today. You can find many contemporary artists by going to the PBS website for its Art21 program at http://www.pbs.org/art21/ .

Also, view sample Sustained Investigation portfolios of previous AP students at the following links:

Drawing
Anne Zhang - sustained investigation
Irina Grigoryeva - sustained investigation (2014)
Pablo Aguilar - AP exam (2013)
Jake Ursino - AP Sustained Investigation (2013)
Kevin Buxton - AP Art Show (2020)
Nicole Benjamin - AP Art Show (2020)
Sarah Schissler - AP Art Show (2020)
Martello Cesar - AP portfolio exam (2019)
Marley Gainley - AP exam (2017)

​2D Design
Danielle Spinosa - AP exam (2013)


Sample portfolios are at the BOTTOM of these pages:

Drawing
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-drawing/portfolio?course=ap-drawing
(Scroll down to Drawing Sustained Investigation Samples and Commentary and Additional Sample Portfolios.)

2D Design
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-2-d-art-and-design/portfolio?course=ap-2-d-art-and-design
(Scroll down to 2D Design Sustained Investigation Samples and Commentary and Additional Sample Portfolios.)

3D Design
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-3-d-art-and-design/portfolio?course=ap-3-d-art-and-design
(Scroll down to 3D Design Sustained Investigation Samples and Commentary and Additional Sample Portfolios.)

Here is what your concentration list might look like: Concentration Ideas Samples.


ART PROJECTS

Complete at least 5 of these. You may contact Mr. Ratkevich in advance to discuss possibilities if you would like to do something that is not listed here. The assignments below are mostly Drawing or 2D Art & Design options. If you wish to do 3D Art & Design, we will work out alternatives. All of these are to be NEW works, created from June - August 2021. Each should take several hours to complete to AP Portfolio Quality.:


1. “Café” Drawings – (This is in addition to the sketches/sketchbook assignment listed above.) 

Take your sketchbook to a good location for observing people: the mall, a café, the beach, etc. 
Try to capture your family members “at rest”, in natural states, not posing for you. What do people look like in their most relaxed or natural states? 

Fill up several pages (at least four) with multiple drawings of people on each page. You should have AT LEAST ten good figure sketches. Try to capture people in their natural habitats and in activities that are relatively stable: reading, eating, waiting in line, etc. (Do not have people knowingly pose for you.). Capture the entire figures as much as possible. Indicate their environments as much as possible.

Some artists to view/study before doing this assignment (Look them up, specifically looking for “figure sketches”:

Honore Daumier
Edgar Degas
examples of cafe sketches
“Cafe” sketches by Martello Cesar, BHS Class of 2019: 
Pages 1 & 2
Pages 3 & 4


2. Multi-Figure Narrative – Make an artwork that tells some type of a “story”, perhaps a moment from a personal memoir; or a scene from a story you’ve previously written; or an episode from history. It should have several human figures interacting with each other and with their surroundings. It may be a drawing, a painting, or a mixed media artwork if you have the materials. It can even be three-dimensional. Focus on pictorial composition, considering the principles of art and art concepts such as the implied triangle. You may make it up entirely, or have people pose for you (recommended), or you may use photographic references (especially if you take the photos yourself.), but it should not be a copy of a single photograph or copy another artwork in any way. The figures may be stylized rather than realistic if you choose.

Some artists to look at before doing the Multi-Figure Narrative (Look them up in Google Arts & Culture: Explore. These are in chronological order.).:

Caravaggio
Francisco Goya (particularly The Caprices and  The Third of May, 1808)
Auguste Renoir (particularly The Boating Party Lunch)
Edgar Degas: The Dance Lesson
Mary Cassatt (particularly The Boating Party)
Max Beckmann
Marc Chagall
Norman Rockwell
Jacob Lawrence
Romare Bearden
Jack Levine
Chris Van Allsburg (children’s book illustrator: Jumangi and The Polar Express)
Jake Ursino, BHS Class of 2013: At the Music Festival
Jake Ursino’s AP Sustained Investigation
Irina Grigoryeva, BHS Class of 2014: Save Our Oceans
Multi-figure narrative by Martello Cesar, BHS Class of 2019: My Future
Multi-figure narrative by Martello Cesar, BHS Class of 2019: Chess


3. Abstract Painting – Create a painting that utilizes the principles of art to maximize visual impact. Consider color theory (In fact, study the color relationships in the paintings of the artists below, and use their color palettes or some thoughtful variation.). This is an abstract or non-objective artwork. If you are not satisfied with your first attempt, keep trying until you’ve created something you want to hang on your wall. Work until you impress yourself.

Some artists to view/study before doing this assignment:

Wassily Kandinsky
Kazimir Malevich
Paul Klee
Franz Marc
Pablo Picasso
Joan Miro
Jackson Pollock
Jasper Johns
Frank Stella
Sonia Delauney
Miriam Schapiro


4. Landscape – This is observational (from life, not a photo). Make a painting of an interesting place other than your home; a vacation spot would be a good choice. The illusion of three-dimensional space should be a major concern. Consider atmospheric (aerial) perspective and, if relevant, linear perspective. If you choose a location far from home, watercolor may be a good medium to use because of its portability, but the medium is up to you. Suggestion: Do a series of thumbnail sketches to work out the composition. Work from life, not from photographs. Make every effort to work plein air – meaning drawing or painting outdoors. You will have better light and will be able to focus on the color you actually see.

Some artists to view/study before doing this assignment (Look them up, specifically looking for “landscape painting”):

J.M.W. Turner
Claude Monet
Vincent Van Gogh
Paul Gauguin

​
5. Still Life  – Using the color medium of your choice, paint a still life comprised of at least three visually interesting objects. Work large (at least 18 x 24”). Build a strong composition. Observational accuracy is key; notice the relationships between shapes, both positive and negative. Notice subtle color changes. Mix colors with specificity and accuracy. Establish form via chiaroscuro and color changes. Demonstrate your ability to create a rich range of tonal value.

Helpful Resources: Before doing the assignment, look at / study as many still lifes by master paintings as you can, and apply what you know about placement, composition, lighting, form, texture, etc. If there are complex surfaces, inscribed of printed patterns, textures, etc., all the better.

Some artists to view/study before doing this assignment (Look them up, specifically looking for “still life”):

Paul Cezanne
William Harnett
Vincent Van Gogh
Wayne Thiebaud
Ralph Goings
Rebecca Scott
Janet Fish
Dik F. Liu

Here are a few painters to look at to inform your still life work. If working in color, pay attention to the nuances/shifts in color even within the same surfaces/planes. Also remember that every change in direction (every plane) will have a shift in value and in color temperature. Typically, shadows will be cooler in color (bluer) and where the light hits will be warmer (more yellow, orange, or red), but not always.
 
Dik Liu
https://www.dikliu.com/food
https://www.dikliu.com/trolls
 
Catherine Kehoe (teaches at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design)
https://catherinekehoe.com/still-life/1
 
The packaged still lifes of Janet Fish will give you some ideas of how to paint transparent plastic.
 
Look at some of the work of Wayne Thiebaud, especially the slot machines, cash register, paint buckets, and gumball machine paintings he has done.
 
Still life paintings of Paul Cezanne, who painted in the 19th century. Pay particular attention to how he addresses the wall and cloth around the still life; how color and value change.
 
For a more emotionally expressive way of painting, and more playful brushwork, look at the still life paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. Color is amped up in these.
 
Also, explore the work of Luis Melendez, a fantastic still life painter from 18th Century Spain. The link will bring you to the collection of his work at the Prado museum in Spain, but you can also see more of his work if you look him up in sites for our National Gallery in DC, at Boston's MFA, and probably in the Google Arts & Culture site that I've been plugging for the past several weeks.


6. After developing your ten ideas for a potential Sustained Investigation (See assignment above.), complete one or two Sustained Investigation “Try-Outs” to AP Portfolio quality.


7. Dissection -- A drawing study of an object that you have taken apart. Arrange the parts on a surface with other objects related or not related and study the TEXTURAL qualities. Arrange them to make a strong composition: design the page. Some ideas would be a mechanical object, a child’s toy, a makeup bag, your bin of art supplies, ingredients for a cooking recipe, a few apples or other fruit cut apart…anything where you are creating a still composition out of something that has been dissected or disassembled.


8. A self portrait expressing a mood. How can you use value, color, style, and design to express mood? What style will work best for you in this work? This can be observational, but it doesn’t have to be. You might create a composition with multiple self-portraits with different expressions and/or from different angles. Do some research online (Google Arts and Culture, for example) to see how different artists create what might be considered self portraits and what techniques and media they use. Use an odd/extreme angle and consider strong light/dark contrast. The idea is to create a deeply personal artwork that reflects feeling.

Some artists to look at: 

• Frida Kahlo
• Robert Arneson
• Pablo Picasso
• Vincent Van Gogh

Unusual Self Portraits (Pinterest)


9. Still life arrangement of three or more reflective objects. Your goal is to convey convincing representation. Sketch and shade for contrast and drama. Consider doing this as a self portrait – draw yourself distorted in a shiny object. 


10. A drawing of an unusual interior – for example, look inside a closet or cabinet, in the refrigerator, under the car’s hood or inside the medicine cabinet. 


11. A still life arrangement of objects representing members of your family. You must have at least three objects and use an unusual viewpoint or angle. Put the objects on the floor and stand up looking down at them, or on a table surface and look down and across at them  (Include a photographic snapshot of your set-up when you turn in your final piece.).


12. A close up of a bicycle/tricycle from an unusual angle with strong light/shadow. Don’t draw the bicycle from the side view. 


13. Shoes -- Create a still life arrangement consisting of your family members’ shoes: more than a single pair; at least two or three pairs. Arrange them to overlap each other and to fill the picture plane. Try to convey the different personalities of your family members through the rendering of the shoes. Be creative and have fun! This assignment can be done in monochrome (black, white, gray) and/or in color using any medium, technique and style you desire.


14. Create an artwork regarding a political or social issue you feel strongly about. There are many different ways to protest, to reach an audience, to make a difference. Before you begin the art, write a statement out in detail to develop your ideas. Spend some time on this; get to the heart of how you feel and what you believe. Draw thumbnail sketches to compose your image before beginning the final artwork. Use content, color, design, and style to maximize the emotional expressiveness of your piece. CLARITY in your visual statement is essential.

Before beginning, view this Mural slideshow originally made for the Tenacity Challenge. It includes masterworks, student examples, and tips to get started.


15. Using the media of your choice, design a CD cover for an imaginary musician or group, or for a local band that you might even know personally. It must be totally original (No copies of someone else’s photographs). It should include the band’s name and an album title in addition to the artwork.


16. Create a fully-realized artwork that illustrates a scene from a book (a novel or children’s story). Research contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley’s work, Rembrandt’s many biblical scenes, and the work of children’s book illustrators Maurice Sendak and Jan Brett.


17. You may try your hand at one of these Concentration Ideas Samples.


18. Take on one of the more unusual challenges from the TV show Project Runway.


19. Create an article of clothing/fashion that is also a sculpture.


20. Steam Punk​

College Board website:

AP Drawing (Homepage):
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-drawing?course=ap-drawing

AP 2D Design (Homepage):
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-2-d-art-and-design?course=ap-2-d-art-and-design

AP 3D Design (Homepage):
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-3-d-art-and-design?course=ap-3-d-art-and-design


Sample portfolios are at the BOTTOM of these pages:

Drawing
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-drawing/portfolio?course=ap-drawing
(Scroll down to sample portfolios and scoring rationales.)

2D Design
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-2-d-art-and-design/portfolio?course=ap-2-d-art-and-design
(Scroll down to sample portfolios and scoring rationales.)

3D Design
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-3-d-art-and-design/portfolio?course=ap-3-d-art-and-design
(Scroll down to sample portfolios and scoring rationales.)

Make a creative invitation to the annual portfolio show. This year's will be online.

Here are some examples from years past.

From now until May 7, you will complete at least one artwork each week for your Sustained Investigation (Depending on the size and complexity of the pieces, you may be required to do more.). 

Complete your first fully-realized, high-quality, Sustained Investigation piece based on your proposal.

Play to your strengths but challenge yourself. Address the concerns of either Drawing & Painting, 2D Design, or 3D Design.

Demonstrate your understanding and skills in: 
- Investigating materials, processes, and ideas that artists and designers use
- Practicing, experimenting, and revising as you create your own work
- Communicating your ideas

Research artists and styles to stretch your thinking about art.

Grading:
You will be assessed on your Studio Habits of Mind.