Project:

Using charcoal pencil, draw a dramatic space within Burlington High School

(Below describes the project for the Portfolio class. AP Studio Art students will do a variation that involves fibers.)

Some examples of linear perspective on Pinterest


Objectives:

• Improve observational accuracy
• Establish linear perspective
• Improve your ability to create a strong sense of three-dimensional space
• Improve your ability to create a rich range of tonal value
• Become skillful with charcoal pencil

Materials:​

• Charcoal pencil
• Charcoal paper (18 x 24")
• Drawing board
• (Easel)

Parameters

Your drawing must have deep space. You should not be directly facing the back wall -- The walls should angle away from you (so position yourself close to a corner of the room.)


Grading Criteria:

• Composition
• Space - Including linear and atmospheric perspective
• Range of tonal value and good contrast
• "Completeness" - Craftsmanship

To Start:

Using a light pencil line, indicate the horizon line (You need to imagine this beyond the walls.), and determine the vanishing points. All parallel horizontal lines will go towards these vanishing points.

Then, lightly block out the basic arrangement of major shapes in your view. "See the forest through the trees", in other words. Don't get caught up in detail in the beginning.


Self Critique Questions

As you draw, ask yourself if you are doing the following (You should be!):

• Fill the page.
• Get the lines right -- Use the vanishing points for all parallel horizontal lines
• Get the tonal values right - Are the shadows and highlights as dark or light as they are in reality?

Project Description:
Using graphite or charcoal, draw an interior FROM DIRECT OBSERVATION from a low or high vantage point (i.e. a "dramatic" angle), with a full range of tonal value and strong contrast.

Provide a printout of a digital photograph you take from the viewpoint you were drawing, for comparison during critique. DO NOT draw based on the photograph, but from real life.


Objectives:

Organize a space into a strong, dramatic composition
Create a convincing sense of depth
     Distinguish foreground, middle-ground, and background via linear perspective
Describe the nature of light and shadow
Improve ability to work from "the big picture" into smaller details

Materials:

Graphite or charcoal
Pink eraser
Pencil sharpener
Drawing paper or charcoal paper - sketchbook size (11 x 14", 60 lb. paper) or larger

Parameters
The interior must be from direct observation (from REAL LIFE, not a photograph)
The interior you reference must have "deep space".
The interior must be viewed from a very low or very high vantage point.
Use the entire picture plane.
Make this a "portfolio-worthy" drawing.

Grading Criteria:

Composition
Range of tonal value; contrast
Convincing sense of space (through linear and atmospheric/aerial perspective)
Realism of light and shadow
Craftsmanship

To Start:

1. Start with a light line to block in the composition
2. Establish the horizon line (although it might be hidden) and the vanishing points
3. Identify the light source, and keep it in mind as you draw.

Tip

Go to a place like the mall or a public library for a really dramatic space.


Self Critique Questions

As you draw, ask yourself if you are doing the following (You should be!):

• Fill the page.
• Consider the entire page as a composition.
• Get the lines right -- Use the vanishing points for all parallel horizontal lines
• Get the tonal values right - Are the shadows and highlights as dark or light as they are in reality?

​Masters Gallery

Look at the work of Charles Sheeler, a 20th Century American Realist and Precisionist

Images were found at the following sites:

www.tendreams.org/sheeler.htm

www.flickr.com/photos/americanartmuseum/3663231518/

The Sustained Investigation (or "Concentration") is an in-depth exploration of a particular design concern. It is presented as a series of artworks. The emphasis is on a coherent development of an idea through a body of work. Eventually, you will be planning and creating a series.

Before doing that, you will now have time to work on an artwork of your choice, which may (or may not) later become part of a series/ Concentration/ Sustained Investigation.

​Have clear objectives for your work. Challenge yourself. Stretch and explore. Do something amazing with your time.

Objectives:

• Develop your own artistic goals
• Take intellectual and artistic risks; Challenge yourself
• Understand and appreciate Quality. What is it? What makes great art great?
• Create a high quality, portfolio-worthy artwork of personal significance

Requirements:

• It must be new.
• It must be original (Do not copy from any photos that you haven't arranged and taken yourself.).
• It must start with a clear idea.
• It must be a stretch for you; challenging.
• You must spend at least 2 - 3 hours working on it.
• It must be complete, developed, refined, finished, ready for presentation.

Grading Criteria:
Studio Habits of Mind, especially the quality of:

• (Idea/Content/Meaning)
• Design/Composition
• Skill
• Presentation

(Examples of A-level, high-quality work are at the links below.)

Consider DESIGN and COLOR choices:

• The Principles of Art (slideshow)
• Elements and Principles of Art (glossary)
• Color Theory

What are the Possibilities?
There are books in the classroom, art school catalogs with student artwork, and online resources that can help spark your creativity. You can check the sample portfolios below for inspiration. It can be drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, mixed media, sculpture, graphic design, etc. What would you love to do?

Resources for Inspiration:

• Art:21 (PBS TV/video series)
• College art school catalogs/viewbooks with student work
• Books of art history and contemporary art in the classroom
• National Scholastic Art Awards annuals (books of winning work, in classroom)

DRAWING & PAINTING:

• AP Drawing Samples 2020
• AP Drawing Samples Archive
• Jack Giles (BHS 2021)
• Michela Giordano (BHS 2021)
• Kevin Buxton - AP Art Show (BHS 2020)
• Nicole Benjamin - AP Art Show (BHS 2020)
• Sarah Schissler - AP Art Show (BHS 2020)
• Martello Cesar - AP portfolio exam (BHS 2019)
• Marley Gainley - AP exam (BHS 2017)
• Anne Zhang - BHS sustained investigation
• Irina Grigoryeva - BHS sustained investigation
• Pablo Aguilar - BHS AP exam
• Jake Ursino - BHS Sustained Investigation
• ​Toula Papadopoulos - BHS Sustained Investigation

2D ART & DESIGN:

• AP 2D Design Samples 2020
• AP 2D Design Samples Archive
• Paul Fauller (BHS 2021 - Photography)
• Danielle Spinosa - AP exam (BHS)

3D ART & DESIGN:

• AP 3D Design Samples 2020
• AP 3D Design Samples Archive
• Kevin Mudoola (BHS 2021)
• A Pinterest collection
• Example AP 3D Design portfolio with fashion emphasis - score 5
• Youtube introduction from an AP 3D class

​OTHER EXAMPLES of high quality high school work:

• The AP College Board’s  2020 AP Art and Design Digital Exhibit showcases outstanding artwork created by students who submitted portfolios for the May 2020 exam. Amid a global pandemic, AP Art and Design students worked with diverse ideas, materials, and processes to create incredible, impactful art. The exhibit features student and teacher reflections on these works, providing compelling insights into how artists make choices and approach art making.

• The National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Entries are judged on: ORIGINALITY; TECHNICAL SKILL; and EMERGENCE OF A PERSONAL VOICE OR VISION, characteristics similar to what the AP College Board is judging in the exams.

Learn from Master Artists
Learn from the best. Visit the websites of or about particular artists and designers to get an in-depth understanding of influences, inspiration, and process.

Start with this Artist List and this folder of masterworks.

Explore Google Arts & Culture. Choose categories to discover well-known artists and masterworks.

Explore these websites:        

• Art 21: Art in the 21st Century (PBS) - video series on working artists. Art21 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring a more creative world through the works and words of contemporary artists. Click the Artists tab to learn about individual contemporary artists, and the Watch tab to explore by theme:
• Art School: PBS Learning Media - a web video series that introduces contemporary artists who discuss their careers and intentions, then demonstrate hands-on techniques or concepts. Art School provides resources for learning how to draw comic strips, create animations, and much more. Engage with contemporary art and discover new ideas for creativity from a variety of professional artists through this fun and engaging series.
• The Art Assignment (PBS) - A weekly PBS Digital Studios production that takes you around the U.S. to meet working artists and solicit assignments from them that we can all complete. For more, subscribe to The Art Assignment on YouTube: youtube.com/theartassignment.

• TED.com: Visual Art
• PBS Learning Media: Visual Art
• Abstract: The Art of Design (2 seasons on Netflix)

Explore art museums from home:

• Boston Sculptors Gallery
• DeCordova Art Museum and Sculpture Park
• Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
• Harvard Art Museums
• The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
• The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMOCA)
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Museum of Fine Arts Boston
• The Museum of Modern Art
• Peabody Essex Museum
• The Smithsonian Museum of American Art

For other possibilities for your choice project, view this Choice Ideas list, or page through the books in the art room.

Project Description:
After experimenting with one-, two-, and three-point perspective in your sketchbook, develop a large (18 x 24") three- or four-point perspective drawing in which:

• forms are built upon forms
• shapes are cut out of forms
• it includes more than just box forms (Include pyramidal, conical, cylindrical, and semi-spherical forms as well.)

This can be representational or a three-dimensional "abstraction".

Bonus points for including life forms and a narrative or a fantasy element.

Possibilities include:

• A detailed cityscape with a lot of character, unique architecture, and interesting, detailed facades.
• A spaceship, fantasy automobile, or a complex real or imaginary machine.
• An interior space with a lot of detail.

Remember to give this larger drawing a lot of character and detail, and use multi-point perspective to the best of your ability. Challenge yourself.

Size: 18 x 24"
Medium: Pencil and/or ink on drawing paper (Value and color is optional)

Resources:
Examples can be viewed in this Google Drive folder 
(Since these works were found online and are currently uncredited, the folder is only accessible by people in the Burlington Public Schools.).

There are a few books on linear perspective in the Portfolio classroom and plenty of resources online, including video tutorials.

1. Find and print a photograph of a cityscape, or a painting by Canaletto, that illustrates 2-point or (better yet) 3-point perspective.

2. Tape the print to the center of an 18 x 24" piece of paper.

3. Lay an 18 x 24" piece of tracing paper over the photo/printout.

4. Using a ruler, trace ALL the straight lines of the buildings and streets, continuing them as they go back and converge at a vanishing point. Do this for all orthagonal lines.

5. Using this method, locate the horizon line and the vanishing points.

6. Your final drawing will be a series of many, many straight lines on an 18 x 24" paper. Be prepared to speak about the process, what you discovered, and anything that you found confusing.

Due:
Part 1: One week (Steps 1 - 6 below)
Part 2: Second week

Project:
Create a narrative composition that uses subject and color to express a mood. You are telling part of a "story" of some kind. This is to be a completely original, well-designed and well-crafted portfolio piece, rich in color and refined in technique.

Medium:

• Primarily oil pastels, but you may also include paint, color tissue paper, and/or other materials (may include "unusual" materials)
• Work large, up to 18 x 24" - Paper could be white, toned, or color
• First draft with pencil

Objectives:

• Generate ideas/theme for personally expressive artwork.
• Improve your skills with composition to grab and hold people's attention.
• Use color expressively. Create a mood through color.
• Experiment with design, with materials and technique, and with style. Try things out. Take risks.

To Start (Complete these 6 steps during the first week.):

1. Think about subjects that might create strong feelings (You may refer to the "Psychology of Color in Film" Cheatsheet below for possible feelings/emotions to express, then come up with a subject that could illustrate that feeling in a powerful way.).
2. Define your Subject and the Feeling/Emotion.
3. Jot down visual ideas.
4. Design your page by drawing at least 3 thumbnail sketches.
5. Develop your best thumbnail sketch into a well-designed full-size rough draft.
6. Make color studies using some type of color medium (watercolors, color pencils, oil pastels, etc.)

Tip:
Think about how SIZE and PLACEMENT can help to emphasize the most important things in your narrative.

Restrictions:

• Do NOT write words to describe the feeling. 
• Do NOT use hearts and other cliche symbols to symbolize feelings.
• Think of your composition as the frame of a movie you have written and directed. What color scheme would the cinematographer use to denote the emotions you would like the audience to feel?

Time Commitment and Planning:
This should take a few hours to complete over the next week. Begin it today.

Learn from the Masters:

Notice how these artists use color expressively. Before beginning your own artwork, look up these artists and read about their work.

(Below) Vincent van Gogh was what we now call a Post-Impressionist painter:

​(Below) These are all oil paintings from Pablo Picasso's Blue Period:

​(Below) These are from Picasso's Rose Period:

​(Below) Oil paintings by Henri Matisse:

(Above) The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt.

​(Below) Oil paintings by Marc Chagall:

The image below is from studiobinder.com, which has informative articles and videos on the expressive powers of color in movies.

And click this link for Part 2 of The Psychology of Color: Movie Color Scheme Cheat Sheet.
​

And here's a quick guide from nofilmschool.com.:
Within each color are a multitude of hues you can break down to specifically hone in on the exact level of emotion you're seeking. 

• RED – anger, passion, rage, desire, excitement, energy, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence
• PINK – love, innocence, healthy, happy, content, romantic, charming, playfulness, soft, delicate, feminine
• YELLOW – wisdom, knowledge, relaxation, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard
• ORANGE – humor, energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant
• GREEN – healing, soothing, perseverance, tenacity, self-awareness, proud, unchanging nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy
• BLUE – faith, spirituality, contentment, loyalty, fulfillment peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, sky, water, cold, technology, depression
• PURPLE/VIOLET – royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning, power, sensitive, intimacy
• BROWN – materialistic, sensation, earth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity
• BLACK – No, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger
• WHITE – Yes, protection, love, reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile
• SILVER – riches, glamorous, distinguished, earthy, natural, sleek, elegant, high-tech
• GOLD – precious, riches, extravagance. warm, wealth, prosperity, grandeur