Advanced Placement Studio Art – Research & Development
An integral part of a successful AP Portfolio begins with solid original ideas and comprehensive research.
Your first graded project assignment for the fall semester 2011 will be extensive research that will serve
to help you develop your portfolio ideas. Projects will be worth 50% of your final grade in the course.
The following research will need to be completed by the dates listed below. Make sure your photos are
clear and easy to use for reference. Make sure you have a full range of value in all photos. You may
have to re-take some if they are not clear or demonstrating a good value range. You will be graded on
completion, organization and quality of photos described below.
Items required:
- Digital camera
- Medium-sized photo album (Dollar Store/Walmart)
- 2 GB flash drive
- printer
Part One:
Due July 31 (Drop off at LNHS front desk with Mrs. Fox’s name attached):
1.
Take your own photos (and print) of the following subjects:
a. Your face from 12 different angles – six of them must be unusual/weird facial
expressions (they can be bizarre angles…please think outside the box)
b. Your entire body from 12 different angles. (-don’t forget about the outside of the
box….)
c. Your hands in six different unusual combined poses (you will need someone else to take
these as both of your hands need to be in the photos)
d. Your feet front four different angles/zooms (these can one foot or both feet, you
choose)
e. A tree from a worm’s eye view. (Don’t wear good clothes for these next few as you can
see you will be on the ground a lot). Make sure you are right up against the trunk of the
tree.
f. A car tire from a worm’s eye view.
g. Your car’s (any car) front from a cat’s eye view.
h. Your car’s (any car) back left quarter panel from a cat’s eye view.
i. Your car’s (any car) side as if you were right next to the car (put your face and the
camera right up against the car).
j. The surface of your desk as if you were an ant looking upward. Get down right on eye
level with the surface of the desk.
k. The inside of your refrigerator from four odd angles (you choose). Get up close and
personal with your food….
l. A pile of shoes, one from every person in your household. Make sure the angle is
unusual…get down on the floor or up close to the pile, etc.
m. Water of any kind….get close to the water, get in the water…take pictures of your hand
under water and your foot under water, both from three different angles each.
n. Take an orange and photograph it whole. Start to peel it little by little, taking photos
after each portion is peeled. You should end up with a minimum of six photos from a
whole orange to a completely peeled orange. Leave the peeled parts around the orange
as you progress.
o. Your favorite place. (5 different angles)
Advanced Placement Studio Art – Research & Development
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
Your favorite toy. (5 different angles)
Your favorite food. (5 different angles)
Choose one family member and photograph them in five different poses.
Choose a public place and photograph people in this space (grocery store, restaurant,
pool, movies, etc.) from 5 different angles. Make sure these photos are not staged take them in a candid fashion without people knowing they are being photographed.
A reflection of you in any surface (water, metal, etc.) Two pictures of just your face and
two of your entire body. Make sure the reflection is clear and can be easily seen.
There are total of 86 photos that need to be taken and printed for your research and development
portion of your AP portfolio. These need to be organized in some way so Mrs. Fox can easily grade the
completed assignment. You will need a medium sized photo album – these can be purchased at the
Dollar Store for approx. $5.00.
Part Two:
Due August 10th (print and drop off at LNHS front desk with Mrs. Fox’s name attached):
Go online and research the following textures. You may also take your own photos of these textures.
Either avenue is acceptable. Compile images of the textures in a word document (4 x 6 inch images) and
save it onto a flash drive (you will need a flash drive for the class). Print the document when it is
completed and turn it in – see above note – by August 10, 2011. Make sure your name is on the
document so credit can be given to the appropriate students.
Textures: (2 different images of each texture – images should be 4 x 6 inches)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Wood grain
Tree bark
Bricks and mortar
Metal sheeting with rivets
A pile of leaves (close up)
Pebbles
Ice cubes (close up)
Red fabric (folded or scrunched)
Blue fabric (folded or scrunched)
Striped fabric (folded or scrunched - any color)
Six additional textures of your choice – make them interesting!
There are a total of 32 photos/images in Part Two of the Research & Development portion of the
Advanced Placement Portfolio. These need to be in a word document, printed and turned in on or
before August 10th, 2011.
Part Three:
Due the first day of school, August 25th: (In printed form)
Please take a collection of photos that you would consider worthy of creating art from. Think creatively,
think unusually, think weird. (example: I once pierced a marshmallow with a safety pin and set it on fire
to photograph it….that photo is now a portion of a piece of art I am creating). Think about combining
two or three or more photos together as you take the images, you will not just be copying a photo. You
Advanced Placement Studio Art – Research & Development
may only use a small portion of any of these photos at any given time. These are for reference
purposes, not for duplicating.
You need to have a minimum of 30 photos. These can be photos of environments, spaces, areas, items,
people, they can be close up or from unusual angles (these are the most successful). Think WAY outside
the box. Have fun! Get together with other people and take the photos. If you do not feel you are a
good photographer, ask for help from friends. There are several talented photographers in our class
that would probably be glad to help you.
AP Studio Art is an entry level college course. College courses require outside work and sometimes
outside expense as well. There is no final exam in this course. There is, however, submission of a 24
piece portfolio – both in actual pieces and digitally. It is imperative that all work be from original
reference taken directly by the student. Plagiarism is grounds for a student’s portfolio being rejected by
AP Central. This would result in a zero in the course.
Make sure the above assignments are completed and turned in by the due dates listed above. When
you arrive in class on August 25, 2011, you will already have a working grade in the course. Start strong!
It is my goal that everyone in the class earn a 5 on their portfolio!
**More information on the portfolio and the requirements for achieving a fantastic score coming soon.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me at tiffany_fox@iss.k12.nc.us. I am online
every day checking emails; I will get back to you the same day you send me a question.
Spend your summer thinking about making fabulous art! Take great pictures with the idea of making
great portfolio pieces! Most of all, have fun! 
Mrs. Fox