A.P. Studio Art: 2D Design
Brief Description of Course
At our high school, three studio art courses are offered: Drawing, 2-D Design, and 3D Design. These courses may be scheduled during the same period; students will
benefit and hopefully be inspired by fellow students and their artwork. Each student
that is enrolled in an A.P. Studio Art course will also be required to enroll in either
Art 3 or Art 4. This will allow the student two class periods (ideally back-to-back for
uninterrupted work) to complete the necessary workload associated with an A.P.
Studio course.
The A.P. Studio Art courses are designed for students who are seriously interested
in the practical experience of art and art making. This is a very rigorous course that
requires students to produce high-level artworks at a college-level pace. This
college-level course requires a large commitment of time (both in and out of class)
as well as energy, creativity, and willingness to grow and develop mastery in the
concept, composition, and execution of their ideas in drawing.
Unlike many other A.P. courses, there is no written exam; instead, students submit
portfolios for evaluation near the end of the school year. All three courses will
require students to investigate the three components of the portfolio, which include
Quality, Concentration, and Breadth. The students should expect to address quality
in subject, concept, composition, and execution. It is expected that student work
would exhibit growth over time as it concerns content, technique, and process.
Quality Section of Portfolio
This required section of the portfolio should include 5 selected works that best
demonstrate your understanding of and engagement with drawing issues. Your
knowledge and mastery of skill should be apparent through the concepts,
compositions, and overall execution of the selected pieces. This group of work can
be selected pieces from your Concentration or Breadth section of the AP Portfolio,
but they do not have to be! They should be your 5 best works that demonstrate your
mastery of concept, composition, and overall drawing skills. There are size
requirements and matting instructions that will be given to students by the
instructor throughout the process of creating the student portfolio. These 5
artworks will be physically shipped to the AP board of judges and will be returned
to the student upon completion of grading.
Concentration Section of Portfolio
This required section of the portfolio will include 12 finished works of art that
demonstrate a cohesive body of work that investigates and/or attempts to solve a
visual/drawing/art problem. The concentration must contain a body of work that is
developed from a sustained plan of action or investigation of a visual idea in
drawing. The concentration section will be ongoing throughout the year – in the
early months of the school year each student will meet with the instructor to talk
about ideas and inspirations for a potential concentration theme. At that time a
general “plan of attack” will be formed between the student and instructor. Students
will be required to research their topics, take source photos, find color inspirations,
choose a variety of mediums they believe will work with their concept, and come up
with a general idea of their 12 artworks and how they will form together and flow
cohesively. At the end of the first semester the student will meet with the instructor
again to view progress in research, sketches, etc. At this point the student will begin
to constructs artworks and have regular critiques with both fellow students and the
instructor regarding progress.
Breadth Section of Portfolio
This required section of the AP portfolio will include 12 finished works of art. The
student will experiment with a variety of concepts and approaches that will allow
them to demonstrate a range of abilities and versatility with ideation, problem
solving, and various techniques. These 12 pieces can include an extensive
exploration of one medium or several media. The Breadth section can be composed
of both assigned class work/projects and outside/individual projects. Ideally the
student will have a few works compiled from the summer assignments and will then
continue to grow and experiment with various media during the beginning of the
year. This process will allow the students to not only learn different media and
techniques, but will also help to create overall mastery. By exploring the Breadth
section first, the student may also begin to identify ideas, themes, and media with
which they have a strong personal connection. That connection could spark a
potential Concentration concept.
Unit Information
Students will be expected to complete several assignments over the summer
months. These projects will be evaluated and discussed during the first week.
Assignment lists will vary by the studio course chosen and will be discussed during
May/June of the previous school year. Students will be expected to continue work in
their sketchbooks in order to develop ideas and skills. Students will also be
encouraged to collect images of inspiration and take photographs of interesting
compositions.
During the first two quarters students will focus on completing the breadth section
of their portfolio. Students will be encouraged to use various media and explore
different techniques and concepts to solve visual problems and ideas. By
experimenting with new media and techniques the student will be able to
demonstrate a range of abilities and versatility in their artwork.
Sometime during the second quarter students will begin to investigate the subject of
developing a body of related works (concentration). Students should have their
concentration idea confirmed before Winter Break so they can do research and
collect images/ideas before returning to school. Students will also be required to
help in the construction of their physical portfolio as well as the digital images that
will be required for submission.
Any student enrolled in A.P. Studio Art will be required to participate in multiple
critique sessions. These critiques will take various forms – some formal and with a
group, others more informal and one-on-one. Critiques may take place while an
artwork is being made (working critique) or at the completion of an artwork. These
critiques will offer an opportunity to view and judge one’s own work as well as the
work of others. Hopefully it will allow students to see areas for improvement as well
as find inspiration in the work of others.
Content/Skills Addressed/Expectations:
Students must understand that this course is structured like a college introductory
level studio course. It is rigorous and demanding! Each student will need to be selfmotivated and seriously interested in the study and exploration of art!
By the end of the course each student should have the completed artworks to build
his/her AP Portfolio, but more importantly the student will hopefully obtain
mastery in concept, composition, and execution of their given area of study (2D
Design, Drawing, and/or 3D Design). Students will know and be able to apply the art
elements and principles of design to their personal artwork. They will also be
confident in originating an art concept or idea and taking it from a thought to a wellcrafted piece of art. No matter what AP Portfolio course was chosen, students will
experiment with various media such as drawing (pencil, crayon, marker, sharpie,
colored pencil, dry pastel, oil pastel, etc.), painting (acrylic, tempera, watercolor,
tea/coffee, etc.), 2D Design (graphics, typography, collage, photography,
printmaking, etc.), and 3D media (clay, wire, plaster, burlap, found material, etc.).
Out of Class Assignments:
Due to the challenging pace of this course it will be expected that students will
spend 6-8 hours each week on out-of-class assignments, research, and
brainstorming. Students should expect to have required summer assignments as
well as projects to complete over school breaks, etc.
Open Studio:
All AP Studio students are welcomed and encouraged to attend the Open Studio
hours provided by the instructor on Tuesdays (after school until 5:00 p.m.). This will
provide the students time outside of class to work on projects that may require
equipment or materials that are unavailable outside of the classroom.
Critiques:
Each student will participate in both “working critiques” and “final critiques” with
the other students and one-on-one with the instructor. During these critiques it is
expected that students will use art vocabulary and terms to talk intelligently about
not only their own personal work but also the work of others.
Artistic Integrity/Plagiarism:
Students will be made aware of and study the idea and culture of artistic integrity,
plagiarism, and copyright. Students are expected and directed to create their own
work! Students will be instructed to work either from direct observation
(preferred), dreams, fantasies, life experiences, landscapes, or their OWN
photographic compositions and designs. Borrowing ideas or images from other
artists, published or non-published photographs, or other images from the Internet
is not allowed. Those are not your ideas or your work! Any artwork based on the
work of another artist or an image found on the Internet must move FAR beyond
simple duplication and address your own personal ideas, vision, and voice in both
content and composition in order to be considered an original idea!
Sketchbook:
Students will be required to keep a sketchbook throughout both the summer
months as well as the academic year. This will be used to explore project ideas, hone
technical drawing and observation skills, gather inspirational images/colors/ideas,
as well as a creative writing outlet. Students will be given a multitude of
“sketchbook assignments” and can choose to follow those prompts or create their
own! The sketchbooks will become a source of inspiration and experimentation.
Students will be asked to work in various mediums such as pencil, sharpie, marker,
pastel, collage, paint, etc. If students choose to focus in on one medium (for example
pencil) they will be required to show a large variety of techniques and styles with
the medium.
Grade Breakdown:
Students will be awarded points based on 3 categories: Projects/Performance
Assessment, participation/attitude/effort, and Portfolio Preparation. The project
section will account for 70% of the grade, Portfolio Preparation 15%, and
participation/attitude/effort 15%.
Major Assignments and/or Assessments:
Due to the independent nature of this course very few rigid assignments will be
given. The work for the Breadth section can come from “course work” or assigned
projects. Even these project ideas are open to interpretation and freedom. As the
instructor it is my hope that each student will have their own ideas and desires to
create their own artwork, but if needed, direction will be given for the Breadth
section.
The Concentration portion of the portfolio MUST be created from original, studentcreated thoughts, statements, and ideas. The instructor can help to narrow ideas and
critique work, but concentration ideas need to originate from the students!
The following is a list of possible project ideas to explore. Each of these are open to
interpretation and should allow the students to take the concept and run with their
own personal ideas. Nearly all of these assignments could be interpreted in 2D or 3D
form. Be creative! Experiment with new media, techniques, and concepts!
Assignment Ideas:
-
Mini Portfolio – 3 works the are related by an idea (biggest size is 5x8)
My life in a box – literal or figurative
Transformation – could be a series or one piece
Create a work using an unusual surface (45 record, CD, Styrofoam, burlap,
carpet square, egg carton, etc. BE CREATIVE!)
White pastel on black paper – Draw the highlights, leave the shadows!
Three zippers – what do they reveal? What do they hide?
White on white still life
Choose an object, create 5 small works that show the detail, function, use, etc.
Series of portraits of one person in your life (show different parts of their
personality,)
Illustrate your favorite quote without using any words
Create an image from text alone, be sure to include value!
Illustrate each of the 5 senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste)
Create an artwork using an unusual medium (ketchup, mustard, coffee, tea,
buttons, stamps, etc.)
Illustrate lyrics from your favorite song – NO WORDS allowed!
Masks – explore the idea of what you hide with a mask, what do you want
people to see, what do you want them to believe?
Magnified – find an interesting texture/object and magnify it to the point of
abstraction – think O’Keefe flowers, etc.
Repetition – create an artwork based on repetition
Motion – illustrate motion (could be abstract)
Series of portraits with distorted faces (smashed against a window,
scrunched up nose, etc. Be creative!)
Patterns in nature, series of three
Choose a current social issue (Ex: bullying, homelessness, equality, etc.) and
create a series of works to advocate one side of the issue
Illustrate a word in 5 different ways
Silhouette – strong image/concept that is read without any details of figure
Madalas – kaleidoscopes, symmetry, balance, repetition, etc.
Self Portrait – consider unique views of yourself, work from direct
observation (mirrors/other reflective surfaces), think about costume, masks,
make-up, etc. Create an interesting background – NO FLOATING HEADS
-
Metamorphosis – create a visual description of one object transforming into
another object
Choose a social issue (homelessness, literacy, equal rights, hunger issues,
AIDS, bullying, depression, suicide, racism, etc.) and create a poster
advocating the subject
Political cartoons portraying current events
Make a piece of art with at least 3 different media – one wet, one dry, and
collage materials
Futuristic cityscapes (think year 3000)
“Sew” material onto various surfaces that can be painted or drawn on…find
ways to connect the different surfaces
Cut paper self portraits, interiors, landscapes
Visual puns – illustrate your favorite pun
Read the fortune on a fortune cookie and create an artwork inspired from its
words!
Altered books
Study of positive vs. negative space
Wire sculptures
Fruit/Vegetable Still Life – series of drawings from ripe to rotten?
Alternative Clothing – use duct tape to make a vest, magazine strips to make
a coat, etc.
Self-Assessment/Instructor Assessment Tools:
Each student will do a post-project self-assessment. This practice will teach them
how to critique their artwork as well as write about their work. The following rubric
will be used for the AP Studio Course.
Score 
Criteria 
Craftsmanship:
Overall quality of work, use of
materials
6:
Outstanding
Consistency,
finished, polished
work. Continuous
hard work.
4-5:
Excellent
Finished well. Above
average
craftsmanship.
Evidence of hard
work.
3-4:
Strong
Adequate
craftsmanship but
lacks finishing
touches.
Design/Composition
Carefully planned
and executed.
Interesting layout,
draws viewer in
Attempt at planning
but very average
execution. Layout
could be more
interesting.
Originality/Creativity
Evidence of
complete original
thought. Took
risks, used
imagination and
executed well.
Evidence of planning
and above average
execution.
Interesting layout,
but with a few
changes could be
outstanding
Some evidence of
original thought.
Imagination and
creativity involved.
Some risk taken
with some
execution.
Commitment/Attitude
Evidence of hard
work far beyond
what is required.
Pride is work is
evident.
Work exceeds the
requirements of
the assignment.
Work is innovative
Lesson Objectives
Student worked
hard and completed
the assignment.
Pride is evident.
Work is complete
and shows some
areas of going
beyond the
requirements. Some
innovation.
Some ideas and/or
images were taken
from other sources
rather than created,
although there was
an attempt to
recreate in an
original way. Less
risks taken overall.
Average time and
energy spent on
assignment. Student
missed some areas
to make work shine.
The work is
complete and meets
all requirements.
0-2:
Needs Work
Below average
craftsmanship. A
lack of focus,
commitment, or lack
of understanding is
evident.
Little evidence of
planned work with
little execution.
Work is unorganized
and/or incomplete.
Little evidence of
original thought or
creativity. No risks
taken. Overall result
is below average.
Minimum energy put
forth. Work was
inadequate and
lackluster.
The work as turned
in is incomplete or
late.
Students will also answer the following questions for each completed assignment:
1. Description: What do you see?
2. Analysis: How is your work organized? Why did you choose this format?
3. Interpretation: What do you think people will see when they view your
work?
4. Judgment: Is this work successful?
5. Innovation/Risk-Taking: What were the risks that you took with this project?
Did they yield a successful result? Why?
Textbooks Available:
Title: Art Talk
Publisher: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Author: Rosalind Ragans
Description: High school art textbook, available to all students
Title: Launching the Imagination
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Author: Mary Stewart
Description: College level design text for 2D and 3D
Title: Art History: Second Edition
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Published Date: 2001
Author: Marilyn Stokstad
Description: Basic college level art history textbook
**There are numerous reference materials available in the art room for both the
teacher and student use.
**There are 2 computers available for research as well as a 30 unit portable lab
available when needed.
**Most consumable supplies are provided by the school. Students in all classes are
charged an art fee and receive supplies that are theirs to keep and use.