AP Studio Art - Drawing Portfolio Syllabus
Instructor - Sommer K. Fortner, M.Ed.
Email - [email protected]
Helena High School
Helena, AL
COURSE OVERVIEW
AP Studio Art is a fast-paced college level art course designed for highly motivated art students interested in developing mastery in concept, composition and the execution of ideas in drawing. This course explores a variety of concepts, techniques, and media through the research, production, evaluation, and criticism of art. Each student will complete and submit the required portfolio for evaluation by the College Board with a possibility of receiving college credit. In addition, students are expected to spend five to ten hours each week outside of the classroom conducting research, developing ideas in their sketchbooks, and producing artwork. A high level of commitment is required of each student as they must complete at least one piece of art per week.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
COURSE WORK
Drawing Portfolio
Each student will be working steadily and diligently to meet and exceed the requirements for the Drawing Portfolio as outlined by the AP Studio Art poster. The Drawing portfolio is intended to address a wide range of concepts, approaches, and media. Students will demonstrate their abilities as well as their versatility with techniques, problem solving, and ideation. Line quality, light and shade, rendering of form, composition, surface manipulation, the illusion of depth and mark-making and drawing issues that can be addressed through a variety of means, which could include painting, printmaking, mixed media, etc. Abstract, observational and inventive works may be submitted. The range of marks used to make drawing, the arrangement of the marks and materials used to make the marks are endless. Any work submitted in the Drawing portfolio that incorporates digital or photographic processes must address drawing issues such as those listed above, as well as mark-making. Using computer programs merely to manipulate photographs through filters, adjustments, or special effects is not appropriate for the Drawing Portfolio. The Drawing portfolio will be evaluated by the following criteria for each of the three sections:
By April 15, each student will have 30 - 35 quality works that fulfill the obligations of the Drawing Portfolio. Students are responsible for selecting, preparing, photographing, and submitting their own work. Digital images for the Breadth and Concentration sections will be stored on USB Flash Drives provided by the students. Actual work for the Quality section will be prepared and matted by students. No work, including matting, can exceed 18” x 24”.
Research
Students will conduct daily research to explore elements of art, principles of design, composition, materials, techniques, various approaches used in subject matter, and topics explored by other artists.
Sketchbook/Journal
Each student will be required to keep and maintain a sketchbook as a record of ongoing artistic processes and concept development. Sketchbook assignments may include preliminary sketches, concentration development, figure studies, observational drawings, designs, color studies, etc. Students will also record journal entries in their sketchbook. Journal entry assignments may include ideas, thoughts, stories, reflections, and written critiques. Students will use journal entries to fully explore and develop their concentration. Sketchbooks will be given and graded on a weekly basis. Students will meet regularly with the teacher and peers to review sketchbook assignments and discuss further possibilities for growth.
Critiques
Formal and informal critiques are an essential and ongoing part of this course. Students will engage in weekly instructor-led group critiques along with their peers to discuss and reflect on their artistic process and vision. Feedback will be provided by the instructor and peers in terms of description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment. Additionally, students will meet with the instructor for individual, one-on-one conferences to address strengths and weaknesses and evaluate places for improvement.
GRADING PROCEDURES
This course follows a regular schedule with grading periods that last nine weeks. Grades are based on weighted averages as follows:
Assignment Types Weight
Projects, Presentations 60%
Sketchbook Assignments, Oral & Written Critiques 30%
Daily Participation, Journal Entries, Research, Self-Evaluations 10%
Grading will be done on a scale of 1-6, just as the College Board will evaluate each portfolio. Projects will be assessed upon completion and ample time will be spent with students to discuss and critique each work. Work is graded on commitment to the process, exploration of ideas, and building a strong portfolio. Evaluation by the College Board is intense; therefore, expectations for grading will be very high. All students must submit their portfolio to the College Board by the submission deadline. Portfolios will be rated 1-5, though evaluated 1-6 by the College Board. Though some colleges accept 3 or higher, most colleges will only accept 5 or higher for college credit.
General Rubric for Standards of Evaluation by the College Board
1-Poor (Little thought, poor technique, poor composition or poor use of materials)
2-Weak (Weak ideas, techniques and composition- some decisions made)
3-Moderate
(Sense of effort, problems and ideas unresolved)
4-Good- (Demonstrates success inconsistently, some development of ideas, shows technical competence.)
5-Strong (Strong quality with few inconsistencies, thoughtful, mostly successful, fairly confident and decisive)
6-Excellent(Exhibits well informed decision making, shows technical competence and as a whole is confident and evocative.)
Grading Scale
Score Percentage Equivalence
1 0-24%
2 25-59%
3 60-74%
4 75-84%
5 85-94%
6 95-100%
CLASSROOM PROCEDURES & POLICIES
Artist Integrity/Plagiarism Clause
Artistic integrity and plagiarism will be discussed with students early and often so they are aware of the legal and ethical issue associated with using both published or unpublished materials created by others. All work submitted for this course must be unique and original. Students are encouraged to create works of art derived from their own images, imagination, experiences, and direct observations. In some cases, students may reference other source materials (drawings, photographs, designs, films, literature, etc.) to service their own voice and personal vision, but should show a significant departure from the original image through manipulation of the formal qualities, design or concept of the work. It is unethical, constitutes plagiarism and often violates copyright law to copy another artist's work or imagery even when using an alternative medium. Images produced by other artists are the property of those artists and may not be claimed as the student's own work. Plagiarized work will be eliminated for inclusion in the portfolio and will receive a zero. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Attendance/Participation Policy
This course will follow Helena High School's policy on attendance. All students are expected to attend every class, arrive on time, be prepared, actively participate in class discussions and critiques, and pay attention to lecture, directions, demonstrations. Regular attendance and participation is mandatory and crucial for student success and learning. Students will not receive credit for missed work due to an unexcused absence. Excessive absences may put students at risk for failure.
Make-Up Work Policy
Students with excused absences will have an opportunity to receive credit for any missed assignments. Students are responsible for collecting make-up work within one day and completing it in a timely manner. The teacher will determine the amount of time students have to turn in make-up work based on how many days the student missed and the difficulty of the assignment. Students must hand in all make-up work directly to the teacher in order to receive full credit. The teacher will be available before or after school for tutoring and/or make-up tests.
Late Assignments
All assignments will be due at the beginning of class on the due date unless otherwise noted by the teacher. Any work turned in after that time will be considered late and will not receive full credit. Each day an assignment is late it will be reduced one letter grade. If the assignment has not been received within five days, the result will be a zero. Students with excused absences will follow the make-up work policy for completing missed assignments.
Revisions
After a work of art is graded and critiqued, students may have three days to revise the work outside of class for a possible higher score; after that time has passed, the grade stands. The three-day revision time only applies with teacher approval and is not to be considered a regular extension for every project.
Materials
Students will be responsible for supplying the following:
AP Studio Art Poster, New York, The College Board, 2006-07.
Betti, Claudia, and Teel Sale. Drawing: A Contemporary Approach, Third Edition, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1992
Janson, H.W. History of Art, Fourth Edition, Abrams, NY.
Zelanski, Paul, and Mary Pat Fisher. The Art of Seeing. Wadsworth Thomsom Learning
Instructor - Sommer K. Fortner, M.Ed.
Email - [email protected]
Helena High School
Helena, AL
COURSE OVERVIEW
AP Studio Art is a fast-paced college level art course designed for highly motivated art students interested in developing mastery in concept, composition and the execution of ideas in drawing. This course explores a variety of concepts, techniques, and media through the research, production, evaluation, and criticism of art. Each student will complete and submit the required portfolio for evaluation by the College Board with a possibility of receiving college credit. In addition, students are expected to spend five to ten hours each week outside of the classroom conducting research, developing ideas in their sketchbooks, and producing artwork. A high level of commitment is required of each student as they must complete at least one piece of art per week.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Students will develop an awareness of aesthetics, art history, production, and criticism.
- Students will demonstrate a range of abilities in advanced creative problem solving, critical thinking, decision making. and self-expression.
- Students will use the elements of art and principles of design to create meaning in a work of art.
- Students will maintain a strong work ethic in the building of portfolio that demonstrates quality and mastery in concept, composition, and execution in drawing.
- Students will express creativity and versatility through a broad range of art mediums, techniques, and concepts in drawing.
- Students will plan and create a body of related communicative works that investigates a focus of personal interest to them.
- Students will understand the definition of artistic integrity and plagiarism, as well as, how to create works using their own imagination, creativity, and originality.
- Students will view art as an on-going process in which criticism, evaluation and reflection play an important role.
- Students will demonstrate a respect of the studio environment and proper handling, safety, cleanup and storage of materials and equipment.
COURSE WORK
Drawing Portfolio
Each student will be working steadily and diligently to meet and exceed the requirements for the Drawing Portfolio as outlined by the AP Studio Art poster. The Drawing portfolio is intended to address a wide range of concepts, approaches, and media. Students will demonstrate their abilities as well as their versatility with techniques, problem solving, and ideation. Line quality, light and shade, rendering of form, composition, surface manipulation, the illusion of depth and mark-making and drawing issues that can be addressed through a variety of means, which could include painting, printmaking, mixed media, etc. Abstract, observational and inventive works may be submitted. The range of marks used to make drawing, the arrangement of the marks and materials used to make the marks are endless. Any work submitted in the Drawing portfolio that incorporates digital or photographic processes must address drawing issues such as those listed above, as well as mark-making. Using computer programs merely to manipulate photographs through filters, adjustments, or special effects is not appropriate for the Drawing Portfolio. The Drawing portfolio will be evaluated by the following criteria for each of the three sections:
- Quality - The Quality section of the portfolio demonstrates student mastery in concept, composition, and execution in drawing. Students will produce a number of works that succeed in developing their intentions, in terms of concept and execution. Works may be separate, distinct pieces or they may be directly related to one or more works submitted in this area. Students should carefully select works that demonstrate their highest level of accomplishment in drawing and mark making. Students will submit five matted works that range in size up to 18” x 24”. There is no preferred style or content.
- Concentration - The Concentration section of the portfolio demonstrates student investigation, growth, and discovery through the development of a thematic body of work with strong visual concepts. Students are to demonstrate an in-depth person commitment to a specific visual idea or mode of working, which will require investment of considerable time, thought, and effort by the student. Students will create a cohesive body of work based on a topic of personal interest or concern in which the concept, style of working, etc. is stretched and explored thoroughly. Weekly research, sketches, journal entries, and critiques will provide students with opportunities for further development in the evolution of the Concentration. Students will consult with the instructor to develop methods, concepts, and a coherent plan of action to develop, refine, and execute the Concentration. Concentration works may also be selected for use in the Quality section, but not in the Breadth section. Students will submit twelve digital images along with a written artist statement for this portion of the portfolio. A list of suggested concentration ideas can be found attached to the syllabus.
- Breadth - The Breadth section of the portfolio demonstrates student versatility in problem solving using a variety of concepts and approaches in drawing. Students will demonstrate a range of drawing experiences and accomplishments in a variety of art forms, concepts, techniques, and mediums. All projects will maintain a total focus on the making of the mark. Media may include exploring in painting, printmaking, studies for sculpture, some forms of design, and abstract and observational works. Diversity is important in this section. Breadth pieces may also be selected for use in the Quality section, but not in the Concentration section. Students will submit twelve digital images for this portion of the portfolio. A detailed explanation of specific assignments can be found in the course outline.
By April 15, each student will have 30 - 35 quality works that fulfill the obligations of the Drawing Portfolio. Students are responsible for selecting, preparing, photographing, and submitting their own work. Digital images for the Breadth and Concentration sections will be stored on USB Flash Drives provided by the students. Actual work for the Quality section will be prepared and matted by students. No work, including matting, can exceed 18” x 24”.
Research
Students will conduct daily research to explore elements of art, principles of design, composition, materials, techniques, various approaches used in subject matter, and topics explored by other artists.
Sketchbook/Journal
Each student will be required to keep and maintain a sketchbook as a record of ongoing artistic processes and concept development. Sketchbook assignments may include preliminary sketches, concentration development, figure studies, observational drawings, designs, color studies, etc. Students will also record journal entries in their sketchbook. Journal entry assignments may include ideas, thoughts, stories, reflections, and written critiques. Students will use journal entries to fully explore and develop their concentration. Sketchbooks will be given and graded on a weekly basis. Students will meet regularly with the teacher and peers to review sketchbook assignments and discuss further possibilities for growth.
Critiques
Formal and informal critiques are an essential and ongoing part of this course. Students will engage in weekly instructor-led group critiques along with their peers to discuss and reflect on their artistic process and vision. Feedback will be provided by the instructor and peers in terms of description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment. Additionally, students will meet with the instructor for individual, one-on-one conferences to address strengths and weaknesses and evaluate places for improvement.
GRADING PROCEDURES
This course follows a regular schedule with grading periods that last nine weeks. Grades are based on weighted averages as follows:
Assignment Types Weight
Projects, Presentations 60%
Sketchbook Assignments, Oral & Written Critiques 30%
Daily Participation, Journal Entries, Research, Self-Evaluations 10%
Grading will be done on a scale of 1-6, just as the College Board will evaluate each portfolio. Projects will be assessed upon completion and ample time will be spent with students to discuss and critique each work. Work is graded on commitment to the process, exploration of ideas, and building a strong portfolio. Evaluation by the College Board is intense; therefore, expectations for grading will be very high. All students must submit their portfolio to the College Board by the submission deadline. Portfolios will be rated 1-5, though evaluated 1-6 by the College Board. Though some colleges accept 3 or higher, most colleges will only accept 5 or higher for college credit.
General Rubric for Standards of Evaluation by the College Board
1-Poor (Little thought, poor technique, poor composition or poor use of materials)
2-Weak (Weak ideas, techniques and composition- some decisions made)
3-Moderate
(Sense of effort, problems and ideas unresolved)
4-Good- (Demonstrates success inconsistently, some development of ideas, shows technical competence.)
5-Strong (Strong quality with few inconsistencies, thoughtful, mostly successful, fairly confident and decisive)
6-Excellent(Exhibits well informed decision making, shows technical competence and as a whole is confident and evocative.)
Grading Scale
Score Percentage Equivalence
1 0-24%
2 25-59%
3 60-74%
4 75-84%
5 85-94%
6 95-100%
CLASSROOM PROCEDURES & POLICIES
Artist Integrity/Plagiarism Clause
Artistic integrity and plagiarism will be discussed with students early and often so they are aware of the legal and ethical issue associated with using both published or unpublished materials created by others. All work submitted for this course must be unique and original. Students are encouraged to create works of art derived from their own images, imagination, experiences, and direct observations. In some cases, students may reference other source materials (drawings, photographs, designs, films, literature, etc.) to service their own voice and personal vision, but should show a significant departure from the original image through manipulation of the formal qualities, design or concept of the work. It is unethical, constitutes plagiarism and often violates copyright law to copy another artist's work or imagery even when using an alternative medium. Images produced by other artists are the property of those artists and may not be claimed as the student's own work. Plagiarized work will be eliminated for inclusion in the portfolio and will receive a zero. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Attendance/Participation Policy
This course will follow Helena High School's policy on attendance. All students are expected to attend every class, arrive on time, be prepared, actively participate in class discussions and critiques, and pay attention to lecture, directions, demonstrations. Regular attendance and participation is mandatory and crucial for student success and learning. Students will not receive credit for missed work due to an unexcused absence. Excessive absences may put students at risk for failure.
Make-Up Work Policy
Students with excused absences will have an opportunity to receive credit for any missed assignments. Students are responsible for collecting make-up work within one day and completing it in a timely manner. The teacher will determine the amount of time students have to turn in make-up work based on how many days the student missed and the difficulty of the assignment. Students must hand in all make-up work directly to the teacher in order to receive full credit. The teacher will be available before or after school for tutoring and/or make-up tests.
Late Assignments
All assignments will be due at the beginning of class on the due date unless otherwise noted by the teacher. Any work turned in after that time will be considered late and will not receive full credit. Each day an assignment is late it will be reduced one letter grade. If the assignment has not been received within five days, the result will be a zero. Students with excused absences will follow the make-up work policy for completing missed assignments.
Revisions
After a work of art is graded and critiqued, students may have three days to revise the work outside of class for a possible higher score; after that time has passed, the grade stands. The three-day revision time only applies with teacher approval and is not to be considered a regular extension for every project.
Materials
Students will be responsible for supplying the following:
- Art Fee: $40
- USB Flash Drive (4GB minimum)
- Hardbound Sketchbook
- Size: 8.5 in x 11in minimum
- Weight: 60lb - 80lb
AP Studio Art Poster, New York, The College Board, 2006-07.
Betti, Claudia, and Teel Sale. Drawing: A Contemporary Approach, Third Edition, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1992
Janson, H.W. History of Art, Fourth Edition, Abrams, NY.
Zelanski, Paul, and Mary Pat Fisher. The Art of Seeing. Wadsworth Thomsom Learning