AP Studio Art: Drawing
Mrs. Tricia Thatcher
Room: 1403
Phone/Voice Mail: 942-2999 #150
E-mail: thatcher_t@fairfield-city.k12.oh.us
Please click on the following link to access the College Board AP Studio Art website:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_studioart.html
Course Description/Overview
Students will investigate all three aspects of the portfolio development – Quality, Concentration, and Breadth. Students will be expected to develop mastery in concept, composition, and execution of ideas. Student portfolios will be reviewed for content, quality, and originality with classroom critiques to aid in their development. Artworks created prior to and outside of the AP course will be identified and may be considered for inclusion in the AP art portfolio.
Students learn to seek out creative problems that are interesting and challenging and use goal setting, informed decision making and problem solving skills to pursue their own artistic interest in an informed way. Students are responsible for demonstrating mastery at using the elements of art to organize the principles of design in their work. A minimum of 24 works will be completed for the AP Portfolio.
Students will explore a variety of concepts and demonstrate versatility with respect to the use of media, techniques, problem solving, and creativity. A major emphasis in this course will focus on developing mastery of traditional skills in accurate observational drawing. Summer assignments will require students to develop ideas in the form of a proposal for their Concentration section by the beginning of the school year or within the first 2 weeks of school.
The students will be responsible for meeting deadlines for class projects (Breadth), as well as completing a minimum of 12 artworks relative to a selected theme (Concentration). The selected Concentration concept will require the student to work independently (at home) a minimum of 4-8 hours per week. This course enables the students to develop a body of work investigating a strong underlying visual idea/theme in drawing that grows out of a plan of action or investigation.
Student proposals will be reviewed at the beginning of the first quarter and once approved and revised, students may begin their Concentration. Works may be done in any format and sizes ranging from 8 ½ x 11” to 18 x 24” and any medium, which is appropriate for the portfolio.
Field trips to museums, guest speakers, and college/career exploration are all parts of this course. Sketchbooks will be carried and used on a regular basis. A working studio will be the primary method for teaching and learning. Most studio class periods will be devoted to active drawing. The course will end with a presentation of the completed portfolio in digital format using Digication.
Studio Time
Class begins when the bell rings and students are expected to work on art the entire class period. Extra studio time is available during a student’s study hall and lunch periods, as well as after school with prior approval by the teacher.
Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory, and will be noted at the beginning of each class period. It is necessary for each student to be present for every class because studio activities directed by the teacher are very difficult to make up. If a student is absent due to an illness, arrangements can be made with the teacher to make up a missed studio before or after school. All students will receive 5 points a day for attendance and active participation in class. If a student is absent for ANY teacher. It is the students responsibility to make such arrangements, otherwise the points will be deducted from the students partcipation grade.
Exhibits and Competitions
Students are encouraged to submit work to local, state, and national exhibits and competitions. Students agree to allow the school to display and otherwise use their image and artwork for publication and promotion. Each AP student will design and develop a unique and interesting display of their work for the district's annual Artsfair.
Copyright Issues
Students are not allowed to work from published materials, either from photographs or other artistic works in the form of drawings or paintings, except as a reference. When doing this, students must move beyond mere duplication in their work. The work must be significantly altered in the individual student’s own voice and expression. Misuse of copyrighted materials is plagiarism.
Instructional Materials/Text
Discovering Drawing, Ted Rose, 1995, Davis Publications, Inc.
Reading will be assigned over the course of the term that relates to works in progress, issues, historical information, and media. Books and magazines will be made available for use as well. Sources should also include use of the Internet for research purposes.
Art Fees: All art supplies and educational materials for this class are purchased with student fee money. All fees must be paid within the first two weeks of the term in order to retain use of all classroom art materials. The art fee is $70.00 for Drawing. Any student who does not pay the fees for this course or make payment arrangements with the bookkeeper by the due date will be denied the use of all art materials until arrangements have been made. An alternative payment plan may be arranged by calling my voice mail or by writing a note prior to the fee deadline. Because art supplies are costly, I am enclosing a list of “found” art supplies that will definitely help to enhance our classroom. Most of these items may be found in your home. Any donations of these “found” items would be greatly appreciated.
Classroom Rules
1.) Act Responsibly, Safety First! Please do not intentionally misuse materials, tools, or supplies. Any misuse will result in an automatic detention. Students are responsible for asking the teacher if they are still unclear about the use of materials or tools after they have been demonstrated or introduced. Please pay attention to what you are doing in order to avoid unnecessary injuries or damage to materials or tools.
2.) Respect Yourself and Others! Please be on time to class. Students will be considered late if they are not in their seat at the bell. If you are tardy to class more than twice during a nine week grading period, 5 points will be deducted from your class responsibility grade for each additional tardy. To ensure that everyone has full benefit of this studio class, an atmosphere of respect will be insisted upon. School rules and the student code of conduct will be strictly enforced. Teamwork is also necessary in this class. Everyone must do their part.
3.) Clean Up After Yourself! Because there are a large number of students using this art studio, any supplies and tools used by you and the rest of the class must be cleaned properly and returned to their designated places. Work areas must also be cleaned properly. Each table in the classroom will be assigned a specific work area which they will be responsible for cleaning each day before leaving the classroom. All areas must be checked by the teacher before the end of the period. Any student neglecting assigned duties will lose points daily from their responsibility grade. (Remember, the responsibility grade counts as 10% of your nine week grade.)
4.) Use Time Wisely!! Each project can be completed within the scheduled amount of time determined by the teacher, if you utilize studio time properly. Students work at different paces. Therefore, some students may be required to stay after school or take work home in order to complete a project. Students are expected to turn in projects within a week after we complete work on the specific project in the classroom unless there are extenuating circumstances. Any students who finish work early will be required to work in sketchbooks or complete extra credit work.
5.) Participate! Be prepared to participate in class critiques and discussions. We will be looking at and talking about our own artwork, as well as artwork created by artists in history. Students will be asked to do writing assignments occasionally, in order to respond to a work of art. These writings will be part of the semester grade, as will daily participation in discussions and readings.
6.) Sign Out Any Borrowed Materials or Supplies! It may be necessary at some point to borrow tools and/or supplies to complete a project at home. Most supplies may be signed out with the teacher. I will have a sign out sheet located near my desk. Each student must complete the sign out sheet when borrowing materials. When materials are returned, the student should show the teacher what is being returned and cross his/her name from the sign out sheet. This policy will ensure that all valuable art supplies are returned in a timely manner, and in the condition in which they were borrowed.
Grading Policy:
You will earn credit for this class through the evaluation of Breadth/Class Work, Concentration, Writing/Sketchbook/Participation, and Class Responsibility.
1.) BREADTH/CLASS WORK 50% of grade
- All major projects completed in class
- Midterm Exam: To be determined by teacher
- Final Exam: All students will be for responsible completing a
final portfolio which will serve as the final exam grade or this
course. Specific instructions for this portfolio will be given at a
later date.
2.) CONCENTRATION 30% of grade
- Concentration Concept/Storyboard
- Minimum of 12 total pieces completed
both in class and at home.
3.) WRITING/SKETCHBOOK/PARTICIPATION 15% of grade
- Written assignments:
responding to and analyzing works of art
and self-evaluations for each project
- Sketchbook: You will use
them throughout the semester
to record your ideas and sketches
for both Breadth and Concentration pieces.
You will also be required to work
on drawings in your sketchbook at
least once a week as a homework
assignment.
Your sketchbook will be turned in weekly. Each assignment will be worth 50-100 points. Please update the contents of your sketchbook regularly, and have it in class with you everyday.
4.) CLASS RESPONSIBILITY 5% of grade
- Each student will begin this class
with 100 points. Points are lost
when a student does not meet
his/her class responsibility.
(Refer to classroom rules and discipline procedure)
As stated earlier, students will be given 5 points a day for attendance and active participation in class. Any day a student is absent for any reason or does not participate, those 5 points will be lost unless arrangements are made with the teacher to make up the missed class period. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Works in progress will be evaluated informally on a daily basis through conversation and critique format. Finished work will be graded individually with comments. Quarterly portfolio reviews will provide formal assessment in grading current work. Individual and group critiques will enable students to learn to analyze their own artworks and those of their peers. Work in progress or unfinished at the close of each grading period will not be graded.