Potomac Falls High School Summer Studio Art Assignments Welcome AP Studio Artists of Potomac Falls High School! You have enrolled in the AP Studio Art course for the 2014-­‐2015 school year. AP Studio Art is a very challenging and demanding but rewarding, college level course. Take your work seriously and keep up with your artistic commitments, and you will find your efforts in this class worth every minute! The culmination of the AP Studio Art class is the AP Studio “exam” -­‐ a digital and actual submission of part of your art portfolio in May. This year, you will need to create 24-­‐30 quality artworks for your AP portfolio. This is a daunting task for a yearlong class. Therefore, it is essential to put forth your best effort in your summer homework. If these pieces are strong enough, you may be able to use them in your portfolio. There are 4 assignment categories 1) explore the college board website; 2) get art supplies; 3) look and reflect on art and 4) create art through observational studies (3), projects (3) and sketchbook assignments (20). Your summer homework is due the first Monday of school, and will count as your first grade. NO EXCUSES PLEASE! You will be given instructions the first day of class on how to present your work. Remember to challenge yourself, and work hard (you can do this, and do it well!) Have fun, and I look forward to seeing your great art and photography the first Monday of school! If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me [email protected]. 1
Potomac Falls High School Summer Assignments ALL 1 Explore the College Board AP Art Website Go to: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com From the home page, go to: AP Courses and Exams, then to: Course Home Pages, then to: AP Studio Art: Drawing or 2-­‐D Design, then to: AP Studio Art Portfolio Page. Explore this page, and look at samples of student work from previous years in each of the portfolio sections; Quality, Concentration, and Breadth. Specifically look at the various Concentration portfolios that students have done. § Select one of these portfolios that you find particularly interesting and print the images off. Write and type a summary to explain your selection. You will also share your selection with the class upon your return to school. 2 Go shopping! Get art supplies Go to an art supply store and purchase the suggested materials below: § An Art Bin (like a fishing tackle box) or other container to organize and transport art supplies § A hardbound sketchbook (8 ½” x 11” or 9” x 12”) § Other supplies based on student’s choice to complete summer assignments. 3 Go look at some ART Explore one or more art galleries/art centers, museums, exhibitions and art festivals this summer and share your thoughts. § In your sketchbook, address these areas: Name, title, location, general information -­‐describe, react & share your overall experience; reflect on the overall body of work shown. Discuss 3 or more specific pieces that affected you both positively or negatively. Include printed images/text as well as your own descriptive drawings/writing of the gallery/exhibition. Use as many pages as needed in your sketchbook/journal. For one piece of art, complete the Go Look at Art and typed student critic essay. § Search the Internet for three contemporary artists/photographers dealing with the same subject/concepts/interest as you. Study their work, life history, and influences. Include at least three contemporary influential artists/photographers, images and reflections in your sketchbook. 4
Create ART See specific assignment objectives for 2D Studio Art (Drawing or Design), 2D Studio Art Photography and 3D Studio Art. 2
3 Go Look at Art (Museum Visit) Part of the summer assignments are designed for students to explore two and three-­‐
dimensional art in the community, such as at the Smithsonian, in art museums, or galleries, and to document the visit by drawing the image and reflecting upon the observations of two and three-­‐dimensional works of art. You may want to print out the questions below and record your findings. Why visit a Museum of Art? Because learning about art can help you to . . . § Build critical-­‐thinking skills § Connect to learning in a wide range of disciplines § Understand how people express their beliefs and ideas § Explore diversity issues § Become acquainted with cultures and traditions from around the world STRATEGIES FOR LOOKING AT, TALKING and WRITING ABOUT ART There is no magic formula for visiting museums. A spur-­‐of-­‐the-­‐moment trip can be just as rewarding as a planned visit. But if you have the time, some things that you can do before, during, & after the visit may help to enrich the experience. How to "Read" an Artwork Use any information you can find about the artwork: captions under the picture, museum labels, articles, the artist him/herself if available, etc. -­‐ but FIRST use your own eyes. LOOK carefully and give yourself a chance to respond to the work personally, and try to figure out what the work is all about on your own. Use the questions below to help you write a four-­‐paragraph word-­‐processed critique about the artwork. Make a judgment about the artwork and back it up with good information. Art in the Community Questions Find the answers to the following questions by looking carefully at two and three-­‐
dimensional art objects and reading the information in the exhibit. You may want to print out the questions and record your findings. Your Name: Date: Location: 1. Get the big picture by walking through the entire exhibit. Based on what you have observed, what is the exhibit about? 2. Now go back through the exhibit a second time, carefully examining objects that interest you or go back to your favorite object in the exhibit, look at it and draw it in your sketchbook. 3
STRATEGIES FOR LOOKING AT, TALKING and WRITING ABOUT ART (continued) Look at the object, the label, and record the following information: 3. Artist: 4. Title: 5. Year: 6. Medium/media: 7. Dimensions: 8. Description: What do you see? 9. What is the medium? What materials and techniques were used to make it? Have materials been used in a new way? How does the process affect the meaning of the work? Was it made quickly, or over a long period of time? 10. What condition is it in? Is it damaged, or are parts missing? Has it been repaired or renovated? Has its appearance changed? 11. What is the subject matter? Can you recognize any of the people, places, and things portrayed? 12. What is going on in the work? Can you recognize anything? Is there an obvious story or message? Is the subject matter incidental or is it a vehicle for social, religious, moral or political content of either artist or client? 13. Is it the subject imagined, remembered, or observed directly? Is it treated representationally, or is it abstracted? Do you know why? 14. & 15. Ask yourself how the artist has used the elements of art within the format to best express his or her idea, message and feelings. Using The ELEMENTS of Art listed below, identify and describe 2 of the dominant visual elements you see. What has the artists done with the use of the art elements? 16. & 17. Ask yourself how the artist has used the principles of design to best express his or her idea, message and feelings. Using The PRINCIPLES listed below, identify and describe 2 of the formal characteristics of this work. Is the work ordered/balanced? Would you use words such as unity, variety, contrast, balance, movement, and rhythm to describe this work? 4
STRATEGIES FOR LOOKING AT, TALKING and WRITING ABOUT ART (continued) The ELEMENTS of Art: LINE -­‐ Are there thick, thin, curvy, jagged, or straight lines? VALUE -­‐ Is there a range of tones from dark to light? (Squint your eyes). Where is the darkest value? The lightest? COLOR – What colors have been used? What kind of color scheme do you see (many colors, only one or two, light colors, dark colors, etc.)? Describe the colors in terms of their harmony or contrast with each other. LIGHT -­‐ Does there appear to be a strong sense of light in the image? Is it harsh or soft? Is the light coming from a particular direction? SHAPE -­‐ Do you see geometric or organic shapes? Do positive shapes, such as objects, dominate the composition, or are there more negative shapes that represent voids? Is there one principle shape or is it composed of interrelating combinations of shapes? SPACE -­‐ Is the space deep or shallow? How has the artist created a sense of space? (By overlapping objects, position on the picture plane, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, other ways?) TEXTURE -­‐ Do you see the illusion of textures within the image? Is there an actual texture on the surface of the image? The PRINCIPLES of Design: DOMINANCE/EMPHASIS -­‐ Close your eyes. When you open them and look at the image, what is the first thing that you notice? Why? What does the arrangement of the parts of the picture or sculpture draw your attention to in the image? CONTRAST -­‐ Are there strong visual contrasts-­‐lights and darks, textures, solids and voids, etc.? REPETITION/RHYTHM/PATTERN -­‐ Repetition of visual elements can create unity-­‐a sense of order or wholeness that holds the work together visually. What elements are repeated? Do they form a strong visual rhythm? Do they form a pattern? Do they contribute to a sense of unity? MOVEMENT – How does your eye move around the format? How do rhythms and patterns contribute a sense of visual movement? VARIETY -­‐ Variety creates interest. Can you see a variety of visual elements such as different values, different shapes, textures, etc.? BALANCE -­‐ Is the visual weight on one side of the image about the same as the other? How about the top to bottom and diagonally? Is the work symmetrical or asymmetrical? UNITY – Does the work hold together as an overall entity, or is it pleasing in parts yet unsatisfactory as a whole? STRATEGIES FOR LOOKING AT, TALKING and WRITING ABOUT ART (continued) 5
18. Based on what you have learned so far about the artwork, What do you think the artist is trying to say? Why did the artist create this artwork? What do you think it means? What feelings do you have when looking at this artwork? Do you think there are things in the artwork that represent other things -­‐ symbols? 19.What feelings do you get from the work? What is its mood? Does it capture a mood or emotion that you have already experienced? Can you imagine the artist's feelings while producing the work? How does the artist's use of the elements and principles of design contribute to the mood? Judgment: Justify your opinion. You need to come to some conclusions about the artwork based on all of the information your have gathered and on your interpretations. Explain why you feel the way you do about this artwork based on what you have learned about it. 20. Describe how your thoughts or feelings about the artwork changed since your first impression. If so, how? What made you change your mind? If not, can you now explain your first reaction to the work? 21. What have you seen or learned from this work that you might apply to your own artwork or your own thinking? The Student Art Critic Essay After going through the process write a word-­‐processed four-­‐paragraph critique about one artwork using the information that was recorded. 1st paragraph: Describe the artwork 2nd paragraph: Analyze the artwork 3rd paragraph: Interpret the artwork 4th paragraph: Make a judgment about the artwork and back it up with good information. 6
Potomac Falls High School Summer Assignments Advanced Placement 2D Studio Art Photography 4A Create Observational Studies Complete at least TWO of the following observational studies. For each study, you should be taking at least 25 photos to choose from, if not more. Think about compositional strategies, your background and lighting, elements and principles of design, and other basics relative to general photography. Remember that moving slightly can totally change a photograph. Include research of an inspirational photographer with each study. 1. A self-­‐portrait that expresses a specific mood/emotion: for example, anger/rage, melancholy/loneliness, happiness/joy, etc. Think about the effects of color and how it conveys the individual mood. Consider the development of the environment/setting as well. Research online to study various artists’ self-­‐
portraits and their styles and techniques. Check out Cindy Sherman, Vivian Maier. 2. Photograph a self-­‐portrait using your reflection in something other than a normal mirror. Use an unusual surface such as a metal appliance (iron, toaster, bowl, blender, spoon), water puddle, a computer monitor, car’s rear view mirror, or a warped or broken mirror/reflective surface. 3. Action portrait. Enlist a friend or family member to pose for you doing some sort of movement (jump roping, walking down stairs, walking etc.). Capture the entire sequence of their action in one piece of artwork. Check out photographic motion studies by Muybridge. Think about how you will portray movement in your photography. Will you stop motion or blur the motion? How will you alter your shutter speed? Look at the painting “Nude Descending a Staircase” by Marcel Duchamp (Dada artist) as well as Giacomo Balla and F.T. Marinetti (Futurist artists). 4. Create a photograph that represents your family through the same object. For instance: represent your family through each family member’s objects, tools or toys. Think about your composition, and putting the shoes in different positions. What interesting designs, colors and textures are represented in the individual family members objects? 5. Create a photographic series of an ordinary interior-­‐ inside a kitchen cabinet, refrigerator, closet, inside your car, under the car’s hood, etc. How can you make something ordinary unordinary? 6. Photograph an unusual interior-­‐and unusual viewpoint. Include as many details as you can. 7
7. Do a photo shoot on location of buildings in a landscape. Look for a building or spot in your neighborhood that is part of your neighborhood’s identity. Think of a building you would miss if it were torn down (church, firehouse, restaurant etc.) Visit a D.C., Georgetown or historic Alexandria neighborhood. 8. Photograph an interesting shot of a still life that consists of three or more reflective objects/surfaces. Think about including dramatic lighting. 9. Take photographs of the same scene at different times of the day to demonstrate different lighting and goings on. 4B Create Photography Projects Complete at least THREE of the projects. You may choose any media or combination of media including collage, photography and or digital art. Photographs and digital art must be printed out. Start your project by developing each idea in your sketchbook. Plan your composition with big shapes, value/color contrasts, scale relationships, point of view and lighting. Intentionally make use of the elements and principles of design. 1. Create a series, a mini concentration, of three new artworks around a theme of your choosing. Research artists who work(ed) in series such as Andy Warhol, Mondrian, Matisse, Picasso, and James Ensor. 2. Create a photomontage without Photoshop! Research Barbara Kruger. 3. Create a photomontage with the same images using Photoshop. 4. Create a photographic series of details: close-­‐ups of faces, architectural details, textural surfaces, interesting lighting and compositions. Research Photographers Annie Leibovitz, Simon Lewis and Dian Arbus. 5. Using your photography and text, create a movie poster in Photoshop. 6. Create an offbeat portrait of a family member/friend using thick bold outlines and arbitrary colors, using paint and/ or oil pastels to draw on top of your photograph. Research Van Gogh, Gauguin, Peter Max and Georges Rouault. 7. Create a series of photographs that demonstrate the elements of art (shape, space, line, color, value, form, texture). 4C Create Photography “Sketchbook Assignments” Because you won’t necessarily need sketches for your photographs, complete 20 “sketchbook assignments “by taking photographs of the following subject matter, or of some of your own ideas. Spend approximately 30 minutes per photo shoot, taking 20 or more photographs of each idea. Create a contact sheet for each idea/concept. View from a car mirror Transformation Close up of object-­‐abstract What was for dinner Opposites extreme perspective pile of pillows extreme light source what was for breakfast metallic objects negative space pile of laundry outside vs. inside eating at the café insect vacation Tools man vs. nature fabric/patterns 8