Skyview High School - Mrs. Darling, Graphic Design Assignments

Portfolio requirements from the AP College Board:

Course Overview
This class is designed for the student with a serious interest in continuing their education in Graphic Design & Photography. Throughout the course of the year, students in AP 2D Design will use various media to prepare a 24-piece portfolio which will be comprised of both class projects and independent work. Students will investigate all 3 sections of the AP portfolio (Quality, Concentration, & Breadth). These portfolios will then be submitted for college credit, art school admission, and scholarships. Students should expect to spend a significant amount of time working in and outside of class on major projects, sketchbook drawings, and written assignments in order to develop mastery in concept, composition, and execution.

Goals of the AP 2D course

Create a college-level portfolio of 24 works of art (minimum).
Understand and emphasize art as an ongoing process that involves the student in informed and critical decision making.
Refine and retool observation skills.
Utilize learned critical thinking techniques.
Operate and understand a variety of concepts, approaches, and programs.
Integrate aesthetic judgment and artistic integrity into everyday life.
Learn to produce original work that moves beyond duplication.
Become informed about contemporary art, commercial art, and periods in Art History.

The Portfolio
Concentration:
The Concentration is comprised of 12 pieces which are based around a particular area of visual interest. Through the Concentration section, students are enabled the opportunity to develop a body of work investigating a strong underlying visual idea in 2D design that grows out of a coherent plan of action. While students are encouraged to begin developing their Concentration over the summer, they are required by the first week of October to have the final draft of their concept ready. Once this concept has been fully developed, the student will spend considerable time investigating and demonstrating growth in the discovery of their chosen area of interest.

There will also be a Concentration commentary developed throughout the year based on the questions below:

What was your initial idea?
How did your idea grow and develop as you worked?

While students are encouraged to pursue their own independent and unique area of interest, the following are examples of Concentrations that have been successfully used in the past:

Social Justice Propaganda
“Once a need, now disregarded”
Technological Surrealism
22nd century Fashion Design
Biological Studies
Suburban Encroachment
Original Movie Ads
Self- Fullfilling Stereotypes
My Neighborhood
A Day In The Life of an Iraqi Immigrant
Commuters
“Myself through everyone else’s eyes”
Turntablism
Consumerism
Urban Skate Culture
Mythological Self-Portraits
The Lifespan of Spaghetti
Anticipation
Juxtaposition of Mexican and Mexican-American culture
Stream-of-Consciousness
Design and execution of a children’s book.
Development of a series of identity products (logo, letterhead, signage, etc.) for imaginary businesses.
Political cartoons using current events and images.
A series of works that begin with representational interpretations and evolve into abstraction.
An exploration of pattern and design found in nature and/or culture.
A series of landscapes based upon personal experience of a particular place in which color and composition are used to intensify artistic expression.
Abstractions developed from cells and other microscopic images.
Interpretative portraiture or figure studies that emphasize dramatic composition or abstraction.
A personal or family history communicated through symbols or imagery.
A series of fabric designs, apparel designs, or weavings used to express particular themes.
The use of multiple modules to create compositions that reflect psychological or narrative events.

Breadth:
The Breadth section consists of 12 works of art that draw upon a variety of concepts and approaches so that the student is able to demonstrate a range of abilities and versatility with technique, problem solving, and ideation. Students are required to begin work on this section during the summer (see: Summer Assignments). Students must demonstrate an understanding of the principles of design, while utilizing a wide variety of media and technology to develop the Breadth section. The work in this section must show purposeful evidence of conceptual and technical range and should not be considered an afterthought. It is of utmost importance that the work in this section (and throughout the rest of the portfolio) must be completely original and can in no possible way be classified as plagiarism. While students should feel compelled to work from life, the use of student-created reference photos is permitted. However, the use of published materials, or another artists’ work is strictly forbidden and can be grounds for having a portfolio disqualified.

The following are examples of Breadth section pieces that have been successfully used in the past:

Still-Life w/ deliberate color scheme
Natural Landscape
Human-Made Landscape (w/ perspective)
“drawing yourself drawing yourself”
candid life drawing
foreshortened figure study
intricate pattern study
architectural study
floral arrangement close-up
chiaroscuro portrait
propaganda
enlarge-to-abstraction
still-life coming to life
drapery
magnify a metallic object
abstraction from nature
CD design
original movie poster
linoleum print portrait
scratchboard night scene
abstractions from urban environment
positive-negative shapes study in color
graphic designs for school productions
story or poem illustration
fashion design or costume design
B&W photography (framing, silhouette, pattern, etc.)
multi-media collage
movie storyboard
sports photojournalism
Surrealist landscape

Quality:
For this section, students are required to choose their 5 best works from the portfolio to send in along with the 24 slides (see: Slides). These works will need to be a minimum of 8” x 10” and a maximum of 18” x 24”. The works chosen will be decided on in early April, after several group critiques and one-on-one consultations to determine which 5 pieces fully demonstrate mastery. In order to maximize the works aesthetic qualities through professional presentation, each piece in the Quality section will then be matted and prepared for shipping with the rest of the portfolio contents.

Plagiarism
In AP 2D, a strong focus is put on artistic integrity in order to better establish a sense of creative independence. While students are permitted to work from their own reference photos and are also encouraged to regularly visit local galleries for inspiration, the use of published materials, imagery found on the internet, the work of other artists (known or unknown), or anything derivative of those artists’ work is unethical and is strictly forbidden. Since the amount of work required for the portfolio can be rather demanding, everything that students take the time to create throughout the year should be “portfolio-worthy” (even if it’s only for a “practice sketch”!!) Furthermore, if students are to use reference photos to finish works which were started from life, different photographic approaches will be utilized in order to yield a good quality image that captures a satisfactory amount of light, shadow, and depth.

Sketchbook
Because this is a college-level course, students are expected to spend a CONSIDERABLE amount of time working on their portfolio outside of class, especially during school breaks. The sketchbook should be considered an invaluable tool in creative problem solving, recording passing ideas and valuable information, or simply to work on finished drawings to put in the portfolio. The work here should be considered an ongoing process that will help you make informed and critical decisions about the progress of your work. The sketchbook will be checked on a regular basis throughout 1st semester, and students are expected to have a substantial amount of notes, sketches, and small drawings completed during the summer months before the class begins. A new sketchbook is strongly encouraged for this class.

Critiques
More so than in any other art class, critiques are an integral part of the creative experience in AP 2D. We do not create art in a vacuum, and we must understand and respond to others’ viewpoints and feedback in a meaningful way. To enable students to analyze and discuss their own artworks and those of their peers, at several times throughout the year, the class will gather for student-centered critiques of finished pieces and works-in-progress to share ideas and offer suggestions in a formal setting. These critiques generally take two class periods to complete, and all students are expected to participate equally. In addition to formal critiques, students are strongly encouraged to establish a rapport with other students in the class by receiving feedback on a more casual basis.

Critical Essays
        In order to more comprehensively enhance critical vocabulary and to help link classroom experiences with the contemporary art world, students will receive several written assignments during the course of the school year. The most noteworthy being the 1st semester paper where students will visit a local art festival, interview a chosen artist, and critique their work. This assignment will also provide a valuable experience in which the student may receive an in-depth look into the life and career path of a working artist.

Exhibitions
        Because the AP 2D class is to be considered a collection of the finest artists at Jones, participation in exhibitions, competitions, and publications is strongly encouraged and occasionally mandatory. After the successful completion of the AP portfolio, the class will participate in a student-run, student-organized, public exhibition. Other exhibitions and contests will be announced at various times during the year.

Visual Journals:
Due dates: Fridays at the BEGINNING of class

I need to be able to see the artwork in my head from your description.