AP 2D Design

Syllabus
Instructor: Ms. Kapsos
Location: Graw Innovation Lab (Computer Lab) and Teel 20 (Darkroom)
Phone: 410-647-7701 ext: 2774
E-mail: c.kapsos@severnschool.com
Website: www.cassandrakapsos.com
Class website: http://mskapsos.weebly.com/
Office Hours: open lab till 4pm daily, appointments encouraged
Course Description:
Advanced Placement Studio Art 2D Design is a year-long, rigorous experience
designed for students who are seriously interested in the practical experience of
art and wish to develop mastery in the concept, composition and execution of
their ideas. AP Studio Art is not based on a written exam; instead, students
submit portfolios for evaluation in early May. In building their portfolios students
experience a variety of concepts, techniques and approaches designed to help
them demonstrate their abilities as well as their versatility with techniques,
problem solving and ideation. Students develop work for the three sections of the
AP Art Portfolio: Breadth, Concentration and Quality.
The Breadth section is designed to display the students ability to manipulate a
variety of mediums, styles, and subjects (painting, print-making, figures, direct
observation, perspective, cubism, nonobjective, and many more).
The Concentration section is a series of works unified together through one
main key concept or idea, such as portraits, still life, landscape, surrealism,
pointillism, and concept (these are just a few broad examples).
The Quality section should show the best examples of the student's work in
terms of displaying critical thinking skills towards composition, as well as mastery
of a particular technique and or medium.
AP Studio Art 2D Design is a portfolio focused on making decisions about how
to use the principles and elements of art to create works of art that convey
meaning. In some cases, the meaning of the work may involve messages on a
literal level (ex: graphic design, product design). However, meaning is just as
likely to take the form of abstract or purely visual coherence (ex: digital paintings
and abstract photography). What's critical is that sense of deliberate manipulation
of the visual tools represented by the elements and principles. The work may be
highly technological, or it may be created with the most simple means. Any two
dimensional medium may be used for this portfolio such as photography, graphic
design, illustration, and etc.

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course the student will have conceived and created
original works of art that demonstrate a skill level that is equal to a freshman
college art course level.
The student will initiate, define and solve challenging visual art problems
independently using intellectual skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
Demonstrate the ability to formulate written analysis of ones own work and
explain to others the motivations of his/her work.
Evaluate the manner in which subject matter, symbols and images are used in
other students works as well as works by well-known artists.
Analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history,
aesthetics and culture, justifying conclusions and using them in the creation of
ones own work.
Reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and
critiquing works of art.
Make connections between techniques and principles in the visual arts and
other disciplines.
Develop personal ideation for compositions based upon the students
sketchbook, photographs and methods demonstrated in class.
Send a portfolio to the College Board to be evaluated in the spring.
General Studio Course Requirements:
Students, please be sure to read the following. Failure to comply with any of the
requirements will result in a lower or failing grade and the possibility of being
barred from advancement in the visual arts curriculum.
Conduct: All students must demonstrate the ability to arrive on time to class and
be prepared to participate in a teacher directed activity or work independently
toward creatively solving problems, which they have either been assigned, or
they have developed themselves. Work of this nature demands the full
consideration of the property and rights of fellow classmates and the full
cooperation, attention and maturity of each and every student in class.
No student may copy published photographs for any work. Copying work, written
or visual, is plagiarism. The school policy is outlined in detail in the Student
Handbook. In order to aid the student in avoiding the inadvertent appearance of
plagiarism, there will be a discussion in class on how to avoid this. Work based

on photographs or the work of other artists must move beyond mere duplication
of form and style. It is essential that such work reference these sources only and
the primary artistic voice be that of the student. All students are responsible for
maintaining their personal workspaces as well as actively participating in specific
classroom maintenance tasks for the good of the overall studio environment.
Sketchbook Requirement: The creation of art is an on going, creative decision
making process therefore, all studio students are expected to regularly maintain
a sketchbook and to have it with them at all times. This includes all weekly sketch
assignments, research assignments and at least one page in which the student
researches and/or visually explores their ideas for independent projects and
documents them. It is the students responsibility to submit their sketchbook for
review to the instructor each Friday.
Written Assignments: Students will have a brief written research assignment,
which pertains to a specific artist, artistic period or movement, culture or
alternative approach to the unit theme. Unless specified otherwise, all notes and
written research assignments are to be in the students sketchbook. Notes and
written assignments are to be written neatly and legibly. Sketches, photos,
printouts and other material as necessary may be included and glued or taped
into the sketchbook. The student is to look at this an opportunity for design and
creative expression. This process will help relate their own work to the work
being studied and create an exciting and useful visual tool for class discussions.
Handouts: Students will receive instructional handouts, project specifications, unit
vocabulary and evaluation rubrics. These are to be kept in the students
sketchbook and with them each class.
Material Requirements: The supplies for each project will be made available to
the student. However, it is critical that the student have a minimum of their own
personal favorite art supplies and the following:
1 large cardboard portfolio
1 blank sketchbook. Size is the students choice but, no smaller than 8x10.
Handmade sketchbooks are encouraged.
A portable storage container for personal media.
The student is responsible maintaining their materials and managing their
portfolio of work. Studio students should have a quiet place in which they may
spread out and work on projects at home as well. The demands of the work for
an AP portfolio and often for the other studio levels far exceed scheduled class
time. Students are expected to complete work on their own time as necessary in
order to keep class deadlines.
Critiques: Critiques are a critical part of the artistic learning process. Through
instructional conversations with the teacher, individual student critiques and class
critiques the student learns to analyze and discuss their own artwork as well as
that of their peers. All studio students are required to participate in critiques.

There are three kinds of critiques: student/teacher progress (instructional, twice

weekly), impromptu student/student (during class time) and formal class
critiques. Upon the completion of a project each student will give a brief oral
presentation of his or her own work. This presentation will include a description of
their work, their creative process, influences and challenges. Their peers are
expected to engage in questions and creative and constructive commentary
using the project specifications sheet, the evaluation rubric and artistic
vocabulary terms as guides.
Specific AP Studio Requirements:
All AP Students must complete all assigned work.
The completion of 6-8 individual works as well as weekly on-line posting of one
inspirational resource and one sketch is required summer work. Failure to
complete this work will result in the student being ask to reconsider their AP
commitment and an F grade for the first project of the fall semester.
Students are strongly encouraged to visit museums and art shows during the
summer. Students are also strongly encourage to take a workshop or art related
course outside of the school offerings during the summer.
Submission of the portfolio is mandatory.
The fall semester will focus on assisting the student in meeting the Breadth
requirements for the AP portfolio. This means the assigned work will focus the
student on exploring a variety of different visual concepts and demonstrate a
range of their creative abilities through versatile and creative use of media,
techniques, problem solving and ideation. Following the Thanksgiving Break,
each student is to submit 3 possible Concentration themes. Each proposal is to
be a 3-5 paragraphs outlining their idea, potential lines of exploration and
research and artistic influences. The student will meet with the instructor during
class time as well as participate in an open class discussion to review their
project and sketchbook work in order to determine which theme will be their
focus. Students will submit a final proposal for their concentration, which will
include a plan of action, at the fall semester exam time. The Spring Semester
focus will be on completion of the Concentration, photographing/scanning and
assembling the final portfolio for on-line submission at the end of the first week in
May to the College Board.
Students must meet all required weekly progress deadlines and submit a
complete portfolio for a passing grade.
Grading Policy:
Unit Projects 50%
Sketchbook 40%
Writing Assignments 10%
All students must keep assigned deadlines. No late work is accepted. In case of
absence, it is the students responsibility to speak to the instructor. General
Grading Criteria for Studio Art Critique and Portfolio Review:
Level of Skill in Use of the Elements of Art Understanding of Design

Principles:
Elements of Art: line, form, shape, space, color, value, texture.
Principles of Design: rhythm, movement, balance, proportion, contrast,
emphasis, pattern, unity.
Evidence of Practice & Craftsmanship
Technique & Medium Mastery
Individual Creativity & Personal Expression
The following rubric is used in formal critiques as a guide as well as for project
self-evaluation.

Class Activity and Assignment Schedule

Some units will take two-four weeks..
The Spring Semester will be devoted to each students individual portfolio
concentration.
Specific projects, assignments, quizzes and their respective due dates will be
posted weekly on the studio assignment board and the instructors website.
All research, sketches and assignments for projects and the concentration are to
be in the students sketchbook. Sketchbooks will be checked every Friday.
Summer Assignment:
Instructions: You are to complete at least five of the following assignments over
the summer for the AP 2-D Design class; it is also recommended that you be
working in a personal sketchbook / visual journal / altered book. [SC7] These
pieces will be due at the beginning of the third week of school. Your outside work
will constitute 50 percent of your grade throughout the year in AP. Consequently,
if you do not do this work, you will not pass the first six-week period. I also want
you to take time over the summer to think about ideas that you may want to
pursue as a concentration. Please return with a list of 20 potential ideas to be
discussed with the class during the second week of school.
Each of the pieces needs to be done on an 18 x 24 surfacenothing larger,
nothing smaller. You may choose the type of surface to work onpaper,
cardboard, canvas board, plywood, mat board, etc.
Please keep in mind that although drawing does involve design, the emphasis in
this studio is on designthe formal elements and principles (elements: line,
color, texture, space, value, shape, and form; principles: unity, balance, contrast,
repetition, variety, dominance, etc.). Concept/idea, craftsmanship, and the
creation of a visually successful design will all be components of every grade.

Photography Series of 10 photographs that explore opposites.

Photography Series of 10 photographs that explores something that you feel passionate
about, for example food, family, social activism, hobby, etc.
Do a drawing of an unusual interiorfor instance, looking inside a closet, cabinet,
refrigerator, your car. Use your imagination!
Do a drawing of your worldly treasures arranged in an interesting still-life composition.
Do a drawing of your worldly treasures as they come to lifeanimate them.
Do a drawing of your hands arranged in a variety of poses. You must carefully plan your
composition in order for the separate units to work together visually.
Divide a page, canvas, boardi.e., the working surfaceinto three equal inset spaces.
Do three views of one landscape. Limit yourself to a specific color scheme.
Do a portrait, self-portrait, landscape, or still life in the style of another artist in which
formal aspects of design are emphasizedsuch as Monet/Impressionism,
Matisse/Fauvism, Picasso/Cubism, Warhol/Pop, Dali/Surrealism, Van
Gogh/Postimpressionism, and so on. You may have to do a bit of research to understand
the stylistic tendencies of these artists/movements.
Do a self-portrait, or several different ones, that expresses a specific mood/emotionfor
example, anger/rage, melancholy/loneliness, happiness/joy, etc. Manipulate light and
color to enhance the psychological atmosphere. Also, consider the development of the
environment/setting.
Do some exploration with mixed media. Do a piece (portrait, self-portrait, landscape, or

still life) in which you use at least three different mediasuch as a wet medium, a dry
medium, and some collage element.
Do a portrait, self-portrait, still life, or landscape using either a complementary,
analogous, or split-complementary color scheme (you may use black and white as well
as shades and tints of the chosen hues).
Do a drawing of a futuristic cityscapefor example, Dallas in the year 2050 (keep in mind
rules of one-, two-, and three-point perspective).
Stimulating Imaginative Fantasy: Can you visualize the following situations and create a
dialogue for them? (a) Old shoes are waiting for repair in a cobblers shop. What do they
have to say when the cobbler isnt around? (b) Cigarette butts in an ashtray have a
conversation after a party. What do they say? (c) Wrecked autos in a junkyard talk to
each other. What do they say? (d) An artist leaves his studio for a coffee break. While the
artist is gone, the brushes, paints, canvas, and shop tools in the studio start a
conversation. What do they say? Think of your own situations. Make a drawing or cartoon
of one of the scenarios.
Creating New Symbolic Inferences by Switching Images and Photo Captions:
Cut out selected photographs from newspapers and magazines. Also cut out the
accompanying caption, along with captions and headlines from other articles that are
completely unrelated. Mix and match. Paste the new headlines or captions under the
photos to create new symbolic inferences.
Strengthening Intuitive Creativity: Arbitrarily cut out one to four lines of text from a
magazine article (a provocative statement or portion of dialogue). Make a collage. Seek
out black-and-white photographs and designs from magazines that you intuitively feel
support the text. Use a glue stick and attach images to a sheet of white drawing paper.
Add lines, shapes, tone, and color with pencil, ink, and/or felt-tip pens to heighten the
emotional effect and to unify the composition.
(Note: Transparent decals or transparencies can be made from magazine images and
superimposed over each other to achieve multiple images.) You may also do a gloss
medium transfer of a photocopied image. (Apply gloss medium to surface you are
working on. Let dry thoroughly. Take photocopied image and coat it with gloss medium.
While it is still wet, place it on the area of your working surface that you have already
treated with the gloss medium [face down]. Apply water to the back of the image and rub
the paper away.)
Creating Symbols That Portray Our Lifestyle: Create a symbolic message using graphic
designs and images to be carried aboard a spaceship and directed to other forms of
intelligent life in the universe. Use the symbols to tell such things as who we are, what we
look like, what we do, the things we have created, the places we live in, the technology,
science, games, inventions, sports, transportation systems, dances, and so on that are
part of our world.

Fall Semester:
Breadth Projects
Twelve works demonstrating a variety of concepts, media, and approaches.
Twelve images needed of 12 different works; no detail images are permitted. Works
emphasizing the elements of design (line, shape, illusion of space, illusion of motion,
pattern, texture, value, and color) organized using the principles of design (unity/variety,
balance, emphasis, rhythm, and proportion/scale).
Media could include graphic design, typography, digital imaging, photography, collage,
fabric design, weaving, illustration, painting, or printmaking.
Possibilities for works could include:
Abstractions from urban environment
Design related to psychological, historical, or narrative events
Works showing color theory such as Fauvism, expressionism, or color-field
painting

 Redesign an everyday object with humor

Self-portrait as a favorite industrial product
Fabric design with symbolic imagery
Redesign a current product image or logo
Logo-symbol design based on radial balance / kaleidoscope effect
Lettering and type design
Poster design with literary or conceptual associationstravel, national identity,
sports, endangered animals
CD or album design
Seedpods and forms evolving from them
Design a deck of cards
Graphic designs for school theater productions, yearbooks, and so on
Composition based on art historical research
Story or poem illustration
Game board and game pieces
Fashion or costume design
Digital altering or layering of photographic images to present multiple
perspectives
of an image or idea
Exploration of line properties; for example, graffiti, Japanese calligraphy
Environmental design

Concentration Preparation
3-5 small and fast works on various themes
Preliminary Proposal
Instructor Meeting
Theme Selection
10 sketchbook pages reflecting your though process regarding your
concentration. Includes sketches, notes, collage, photos, color work, etc. Final
Proposal and Plan of Action
Spring Semester:
Each Friday the student will be required to present their progress for the week in
an informal class critique. Each student will receive a progress grade for their
work every week as they move toward completion of their Concentration.
Students Plan of Action as determined in their Final Concentration Proposal will
determine personal milestones for the completion of the individual works.
Portfolio Review Schedule: (exact dates TBA)
Initial Portfolio Review: Second week of January
First Slide Review: Second Week of February
Mid-Term Portfolio Review: Third Week of March
Final Portfolio Review: Last Week of April
Final Portfolio Assembly: First Week of May
Recommended Student Resources:
School Library and the Studio Library, be sure to check the reference and
oversized sections for artists monographs, also the library subscribes to

ArtNews, International Artists Magazine and PDN (photo district news)

magazine.
Recommended websites:
Deviant Art online art gallery- http://www.deviantart.com/
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum http://www.cooperhewitt.org/
The Professional Association for Design http://www.aiga.org/
Saatchi Art- http://www.saatchiart.com/

Instructors Bibliography:
AP Central
www.apcentral.collegeboard.com
AP Studio Art Poster, New York: The College Board, 2016.
AP Studio Art Teachers Guide, New York: The College Board, 2016.
Hetland, Lois. Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education. New
York: Teachers College, 2007. Print.
Peterson, Bryan L. Design Basics for Creative Results. Cincinnati, OH: How
Design, 2003. Print.
AP Contract:
Student:
I have read and understand the AP Syllabus and the requirements. I commit to
completing the work to the best of my abilities.
___________________________
Signed

_______________________
Date

Guardian:
I have read and understand the AP Syllabus and the requirements. I commit to
supporting my AP student and her/his work to the best of my abilities.
___________________________
Signed

_______________________
Date