Investigation Workbook
What is an Investigation Workbook?
The Investigation Workbook is a sketchbook used for drawing, research, and reflections. It is used for the exploration of thoughts and planning as you create and evaluate artworks. The structure of investigation is divided into 6 main categories. These categories are as follows: The Topic, Proposals, Research, Personal & Cultural Connections, Explorations, and Reflections. Through these areas of inquiry one is able to navigate their thoughts, feelings, and experiences to unfold their intellectual, creative, and personal realizations.
For each artwork, AP Studio Art students are required to create 5 Investigation workbook pages. These pages should include the following:
Drawing/Painting
Proposal
3 Investigation Pages
Reflection
Photography
Proposal
2 Investigation Pages
Lighting Page
Reflection
Starting a New Artwork
PROPOSALS
The proposal is the first step in beginning one creative product. To begin writing your proposal you should spend time on an introduction page that may include brainstorming, idea collections, multiple proposal options, or sketches (quick demonstrations visual or otherwise). This page should explain how you will incorporate the theme you are planning to pursue and include a hypothetical final product. At times the instructor may provide the final product. By the completion of the introduction page a clear written statement should be made including size, media, and any necessary supporting sketches to define the intended final result.
Gathering Research
Admiration / Inspiration Page: focus on your own feelings
Researching a specific subject of interest can help the creative product come to a successful outcome. The admiration/inspiration page usually contains a creative title (visually creative, linguistically, etc.), a brief biography/overview, reasons one chose the subject, how one plans to use the knowledge he or she has learned about the subject to inspire future personal pursuits or creative products, sketches or pictures of the subject, etc.
On this page, one introduces a person, place, or time that he or she finds inspiring. The admiration/inspiration page should include briefly write factual information about the chosen subject (this writing should be in the minority). Sketches can also be included of some works, events, or accomplishments or glued in pictures if it is too difficult to imitate specific details. Throughout the investigations, one should explain how this subject has been inspiring and how it is being planned for use as inspiration in the creative product (this writing should be in the majority). Keep in mind—one does not have to imitate the reference to use it as an inspiration. One could have been inspired by the themes, physical attributes, morals, beliefs, etc. It is important that one mentions what aspect of each component was found inspiring!
Artifact/Establishment Research Page: focus on understanding the work
An Analysis Page focuses on intention of the piece according to the artist. This page is typically mostly writing with a brief sketch of the work being analyzed and a picture of the original work. The writings should focus around half on factual information about the selected work, and half ones person interest in, inspiration drawn from, or understandings gained from the work.
Historical/Scientific Research Page: focus on information surrounding the work
Knowing the collective common views of others is an important part of turning the creative product into a tool for external communication. Often these pages will contain technical information from dictionaries, encyclopedias and other technical reference book. However, they can also include information gathered through surveys, interviews with specialists, visits to museums, or other authoritative sources. One may want to include a common dictionary definition, medical dictionary definition, word origin and history, famous quotes about the subject, etc.
Some subjects that may be best fit for a research page are symbols, monuments, religions, recipes, how-to skills, sports, etc. These pages should end with ones own definition of the chosen subject and how one intends to use this symbol, object, subject in his or her final creative product(s).
Critical Topics Page: focus on social issues presented in the work
Taking a stand on a pressing topic can take a lot of thought an exploration; it can also require one to examine many points of view. That is exactly what a critical topics page is for. Through the investigations demonstrated on these pages one should develop a position on a certain debatable or controversial topic concerning the Big Idea or chosen Theme. It is important on these pages to include a range of researched perspectives of others—aim for at least three. One should try to give concrete examples to support his or her position. Critical topics often either have a moral element or an open-ended nature that leads to more of an opinionated definition rather than a scientific definition.
Some examples include:
Is it ever ok to kill? Why?
Is the media imitating life or is life imitating the media? Explain.
What is art?
Making Connections
An Analysis Page:
It is important to understand the function a subject has played and currently plays in the world in order to better understand its origin and current role. In the analysis page one investigates an object, person, event, etc. through different paradigms.
Personal function: How is the subject affecting individuals on a personal level? Is it bringing about past memories? Does it inspire a new way of living? Has a new outlet been made available for emotional reflection or organizing ones own thinking? When considering the personal function, one should keep in mind the impact it has on each individual engaging with the subject.
Social function: How is the subject engaging communities, groups, or relationships? Has a current way people engage been reinforced or is it being disrupted? Are groups and individuals brought together to take part in an event? Will this subject impact the mindset of whole communities? The social function takes into consideration the ways in which people are interacting.
Spiritual function: How have individuals spiritual realization been impacted by this subject? Does this subject play a historical significance within a religion? Is a spiritual topic being physically shown or is it an experiential role this subject plays? Investigating the spiritual function highlights the ways a subject works within ones own self, within a religious organization, or through a spiritual principle.
Educational function: How is this subject informing others? Are symbols or signs being used to convey a message? What can one learn through engaging with the subject? An educational function is based upon what a subject is teaching either directly from one individual to another or through the examination of an object or condition.
Political function: How does the subject want you to think or feel? Does it have an agenda? Who paid to have this subject made into what it is? Is there a system that the piece would like a group to adopt? Like the social function, the political function looks at the way a subject is impacting relationships. However, in a political function there is an intended motive to be explored that aims to create a certain system of organization, way of thinking, hierarchy, etc.
Brainstorming Page:
When developing a creative response, a single task can have an infinite number of equally good solutions. The only limit is the power of ones creative willing. This is why brainstorming pages should reflect their name: weather that is as methodological as the repetitive drops in a thunderstorm or as turbulent and the waters when a hurricane is approaching. On this page (or two pages) one should gather their thoughts and ideas around a topic as they form. It is highly encouraged that brilliant, silly, horrific, joyful, and seemingly impossible ideas are expressed. Each idea that is not notated serves as a barrier between ones creativity and the on coming storm. To form one or two ideas and decide fixate on one of these as the final solution is a major limiting factor upon creativity. Use this page to express as many ideas as possible, whether by written words, sketches, musical notations, photos, lists, brief narratives, through paint, crayon, tea stains or any other means to quickly convey the thought. Take into consideration the materials you may wish to use in a final product as well and write or sketch a picture of those items.
Once the brainstorm has passed, one then writes about the ideas that he or she feels have the most potential. Use color to identify in your notes which ideas are main ideas for the product and which are supporting ideas.
Exploring Visuals
Technique or Medium Experimentation Page: try out supplies
Familiarity with the techniques and media being used in a creative product help one to accomplish their desired outcomes. Experimentation pages allow one to explore, play, or question a medium and while developing technique and making mistakes. A medium is a tool used for expression. For example: paint, clay, voice, piano, ballet, or poetry can all be types of creative media. A technique is the way one engages their medium or media. Paint, in example, can use techniques of dry brushing, stenciling, stippling, dripping, etc.; poetry uses metaphors, rhyming, tone, unexpected punctuations, etc. Often experimentation pages can carry over for two to three pages. Be sure to leave a space on the page open for commentaries and reflections. One should explain his or her thoughts as they explore: Do you enjoy the medium? What do you consider a good or bad example of an experiment? If something went wrong, explain what it was and why? Did you discover a result you would like to incorporate in your final creative product? Explain. Visual and linguistic arts are well suited for physical experiments directly into the workbook. However, performance arts may at times require notations, diagrams, web links to personal recordings, or photographs along side ones commentaries.
Technique: One specific technique is given focus on a technique experimentation page. These experimentations can show a range of potential for a technique (in possible uses, or in the different emphasis that can be featured). Often a single technique can be applied to multiple media. As one explores it is important to write commentary along the way, including both personal feelings and technical information.
Medium: On a medium experimentation page one investigates a range of possibilities a medium can offer. Through the use of a single medium, one can attempt multiple techniques or modifications to the medium. Just like technique pages, commentaries should be included throughout the experimentations.
Practice Page: sketch the images
Before beginning one’s final creative product it may be desirable to practice specific aspect of a particular piece. Like experimentation pages, one is exploring media and techniques, however a practice page aims to achieve a specific creative product, as where an exploration page aims to understand the medium or technique independent of an end application. If the investigation is unable to be completed directly in the workbook, then photos, URL links, musical notations, etc. can be included. One’s personal thoughts are an important part of the process, so write reflections should be added.
Process Page: take photos along the way
While making a creative product one must undergo some set of steps to reach the final result. The process page includes photos or other recordings that are gathered throughout the creation process. These recordings should be glued onto the page with reflections added along side each. Reflections can be on what one is doing, what was going well, where trouble areas were identified, when realizations occurred, at which points did one decide to change their direction, etc.
Photography Specific:
Lightbox/Slide Sheet Page: Print 1-2 inch size images of all the best options for your final image. Arrange these on a page in a grid, then indicate your favorites out of the group.
Image Manipulation Page: After you have selected your final images, include multiple edit options. Include a reference of the original file, as well as the software being used to edit each image. Also include any specific tools, settings, or features are being used. When using a tool over a particular area of the image or for a unique function, write the name of tool being used and indicate its where it was applied.
Now that your Piece is Complete
Reflections
After the completion of a creative product, one then develops a reflection page. In whichever format suits the medium best, photography the piece and add a copy of the final product here. This page is the place where one gives commentary on the process of creating a product and its final outcome. The comments are not intended to serve as a statement describing the products meaning, symbolism, or references. These topics should be included in a separate artist’s statement. Here, one should discuss what went well, ones satisfaction with the final result, if and how one would do the piece differently if they repeated the topic, the good and bad qualities, the improvements one sees within him or herself through making the product, etc.
Photography Specific:
Lighting Page: Create an overhead sketch of the location or studio you are photographing in. Include the subject, every light sources, and any other significant objects in the composition (ex. background props, photo sweeps, photo box). Indicate the type, color, and strength of each light source.