AP Studio Art is about doing the work artists actually do:
Making
Revising
Reflecting
Trying again
Your grade reflects both what you make and how seriously you engage in the process.
This category measures the strength of your artworks and how clearly they develop your Sustained Investigation. You are graded on:
Idea development and conceptual depth
Visual coherence and cohesion across your body of work
Risk-taking, experimentation, and revision
Craft, technique, and intentional decision-making
A series of compositions exploring a central idea using strong design principles
Revised color studies or layout experiments that clearly improve earlier work
Intentional typography, pattern, or mixed-media exploration tied to your concept
Observational and expressive drawings that show depth, accuracy, and intention
Emphasis on mark making techniques
Multiple studies leading to a resolved drawing
Exploration of line, value, texture, and space connected to your investigation
Evidence that all images were planned, shot, evaluated, and re-shot if needed
Digital: A cohesive photo series with intentional shooting, re-shooting, and meaningful edits (not filters only)
Darkroom: Contact sheets, test prints, and final prints that show exposure control, contrast decisions, and printing revisions
This category measures how you work in class.You are expected to:
Use studio time productively
Be physically engaged in making art
Meet checkpoints and deadlines
Participate in critiques and conferences
Observation Expectation (All Portfolios):
Looking at your what your are doing while drawing, cutting, printing, shooting, or editing
If on a device, you must be actively making new edits or revisions
Setting up shots, loading film, printing, mixing media, or sketching counts as participation
AP 2-D Design / Drawing Example
Actively drawing, revising, or building compositions during class
Working through multiple drafts or studies
AP Photography (2-d) Example
Digital: Shooting during assigned time, importing files, actively editing and re-editing
Darkroom: Loading film, making test strips, adjusting exposure, printing, and washing prints
This category measures how well you understand where your ideas connect to art history, contemporary artists, or cultural context.
You are graded on:
Artist research
Use of visual references
Written and/or visual explanations of influence
Researching designers or artists who use similar structures, symbols, or themes
Studying historical or contemporary drawing practices that influence your technique or subject matter
Referencing photographers whose work relates to your subject, style, or process (digital or analog)
(Critique, Reflection & Revision)
This category measures how you think about art—yours and others’.
You are graded on:
Participation in critiques
Written reflections
Thoughtful revision choices
All Portfolios
Writing about what is working and what needs improvement
Making changes based on critique feedback
Explaining why you kept, revised, or rejected an idea
(Conceptual Meaning & Personal Voice)
This category measures how clearly your work connects ideas, experiences, or issues.
You are graded on:
Personal meaning
Conceptual clarity
Connections to real-world ideas or other disciplines
2-D Design
Visual systems that communicate identity, place, or belief
Drawing
Subject matter tied to personal experience, observation, or emotion
Series that explore identity, environment, time, memory, or social themes
This category measures how well you see and translate observation into art.
You are graded on:
Attention to detail
Composition and framing
Material awareness
Important: Observation is not passive. It includes watching how your hands work, noticing mistakes, and making adjustments.
2-D Design / Drawing
Careful attention to proportion, spacing, value, and detail
Visual studies before final work
Photography
Digital: Adjusting framing, exposure, and focus intentionally
Darkroom: Noticing how changes in exposure and contrast affect the image