Drawing Portfolio

The Drawing Portfolio

A brief description of the Drawing portfolio follows below. Complete descriptions of all the portfolios can be found in the Course Description for AP Studio Art (.pdf/391KB). The AP Studio Art poster also contains descriptions of all of the portfolios. For more information on the poster, click on the link above.

The Advanced Placement Program in Studio Art: Drawing is a performance-based visual exam. Each student develops and submits a portfolio that serves as a direct demonstration of achievement. The term "drawing" is used very broadly; all sorts of art that involves directly making marks on a surface can fit into this portfolio. This includes not only work in traditional drawing media -- such as pencils, ink, and pastels -- but also many kinds of painting, printmaking, and other forms of expression.

In the Drawing portfolio, mastery of drawing can be demonstrated through a wide range of approaches and media. Light and shade, line quality, rendering of form, composition, surface manipulation, and the illusion of depth are drawing issues that can be addressed through a variety of means, which could include painting, printmaking, mixed media, etc. Abstract, observational, and inventive works may be submitted. The range of marks used to make drawings, the arrangement of the marks, and the materials used to make the marks are endless.

Videotapes and three-dimensional work may NOT be submitted for the Drawing portfolio. Any work submitted in the Drawing portfolio that incorporates digital or photographic processes must address drawing issues such as those listed above, with emphasis on mark-making. Using computer programs merely to manipulate photographs through filters, adjustments, or special effects is not appropriate for the Drawing portfolio. Students' work (in either traditional or technologically manipulated media) that makes use of photographs, published images, and/or other artists' works or computer software must show development beyond duplication. This development may be demonstrated through the manipulation of the formal qualities, design, and/or concept of the original work.

Portfolio Requirements at a Glance

The portfolio for Studio Art: Drawing requires submissions in three distinct sections.

SECTION I:

Quality

SECTION II:

Concentration

SECTION III:

Breadth

Five actual drawings; maximum size is 18" x 24"

12 images; some may be details

12 images of 12 different works; one image of each is submitted

There's nothing quite like looking at actual art work, so the first section of the portfolio consists of five works that are limited only by size -- they have to fit into the 18-by-24-inch portfolio envelope. On the other hand, there's a limit to how much actual work can be physically accommodated for scoring, so the other two sections of the portfolio are submitted as digital images. Although digital images provide a less direct view than looking at actual works, they also offer a tremendous advantage: documenting art work in this way means that students are free to work as large as they like for the rest of the portfolio.

Quality with Student Samples

The Quality section promotes the development of a sense of excellence in art. For this section, students submit five works that best demonstrate excellence. There are no preconceptions about what the works will look like -- they may have been created quickly or over a long period of time; they may be drawn from observation, imagination, or a combination. The five works chosen for the Quality section may come from the student's Concentration section and/or Breadth section, but they don't have to. They may be a group of related works, unrelated works, or a combination of related and unrelated works.

2002 Studio Art Drawing: Quality Samples

Concentration with Student Samples

The Concentration section shows the student's in-depth exploration of a particular design concept. It is presented as 12 images, some of which may be details of works. The stress is on a coherent idea and development of the work, in addition to the artistic success of the work.

2002 Studio Art Drawing: Concentration Samples

Breadth with Student Samples

The Breadth section shows the range of experimentation and experience in drawing. It is presented as 12 images, each of which shows a different work. In addition to its quality, each work is scored on the degree to which it actually shows a variety of approaches to drawing.

2002 Studio Art Drawing: Breadth Samples

Scoring Guidelines

Please note: The links to Scoring Guidelines for this course are in Adobe® PDF format, and you will need to use the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® to view them. If you don't have Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher installed on your computer, choose the link for the Adobe Web site below for installation instructions. For help downloading and printing PDF files, choose the link "PDF Troubleshooting" below in "See also."