Hello, and thank you for your interest in AP Art and Design! Please feel free to navigate around the website for a sneak peek of what to expect in this class.
In order to maintain their eligibility for the course, all interested students must complete AT LEAST 25 sketchbook pages BEFORE the first day of class in August AND complete a Google Form with three 2.5 hour long prompts and a written assignment to assess your skill level and goals coming into the course.
PART 1: SKETCHBOOK PAGES
Your sketchbook pages should be completed during the summer before your enrollment in the class, and each page should reflect at least 30 minutes of work. It is advised that you date your drawings and put the amount of time spent on each drawing somewhere on the page.
You are also expected to use a variety of media. Some media you should consider using are as follows:
Pencil
Pen
Marker
Embroidery
Acrylic paint
Watercolor
Collage
India ink
Digital media
Colored pencil
Mixed media/assemblage
While the sketchbook pages do not have to be in a bound book, it is advised that you keep all of your images together and photograph them regularly for your records should your sketches/sketchbook become lost or damaged. If you work digitally, then you may submit digital sketches. All work submitted should be yours and yours alone.
Your skill level/aptitude as demonstrated in these sketches will not be used to assess your eligibility for the course: rather, these sketchbook pages are an assessment of your commitment to practice and experimentation, both of which are essential for success in this course.
If you would like a better idea as to what sketchbook pages might look like, please consult the presentation below.
PART 2: GOOGLE FORM AND PROMPTS
Before the first day of class, please be sure to complete all of the required fields in this Google Form.
In addition to asking some basic student information, the form provides three ~2.5 hour prompts for you to complete as well as a short essay question. Do NOT leave this assignment until the last day of Summer Break, as it will require about 8 hours of your time to complete.
The prompts are as follows:
Each work submitted should be entirely your own design, composition, and rendering (no copying from photos on books, the Internet, etc., but you may work from your own photographs if you choose) and represent ~2-2.5 hours of work each. Work should be completed within six months of the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
You can use any 2D or drawing media to complete your pieces, including but not limited to pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, gouache, oil, colored pencil, pastel, etc. No digital works will be accepted in the application, but students may complete digital work in the course provided that they bring their own devices.
PROMPT #1: Still life drawing. Must be drawn from life, not a photograph.
PROMPT #2: Self-portrait. Use any medium/media except for digital and photography.
PROMPT #3: A creative piece that you believe best demonstrates your skills in art and design.
You will then respond to the following prompt in 500 words or less, using a paragraph format (no bullet points):
Why are you interested in taking AP Art and Design next year? Describe how you envision yourself utilizing this course to further your art-related goals.
If you have any questions about these assignments, please contact Ms. Fleet at caroline.fleet@ocsarts.net.