OVERVIEW:
This portfolio is intended to address two-dimensional (2-D) design issues . Design involves purposeful decision making about how to use the elements and principles of art in an integrative way .
The principles of design (unity/variety, balance, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, repetition, proportion/scale, figure/ground relationships) can be articulated through the visual elements (line, shape, color, value, texture, space) . They help guide artists in making decisions about how to organize an image on a picture plane in order to communicate content . Effective design is possible whether one uses representational or abstract approaches to art .
For this portfolio, students are asked to demonstrate mastery of 2-D design through any two-dimensional medium or process, including, but not limited to, graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, fashion design, fashion illustration, painting and printmaking . Video clips, DVDs, CDs and three-dimensional works may not be submitted . However, still images from videos or films are accepted .
Links to samples of student work in the 2-D Design portfolio can be found on AP Central® at apcentral.collegeboard.com/studio2D
This portfolio is intended to address two-dimensional (2-D) design issues . Design involves purposeful decision making about how to use the elements and principles of art in an integrative way .
The principles of design (unity/variety, balance, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, repetition, proportion/scale, figure/ground relationships) can be articulated through the visual elements (line, shape, color, value, texture, space) . They help guide artists in making decisions about how to organize an image on a picture plane in order to communicate content . Effective design is possible whether one uses representational or abstract approaches to art .
For this portfolio, students are asked to demonstrate mastery of 2-D design through any two-dimensional medium or process, including, but not limited to, graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, fashion design, fashion illustration, painting and printmaking . Video clips, DVDs, CDs and three-dimensional works may not be submitted . However, still images from videos or films are accepted .
Links to samples of student work in the 2-D Design portfolio can be found on AP Central® at apcentral.collegeboard.com/studio2D
Section I: Selected Works or Quality
Quality refers to the mastery of design principles that should be apparent in the concept, composition and execution of the works, whether they are simple or complex . There is no preferred (or unacceptable) style or content.
For this section, students are asked to submit five actual works in one or more media . Students should carefully select the works that demonstrate their mastery of 2-D design issues . The works should be on flat surfaces, such as paper, cardboard, canvas board or unstretched canvas .
Students receive all the portfolio materials for submission of the Quality section in May . Because of limitations imposed by the shipping and handling of the portfolios, work submitted for this section must fit easily into the portfolio envelope, which is approximately 18" 3 24" . Works for Quality that are smaller than 8"x 10" should be mounted on sheets 8" x 10" or larger . To protect the work, all work on paper should be backed or mounted . Mats are optional . Do not use reflective materials such as acetate or shrink-wrap because they cause glare that makes the work difficult to see . A sturdy, opaque overleaf that is hinged to one edge of the backing so that it may be easily lifted, provides excellent protection and is highly recommended . Materials that may be smudged should be protected with fixative . If the work is mat- ted, a neutral color for that mat is advisable . Do NOT send books or journals, work on glass, fragile work, work that is rolled or folded, or unmounted work that can be crumpled or damaged in shipping.
The works submitted may come from the Sustained Investigation sections, but they do not have to. They may be a group of related works, unrelated works, or a combination of related and unrelated works.
Quality refers to the mastery of design principles that should be apparent in the concept, composition and execution of the works, whether they are simple or complex . There is no preferred (or unacceptable) style or content.
For this section, students are asked to submit five actual works in one or more media . Students should carefully select the works that demonstrate their mastery of 2-D design issues . The works should be on flat surfaces, such as paper, cardboard, canvas board or unstretched canvas .
Students receive all the portfolio materials for submission of the Quality section in May . Because of limitations imposed by the shipping and handling of the portfolios, work submitted for this section must fit easily into the portfolio envelope, which is approximately 18" 3 24" . Works for Quality that are smaller than 8"x 10" should be mounted on sheets 8" x 10" or larger . To protect the work, all work on paper should be backed or mounted . Mats are optional . Do not use reflective materials such as acetate or shrink-wrap because they cause glare that makes the work difficult to see . A sturdy, opaque overleaf that is hinged to one edge of the backing so that it may be easily lifted, provides excellent protection and is highly recommended . Materials that may be smudged should be protected with fixative . If the work is mat- ted, a neutral color for that mat is advisable . Do NOT send books or journals, work on glass, fragile work, work that is rolled or folded, or unmounted work that can be crumpled or damaged in shipping.
The works submitted may come from the Sustained Investigation sections, but they do not have to. They may be a group of related works, unrelated works, or a combination of related and unrelated works.
Section II: Sustained Investigation
The sustained Investigation section is a body of related works that demonstrate a student’s commitment to the thoughtful investigation of a specific visual idea . It is not a selection of a variety of works produced as solutions to class projects or a collection of works with differing intents . Students should be encouraged to explore a personal, central interest as intensively as possible; they are free to work with any idea in any medium that addresses two-dimensional design issues . The investigation should grow out of the student’s idea and demonstrate growth and discovery through a number of conceptually related works . In this section, the evaluators are interested not only in the work presented but also in visual evidence of the student’s thinking, selected method of working and development of the work over time.
For this section, 15 digital images must be submitted, some of which may be details. All images should be labeled with dimensions (height x width) and material. The Digital Submission Web application incorporates space to include this information. Regardless of the content of the concentration, the works should be unified by an underlying idea that has visual and/or conceptual coherence. The choices of technique, medium, style, form, subject and content are made by the student, in consultation with the teacher.
This section includes spaces for a written commentary describing what the Sustained Investigation is and how it evolved, which must accompany the work in this section . Students are asked to respond to the following:
Below are examples of the old "Concentration Section" and the statements given by the student artist.
The sustained Investigation section is a body of related works that demonstrate a student’s commitment to the thoughtful investigation of a specific visual idea . It is not a selection of a variety of works produced as solutions to class projects or a collection of works with differing intents . Students should be encouraged to explore a personal, central interest as intensively as possible; they are free to work with any idea in any medium that addresses two-dimensional design issues . The investigation should grow out of the student’s idea and demonstrate growth and discovery through a number of conceptually related works . In this section, the evaluators are interested not only in the work presented but also in visual evidence of the student’s thinking, selected method of working and development of the work over time.
For this section, 15 digital images must be submitted, some of which may be details. All images should be labeled with dimensions (height x width) and material. The Digital Submission Web application incorporates space to include this information. Regardless of the content of the concentration, the works should be unified by an underlying idea that has visual and/or conceptual coherence. The choices of technique, medium, style, form, subject and content are made by the student, in consultation with the teacher.
This section includes spaces for a written commentary describing what the Sustained Investigation is and how it evolved, which must accompany the work in this section . Students are asked to respond to the following:
- Identify the questions that guided your sustained investigation
- Describe how your sustained investigation shows evidence of practice, experimentation, and revision guided by your questions (1200 characters maximum, including spaces, for response to both prompts)
Below are examples of the old "Concentration Section" and the statements given by the student artist.
CONCENTRATION STATEMENTMy concentration is focused around combining and collaging hands to make another world. I am fascinated in fantasy worlds and fictional settings, but to me there is a stark difference between the real world and an impossible world. Since hands are a symbol of connection and an instrument for our interaction with anything, I use hands to link both worlds together. I want to create a world stuck between reality and fantasy so I kept elements familiar to us combined with the strangeness of hands.
In the past, photography was created and known for capturing reality and everyday life. In my images, I want to move away from that traditional viewpoint by constructing a whole new world made out of hands. I started to explore ways of showing snapshots of this different world by creating animals, like the elephant (image 1), or environments, like the girl sitting on the bench (image 3), and develop the idea of this other place in my mind. I wanted to keep some parts of this world familiar to give my world a sense that it could be real, so I have included scenery like clouds or water and other transformed objects. In images 2-5 and 7, I used a combination of clouds and vast expanses of water or fog to include natural settings that could be found in both worlds. In images 9,6,11, and 8 I have transformed a furniture set, a tunnel, a flower, and an entire room into their hand components that are still recognizable as the originals. I want my images to appear realistic enough that people look at what I have created and be able to see themselves standing in the image, so these images are inspired by scenes that could be real, and then I filter them into my new world as hand creations.
In the past, photography was created and known for capturing reality and everyday life. In my images, I want to move away from that traditional viewpoint by constructing a whole new world made out of hands. I started to explore ways of showing snapshots of this different world by creating animals, like the elephant (image 1), or environments, like the girl sitting on the bench (image 3), and develop the idea of this other place in my mind. I wanted to keep some parts of this world familiar to give my world a sense that it could be real, so I have included scenery like clouds or water and other transformed objects. In images 2-5 and 7, I used a combination of clouds and vast expanses of water or fog to include natural settings that could be found in both worlds. In images 9,6,11, and 8 I have transformed a furniture set, a tunnel, a flower, and an entire room into their hand components that are still recognizable as the originals. I want my images to appear realistic enough that people look at what I have created and be able to see themselves standing in the image, so these images are inspired by scenes that could be real, and then I filter them into my new world as hand creations.
CONCENTRATION STATEMENT: Tea as a metaphor for the power that bonds people with different cultures in the city of Istanbul. I took documentary photographs (images 1-3). I printed many of the photos on tea bags using my home printer (images 4, 5). I then reassembled up the printed tea bags (images 6, 7) and then displayed them in a final performance (images 8-12).
"The political, social and economic boundaries that seperate the people of my city cease to exist when people are sharing tea."To find people’s stories I went down to couple of places and knocked on the doors of people I don’t know to ask if I could take some photographs. The common words they said was “Come in, I have tea.” At that moment I knew the element I was looking for was tea. I’ve been living in Istanbul for 18 years and I can’t think of a moment that there is no tea boiling in the teapot on our cooker. The political, social and economic boundaries that seperate the people of my city cease to exist when people are sharing tea. The faces of Istanbul, urban and rural, are setted in the same area, with no single boundary that seperates them. The only reason I managed to meet a bus driver living in a village outside of Istanbul as well as a repairman living in the middle of Istanbul was the idea of sharing tea with them. Regardless of the differences in their stories, I presented the photos of those people together on tea bags with photos of Istanbul.
"The political, social and economic boundaries that seperate the people of my city cease to exist when people are sharing tea."To find people’s stories I went down to couple of places and knocked on the doors of people I don’t know to ask if I could take some photographs. The common words they said was “Come in, I have tea.” At that moment I knew the element I was looking for was tea. I’ve been living in Istanbul for 18 years and I can’t think of a moment that there is no tea boiling in the teapot on our cooker. The political, social and economic boundaries that seperate the people of my city cease to exist when people are sharing tea. The faces of Istanbul, urban and rural, are setted in the same area, with no single boundary that seperates them. The only reason I managed to meet a bus driver living in a village outside of Istanbul as well as a repairman living in the middle of Istanbul was the idea of sharing tea with them. Regardless of the differences in their stories, I presented the photos of those people together on tea bags with photos of Istanbul.
The Following images are samples from the old "Breadth Section". This is just to give you an idea of the exploration and process that should take place throughout your Sustained Investigation.