Handy Student References

Documenting Your Work

Here are a few tips on documenting your work and process for a portfolio:

Instructions for a Student Weebly Portfolio:

Upload images of finished works in a designated area/page. If you wish to keep a kind of journal or works in progress, that is great, but do that on a separate page so that you have all your best works in one place that is easily accessible without lots of scrolling through images and text.

Remember:

Start with an Artist's Statement (see below)
Label each final work image with title, materials, dimensions, and date.
You should also include a brief statement for each work that explains your focus, concepts, and inspirations.

Documenting Your Work

It’s important for artists to learn how to document their art. Among other things, records of your work will serve as a reflective tool, show you how much you’ve grown, and ensure you can effectively share your work with others. One way to document your work is through photographs. Another is through writing. We are going to do both by following the steps below.

Step 1: Take good photos of your art.
Here are some guide lines to follow when photographing your work:

The background should be plain and simple. Clutter in the background or a busy backdrop will distract from your work. We want the art to be front and center- the focus of the photograph.
The setting should be well lit. If it’s too bright, your photo will look washed out, and if it’s too dark, your photo will be engulfed in shadow. Either way, the photograph won’t show much detail or do justice to your work. Ideal lighting will enhance the details and show off all your hard work.
Take photographs from at least three different angles of your work. I recommend taking more so that you have plenty of photographs to use: front, back, side, side, above, and three-quarters view.

Step 2: Once you have good photos of your work, open a new note in Notability or whatever you are comfortable working in. Title the note with the title of the project. Keep this file, adding to it as you go and save it in a safe place. This is so that if there is some kind of digital disaster, you do not have to recreate your entire portfolio, only upload by copy/paste again.

Step 3: Insert at least three images of your work into the note.

Step 4: Below the images, write an artist statement about the work. An artist statement is a usually brief writing by the creator of the work that explains or reflects on the art. It is another way for the artist to document the artwork. It helps the artist communicate their ideas about the work. Use at least 6 full sentences (to make a full paragraph). You may look up examples below for ideas. As you write your own, you might think about answering some of these questions (You don’t necessarily have to answer all or any of them):

What do you want your audience to know about your work?
What effect do you want the work to have on your audience?
What are some specific choices you made in the work and why?
What are some important ideas or feelings your work communicates?
What does the work mean to you?

You can keep these notes on your iPad/computer and then upload the text and images to your Weebly Portfolio
Be sure to check back here from time to time to see updates.

How Artists Spend Their Free Time:
Looking at Art and Thinking About Art

You made it to an art museum/gallery… now what?

It can be intimidating to walk into an art museum. Where do you go first? What do you do when you’re there? What are you supposed to be thinking about or looking for? Below are six tips that can help to guide your experience.

The information desk is your friend! At the very least, stop by and grab a map. These folks can tell you anything, like where a particular artwork or artist is, or if they offer tours. Tours can be helpful especially if you’re nervous and have no idea where to start when it comes to galleries. Don’t be shy about talking to the security guards in the museums. They can be another good resource. They can point you in any direction, and often times they can tell you a lot about the artworks.

Always, always, always take your sketchbook and a pen/pencil!

Label the pages with the gallery name and date you were there.
Write down artists you notice and want to look up later. Make a note of why their work caught your eye.
Sketch any artwork that catches your eye. Be sure to write down the artist, title, medium, and year. Make a note of why it caught your eye.
- This is an especially important activity because you will notice more details and remember the work better if you draw it.
- Don’t worry if the sketches are good or not. The point is for the drawings to be informative and help you remember what you saw.

Unless you have a specific assignment, there is nothing you necessarily have to do or think at the gallery. It can be tough to know where to start. Try thinking about some of these questions:

What is the artwork made of?
What elements and principles of art are used? (Elements: line, shape, form, color, texture, value, space) (Principles: balance, contrast, unity, emphasis, pattern, rhythm)
How does the artwork relate to the time period in which it was made?
Why do you think the artist chose that particular material? Do you agree with their choice?
How does the artwork relate to the piece next to it? How might the pieces work off each other to enhance certain aspects of the artworks?
How do you feel when you look at this piece? Why?
What piece do you wish you could make?
Why do you suppose the gallery choose to show this piece? Do you agree with their choice?
Where else in the world could this piece exist?
Where would you put it in your house?
Why would someone buy this piece?
How does this artwork relate to something else you have learned or experienced?
Most importantly ask yourself: Whether you like the artwork or not, what can you learn from it?

There’s usually not a right or wrong way to go through a museum, although you might ask the information desk if there is a suggested route. Sometimes it’s nice to stroll through and take it all in. Sometimes it’s nice to spend the whole time studying just a couple of pieces.

Always check before you take photographs. If you do take a photo, NEVER use flash. I encourage you to use photographs as little as possible, though. Rely more on your sketchbook to record your visit.

Within a day or two of your visit, reflect on your notes and sketches. Look up anything you made note of to research further. Then jot down any themes you notice in your sketches/notes, anything you learned, and your big “take away” thoughts from your visit.

How do artists look at art?

D.A.R.C.
Describe, Analyze, Reflect, Connect

Your teacher always tells you to look at artists, but what do you do after you hit “enter” on the Google search bar? The follow questions guide you through a formally accepted protocol for talking about artwork called “DARC”. The more you think in these terms, the more you’ll get out of your research

Describe

When was the work made?
Where was the work made?
What is the work made of?
How are the Elements and Principles of Art used? (Elements: line shape, form, color, space, texture, value) (Principles: balance, pattern, rhythm, contrast, unity, emphasis)
What specific visual characteristics are significant to the work?

Analyze

What themes do you see in the work?
How does the artwork relate to the time in which it was made?
What inspires this artist?
What is the meaning behind the works?
What does the artist do to show the meaning(s)?

Reflect

What can you learn from this artist?
What personal experiences does the work remind you of?
What would you make if you were making artwork about the same ideas?
Would you put the work in your own collection? Why or why not?
How does this work make you feel? Why?

Connect

What can this work relate to the world outside of art?
How does this work relate to sculptures you have seen before or other artists you know?
How does this work relate to the sculpture you made in class?

Recommended Pre-College and Summer Art Programs

Recommended Summer Pre-College Art and Architecture Programs

Pratt, New York City
RISD, Providence, Rhode Island
Maryland Institute and College of Art, Baltimore, MD
The Corcoran School of Art And Design, Washington DC
Fallingwater (Architecture only) Bear Run, Pennsylvania
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Delaware College of Art and Design
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Catholic University of America, Washington DC
University of Maryland
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Check out the websites of each listed above and click on "summer programs."
Recommended Baltimore-Washington Metro Area Arts Centers for Portfolio Enriching Experiences

Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
The Schuler School of Fine Art, Baltimore, MD
Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD
Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD
The Art League, Alexandria, VA
The Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA
Recommended Museums and Galleries in the Baltimore-Washington Metro Area

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Hirshorn Museum, Washington, DC
(contemporary and modern art)
Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

• Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
• The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (world art
up to 20th century)
• The American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
(outsider art)
• The Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD (contemporary
(historic and modern American art)
• National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC art)
• National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
• Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD
• The Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College, Annapolis, • Freer and Sackler Galleries, Washington, DC MD
(East Asian Ceramics and Art)

National Museum of African Art, Washington,
DC
The Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA (collection
of galleries/studios)
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD

• The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA (fine arts and horticulture)
• Rodin Museum, Philadelphia, PA
• Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA • The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
• The Wexler Gallery , Philadelphia, PA (crafts)
Not art museums, but good places to find inspiring things to draw:

National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History, Baltimore, MD
Mutter Museum, Philadelphia, PA (medical oddities)

How to Write an Artist's Statement

An artist statement is a usually brief writing by the creator of the work that explains or reflects on the art. It is another way for the artist to communicate his or her ideas about the work.

Directions: Write your own artist statement about this project in the space below. Use at least 6 full sentences (to make a full paragraph). Think about answering some of these questions:

What do you want your audience to know about your work?
What effect do you want the work to have on your audience?
What are some specific choices you made in the work and why?
What are some important ideas or feelings your work communicates?
What does the work mean to you?

Summer Portfolio Building Goals

Summer Portfolio Building Goals

1. Bookmark these links and visit them often:
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-studio-art-drawing?course=ap-studio-art-drawing
All you need to know about what to expect from AP Art and how your work will be evaluated.

https://www.maryellencarsley.com/blog
Your teacher’s blog. Provides references specific to our study and ideas for making art over the summer. Your Course syllabus can be found here.

2. Maintain a sketchbook
What does this mean?
You should always carry your sketchbook with you and draw in your sketchbook a minimum of three times a week. Make studies, ideas, notes, doodles, experiments. Any medium and technique. It is visual thinking. This will not be evaluated for quality of drawing or craftsmanship, but for its energy, creativity and dedication to practice that you have put into the pages. You should love your sketchbook and it should show it!

3. 8-12 complete Works
What does this mean?
A complete “work” is art that you have intentionally set out to make with a plan. You are inspired, you sketch ideas, you consider big questions of media/technique/ composition/elements and principles. There is no minimum or maximum size, only that the work looks planned and thought out.

You might want to consider a class, but Not Required:
Recommended Baltimore-Washington Metro Area Arts Centers for Portfolio Enriching Experiences

The Schuler School of Fine Art, Baltimore, MD
Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD
Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD
The Art League, Alexandria, VA
The Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA

4. Document your processes, art adventures, things that inspire you on your:
“Summer AP Drawing Blog” Weebly page.
Send your instructor and your classmates the link Before the end of exams!
You should have a minimum of 6 blog entries for the summer, see below for what some of the entries should be about.

Document your completed work on your:
“Summer Work Portfolio” Weebly page

5. Read one book by an artist about art and write a blog post (short paragraph) about your thoughts on the book and how it did or did not influence/ inspire you. Check out the list above for suggestions.
Please note you may choose your own book.

Last but, not least:
6. Visit a museum or gallery and write a blog post about your experience.

Recommended Museums and Galleries in the Baltimore-Washington Metro Area

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Hirshorn Museum, Washington, DC (contemporary and modern art)
Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (historic and modern American art)
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
Freer and Sackler Galleries, Washington, DC (East Asian Ceramics and Art)
National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC
The Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA (collection of galleries/studios)
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (world art up to 20th century)
The American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (outsider art)
The Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD (contemporary art)
Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD
The Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD
The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA (fine arts and horticulture)
Rodin Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
The Wexler Gallery , Philadelphia, PA (craft)

Not art museums, but good places to find inspiring things to draw:

National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History, Baltimore, MD
Mutter Museum, Philadelphia, PA (medical oddities)

Drawing and Painting with ME Carsley