What AP Studio Art Course is Right for Me?

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AP 2D Design vs. AP Drawing

When you’re thinking about taking an Advanced Placement studio art course, you may find yourself confused when you try to determine if the 2D or Drawing portfolio is right for you. The first thing to do is to ask yourself if you’re interested in having photography as part of your portfolio, if the answer is yes, then it’s simple, you’ll pursue the 2D portfolio, as that’s the only one that photos fits into.

If you aren’t interested in photography then you have a few more things to think about.

Below, I’ve outlined how the college board defines and assesses 2D and Drawing skills.

2D skills: using and demonstrating an understanding of 2D elements and principles.

  • Elements: point, line, shape, plane, layer, form, space, texture, color, value, opacity, transparency, time
  • Principles: unity, variety, rhythm, movement, proportion, scale, balance, emphasis, contrast, repetition, figure/ground relationship, connection, juxtaposition, hierarchy.

Drawing skills

  • use of mark-making, line, surface, space, light, and shade, composition

Now that you reviewed the list above, it’s likely that you’re thinking that drawing is the best option, as it appears to be a much shorter list, however, that’s not the case. The last term that you see listed as a drawing skill, is composition, and how do artists create compositions? Artists create compositions by applying everything listed as a 2D skill, therefore, if you aren’t sure where to start, I recommend you start with the 2D course, and if you decided to take a second AP course, progress to the drawing portfolio.