Finding Your Creative Comfort Zone
I read Megan Auman’s blog about scale and her comfort zone in art-making, and while I haven’t been thinking a lot about scale, I have been thinking a lot about what type of work I like to create. For years I wove one-of-a-kind scarves, and then I stopped. Not because I didn’t enjoy the making, […]
What Makes a Resource Valid?
If you take AP Art history, you’ll practice writing responses to essay questions about works of art throughout history, and you will be asked to, ” Respond to a provided prompt with an art historically defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning.” So, what does that mean? In order to make a […]
Art History related Children’s books
If you want a fun way to learn more about artists and works of art throughout history, there are a lot of wonderful children’s books to explore no matter how old or young you are. Below is a list to get you started. Jean-Michel Basquiat by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara Just Being Dali: The story […]
Q&A About AP Art History
Q: What time periods does AP Art History cover? A: AP Art History covers pre-historic art to global contemporary art. Q: Do I have to be a great writer to take AP Art History? A: While writing is part of the AP Art History course, your writing is not assessed on sentence structure, spelling, grammar, […]
6 Questions about AP Studio Art
What is the AP Studio Art Exam? When you hear the word exam, you likely think of sitting down and filling in a scantron sheet or responding to essay questions, that isn’t the case for the Advanced Placement Studio Art exam. The AP Studio Art (2D design, Drawing, and 3D design), exams are portfolio-based. How […]
5 Tips to Write about Artwork
There are many approaches that you can take to writing about your artwork. The most impactful include contextual information that helps the viewer better understand your ideas and processes that aren’t obvious from simply observing the artwork. Below are five questions for you to explore while writing about your work. Write down your idea: What […]
Do You Feel behind?
This time of the year always tends to feel a bit hard when it comes to AP art. You’ve been working on your sustained investigation for a solid five months; you know that you have two more months to go, and somehow that feels like a very long and very short amount of time. You […]
How to study the AP Art History 250 images
The AP Art History course and exam comes with a list of 250 works of art that may be included on the exam, and therefore are the primary focus of the course. It can feel overwhelming to try to memorize all of the works. As with any large project, it’s important to break it down […]
Your Art Portfolio & Direct Observation
When preparing your art portfolio for a college application, you may see the words direct observation. Many students are unsure of what this means. Direct observation means that you looked directly at an object or person and drew or painted what you observed. You might avoid direct observation because it’s more challenging than drawing from […]
Where to Find New Ideas
Where do ideas come from? Everywhere, they swirl all around you. The challenge is seeing them, catching them, and knowing which ones to let go of. We’re often so excited that we have an idea, that we start to put all of our energy into our first idea. First ideas are usually okay, but not […]