AP Studio : Concentration Lists

What is a concentration?
A concentration for AP Studio Art is a group of works that carries out a theme or idea which is clear to the viewer. It
must show growth over time and often is tied in to one or more of the elements and principles of art and design.

What do you mean by theme?
A theme is a subject or topic or idea that is evident throughout the twelve pieces. It ties the work together so that
the viewer can look at it and see what the artist is thinking about or saying through the work.

What is a concentration not?
- A set of solutions to class projects
- works with differing intents/ideas/themes
- Just works that share a medium
- Group projects/collaborations

For each piece in your concentration, there will be no formal assignment sheet, just due dates. Obviously, I cannot
tell you exactly what to make for these pieces, its YOUR series of 12 related works. However, there are some
guidelines you should be aware of for your Concentration pieces:

1. PLAN! Do your research, take pictures (you cannot just find things online to draw, you MUST take your own
photos), collect references and bring any materials you need to school to work on your pieces.
2. Do sketches before you work.
3. You can work on ANY size surface (paper, canvas, etc.) BUT the minimum of 6 hrs of work time per piece still
applies.
4. You can work in any material, but limit your choices to what you are most successful with. Using a few
materials vs. ALL of them will unify the look of your concentration as a whole.
5. Make sure each piece relates to the theme, but is its own unique work of art. Vary your compositions.
6. You can slightly change your plan as you go along, BUT you cannot start your concentration over from
scratch. Work with what you already have. Commit to something that will sustain your interest for 2
quarters.
7. Avoid all the stuff on the clich/trite lists at all costs.

Excellent Drawing Concentration
There is an unmistakable connection between the idea of the concentration and the work presented
The concentration engages the viewer with the work and the idea
The work shows effective integration of concept and drawing skills
Mastery of drawing techniques is strong to excellent
The work shows informed risk taking and development beyond technical concerns
An evocative theme is carried out
The work demonstrates an original vision
Overall, the work is of excellent quality

Excellent 2-D Design Concentration
There is an unmistakable connection between the idea of the concentration and the work presented
The concentration engages the viewer with the work and the idea
The work shows effective integration of concept and design skills
Technical aspects are strong to excellent
The work shows informed risk taking and development beyond technical concerns
An evocative theme is carried out
The work demonstrates an original vision
Overall, the work is of excellent quality


Concentration possibilities:

- A series exploring cultural intersections
- A series about ritual and self-portraits
- A series about weaving with nontraditional and traditional materials that
evolve into objects.
- A series of animal- or plant-inspired forms that evolve into formal objects
- A series of wire figures in various environments
- A series about changing the function of common objects
- A series exploring rhythm and movement with common materials
- A series using elements of the urban landscape as a basis for three dimensional design
- A series of abstractions from natural objects
- A series using multiples to create formal three-dimensional design
- A series of personal icons
- A series of enlarged common objects constructed from unusual materials
- A series of interpretive busts or figure studies that emphasize expression
and/or abstraction
- A series of architectural models for homes, public buildings, or monuments
- A series of assemblages that juxtapose the coarse and refined qualities of a
material
- A series of multiples/modules to create compositions that reflect psychological or narrative events
- A series of sculptures that explore the relationship between interior and exterior space
- A series of personal or family history communicated through the content and style of narrative assemblage
- A series of figures exploring aspects of self
- A series of sculptures and installation pieces centered around cultural views of women and their bodies.
- A series of sculptures reinterpreting themes and deities from world religions
- A series of self-portrait busts
- A series of welded metal sculptures that investigate formal design elements.

- Design and execution of a children's book
- Abstractions developed from cells and other microscopic images
- A personal or family history communicated through symbols or imagery
- Use of multiple modules to create compositions that reflect narrative or psychological events.
- Series of landscapes that use color and composition to intensify artistic expression
- A mother's illness investigated in a variety of graphic forms including the use of actual x-rays combined into other imagery as well as prints and
pages of a visual journal.
- A series of interiors simplified to contour lines that served as the basis for a process of investigation of other elements, most predominately
color and space (the assertion and negation of space).
- A series of works done in graphite, colored pencil, and Adobe PhotoShop illustrating aspects of the subject "Roller Coaster." The investigation
increasingly moved away from illustrative renderings to bold, graphic symbols.
- A series of works done in 2D and low relief as a response to slide discussion on the work of Jim Dine. The student investigated a tool (hammer)
in a body of work done in a variety of media, with a variety of techniques as well as processes. Investigation combined interest in imagery
developed from direct observation as well as engaged in issues of formal design.
- A photographic and illustrative investigation into the subject "My Little Brother." The student produced a number of photographs that were
strong in composition as well as technical (processing) ability. He furthered his investigation into the specific subject by producing a series of
illustrations showing his brother engaged in various pursuits.
- A series of works based on the subject "Skateboards." The student began painting random pictures of (cartoonish) characters on
broken/discarded skateboards -- two were brought in as summer assignment work. I encouraged the student to pursue the idea, but to paint
images that were more relevant to the idea of "skateboard" or his experiences as a skateboarder.
- A series of works from a student's visual journal. Sophisticated in terms of development, the book included text, personal photographs, collage
items -- ticket stubs, product labels, fortunes (fortune cookies), netting, bubble wrap. Student enhanced the compositions with intimate
illustrations, many figurative and/or based on human anatomy.
- A series of black-and-white photos that showed strong evidence of investigation into a number of design elements and principles. Examples
included works showing repeating shapes/patterns, geometric division of space, and balance.
- Junkyard Still Life
- Women in Feminine Roles
- Reflections of Images Within
- Emotional Exploration
- The Attic the childhood experience
- The struggle to find oneself
- Home
- Car Interiors
- Abstract Portraits
- Childhood memories and feelings
- Toys/Games
- Family Celebrations
- Figures at rest from an extreme perspective
- Arches
- Mechanical objects in detail.
- Objects emerging from bags
- Midnight at McDonalds
- Football (or any sport or hobby) as Religion
- Consumer and Consuming
- A Day in the Life of (who?)....
- Hands (shoes, cars, feet, jewelry, any universal object) as Expressions of the Personality
- My Personal Relationship with (cars, dogs, food, you name it)
- The Life Cycle of (Anger? Love? Happiness? Despair?)
- Mathematics in Nature (The Golden Mean, Geometric shapes, Quantities)
- If Shakespeare where a modern teenager/DMV resident.
- The Secret Life of (take one object and take pictures of it in interesting and unusual locations)
- Struggle, Overcoming Hardship, Achievement
- The Architecture of Loneliness
- Finding Peace
- Cows as Sculpture
- Car parts as Sculpture
- Old Age and Youth
- Narcissism and (Youth, working out, Beauty)
- Finding beauty in an impoverished environment (such as inner city)
- Melding image and text to create story images
- Portions of the human body seen close up, as studies of form, texture, etc.
- Abstract digital images of reflected/refracted light and the colors produced by the light
- Juxtaposing digital images of urban and rural life to illustrate the importance of sustainable living
- Abandoned things (photography)
- Musical instruments and the people playing them - Drawing
- Portraits of the everyday moods of my dog
- cross country meet
- construction scenes
- road trip across the United States
- porches in my neighborhood
- Surreal Landscapes
- Abandonment both places and people. Student works at a nursing home so some of the images had to do with that idea and some were of
abandoned places. (2D Design: Photography)
- a student took Picasso's Guernica and brought individual aspects into 3D.
- Do works showing risk in our lives
- Do a super realism series using your childhood toys
- Do a series of reflection works using colored glass or colored water in glass forms like Janet Fish
- Explore the relationship between science and art
- Do a series of works based on the lonely figures in our society (ala Hopper)
- Do a series of works depicting social injustice
- Do a series of works depicting the lifestyle of the homeless
- Do a series of expressive drawings incorporating layered images of words
- Explore the color usage of Wayne Thiebauld
- Do a photographic series documenting your community
- Show the passage of time through charcoal drawings
- Do a photographic series showing the landscapes of your life
- Paint your reaction to patriotism
- Create photographic portraits of your friends in the style of Annie Liebowitz
- Design, render, and construct costumes for a specific performance
- Do a series of paintings of figures, dealing with color transparencies
- Do a series of figures in motion/action settings
- Do a series of color relationship works-using watercolor and still life set ups
- Do a series of natural landscapes, both micro and macroscopic
- Show your personal changing image as based on the work of Ivan Albright
- Do a photographic series of a human in different natural settings
- Draw a series on non-traditional surfaces
- Do a series of cubism-based landscapes
- Show your emotional reaction to living in Ft. Washington
- Paint in the style of the expressionists
- Do a series of paintings depicting the opulence of the Victorian age
- Draw a series that deal with entrances and time continuum
- Do a series of known works that switch gender roles
- Do a series of woodcuts based on Japanese printmaking styles
- Do a print series based on the metamorphic changes ala M. C. Escher
- Impermanence: The effect of weather and time on manmade objects. Student photographed train tracks (metal with patina), railroad
equipment (peeling layers of paint and graffiti), rusty cars, etc.
- Mannequins and the Nude Figure: Student painted and drew from mannequins in real life. She also drew her friends and family members in
bikinis/ bathing suits, and relied on photographs of them in class. Emphasis was on "wrapping" the form with brushstrokes of color in the
paintings. In her drawings, she achieved a very strong value scale with her crosshatching that also wrapped the human form.
- Flight ( these were extremely technical drawings and paintings which included sinking helicopters in the jungle as well as birds on a wire and
UFO's over the Southwest.
- Winged Creatures- drawn in high detail - moths, bats, bees, etc...
- Longboards - seen from 1 pt, 2 pt, 3 pt and 5 pt perspective
- Color and Form in manmade play structures (digital photography)
- Landscapes from my route home from school.
- One student illustrated stories told to her from her father about his wild and adventurous life.
- Wave formations in many different media such as: clay, wire, wood, cardboard.
- Sculptural visual puns (time flies - clock with wings ect.)
- Portrait sculptures
- Examining the human condition through different kinds of expressive portraiture. In my investigation I hoped to reveal glimpses of the true
character behind the face.
- Alice in Wonderland theme comparing parts of the story to a teenagers life
- The jungle and concrete jungle-starting with the jungle and inserting elements of the city life taking over the jungle.
- Water theme. Water as metaphor.
- Documentary style photography of local veterans who fought in Afghanistan
- Animal shelter drawings
- Hidden beauty in ugly things.
- Homeless This student really went beyond in interpretation not just how we usually think about homeless but, - an empty shell, an empty
box, parts removed from a whole and what do we cherish or miss about calling something home.
Light and Shadow in Cityscapes - This one worked well because the student started with photos that he took on a trip to NYC. In his
concentration, he used actual photos; he altered photos (transfers, layered with paint); he did a watercolour and a pastel of a couple of photos;
he did a couple of works where he played with abstraction and arbitrary color...I just felt this concentration really allowed him to explore the used
of value and color as well as composition and he had many pieces to chose from to send in.
- A series of self-portraits as imagined reincarnations 10 from past eras, one today and one in the future
- Creating a series of photographs that illustrates (much exaggeration was used) the ways in which technology is overtaking our lives.

Concentration Caution List

After viewing hundreds of portfolios, it is easy to spot recurring themes. Below is a list of very popular subjects for concentration. There is not a
taboo on the following subjects, but a warning that they have been done OVER and OVER. It would be easier to find a new topic rather than find a
completely new way to address these tired, overused concentrations. Be creative: think of something specific and unique.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:

* portraits of emotions * people who shape me
* nature * memories
* shocking viewers with bizarre * surrealism
* faces * flowers
* eyes * family and friends
* reflective gears * illustration of inner thoughts
* moments I was happy * self portraits
* music * everyday life objects
* goddess/myth * "different cultures"
* guitars * reflections
* "ideas of beauty" * dance