SVGS Summer Artwork Assignments: ALL PIECES SHOULD BE AT LEAST 11x14.

Choose 3 prompts from the following list to complete this summer - These artworks should demonstrate your best effort in
technique, your interpretation of the prompt. Have fun interpreting the prompts, and remember to think about Big Ideas and
concepts that are interesting to you. Some prompts define the materials to use; if not, media is up to you. Bring ALL 3
COMPLETED pieces to the second meeting of AP Studio in August.
1. Still Life: Draw a still life, composed of at least 4
objects that have personal significance to you. Include
at least 7 values (from black to white), a background
(like a window or bookshelf), and a table.
- This drawing should be in charcoal, colored pencil,
graphite, or oil pastel.
- Possible inclusions: reflective objects, transparent
objects, draped fabric.
2. Unusual Interior: Pay attention to areas that are
often overlooked: car glove box, cabinets, refrigerator,
under the bed. How can you make something
interesting out of an ordinary space?
3. Mixed-media: Create an artwork using at least 3
materials:
- wet media such as paint, watercolor, marker
- dry media such as charcoal, pencil, pastel
- collage or photograph element
4. Liquids: Observe a liquid of any kind, and develop
an artwork that emphasizes one of its characteristics;
flowing, dripping, puddling, pooling, splashing, etc.
5. Color: complete an artwork that puts emphasis on a
specific color organization: Primary, secondary, tertiary,
analogous, monochromatic. If you choose
monochromatic, USE A COLOR OTHER THAN BLACK!
6. Pattern: Create a variation of your piece from junior
studio that focused on pattern and motif. Either: use the
same pattern, but with a new subject, or keep the same
subject, but use a different pattern to create interest
and movement in the work.
7. Reflections: Develop a composition that includes
reflective objects, and carefully observe the way shape
and form changes in a reflection. Think about mirrors,
spoons, metal toasters, computer or phone screen,
warped mirror, tinted glass, glasses, etc.
8. Double Self-Portrait: Create a pair of self portraits: -
one portrait is from observation, with the goal of
accurate proportions and range of values. Use a
drawing grid (like memory child portraits) if needed! Or,
challenge yourself by drawing from life, looking in the
mirror
- one portrait isn’t about observable facial features, and
is more about who you are as a person. Think about
symbols that represent important things in your life,
using color to convey specific ideas, etc.
9. Bicycle: A cropped composition of a bicycle/tricycle
from an unusual angle with intense light/shadow. Look
for interesting cast shadows! Do NOT draw the bicycle
from the side.
10. 4 Page Book - The “title” for your book is an
emotion: The Happy Book, The Goofy Book, The
Serene Book, etc. Use mixed media to create 4 pages,
capturing different variation of that emotion. Please also
create a cover, and connect the pages together.
11. Create a mythological event: Refer to, or invent, a
story of an imaginary revolve of one of the following:
pets, computers, kitchen appliances, elevators, flowers,
art supplies, items of clothing, make-up & brushes, etc.
Visualize your idea by making a convincing
ILLUSTRATION of the event.
12. Action portrait: Have a friend
or family member pose frozen in
some sort of movement (jumping
rope, walking, ride, going down
stairs) Capture at least 5
overlapping views of their figure in
that movement within one piece of
art. How might you capture
movement? Look at the artwork at
right: “Nude Descending a
Staircase” by Marcel Duchamp,
and artwork by Giacomo Balla or F.T. Marinetti online.
13. Cafe Drawing: Head to any place where you can sit
and sketch for a long period of time. In your drawing,
convey the essence or feeling of this place. Suggested
locations: Cafe, food truck, ice cream stand, bookstore,
a farm field, a playground.
14. Architectural Drawing: Take pictures of buildings
in your community (or on vacation!), possibly from a
side street or alley view. From those photographs, find
an image with interesting shapes, texture, shadows,
color tones, etc. Crop the composition so the resulting
artwork is almost fully abstract.
15. Song/Lyric Inspired: refer to your list of songs, and
create an abstract work capturing its mood.
16. Landscape: Create an artwork that depicts a
landscape in the impressionistic style. Focus on
capture light and shadow, and distance. Look at the
landscape artwork of Monet, Cassat, Degas, Renoir,
Cezanne, Pissaro, and Dufy. Working from life is best,
but if you use a photograph, it must be one you’ve
taken.
- Use acrylics, oils, oil pastel or chalk pastels.

17. Details: Create a close-up of something with lots of
detail - crop your composition on one area of the
object, so you can emphasize the details. The inside of
a mouth, the center of a flower, a shell, etc. Should be
5x7 or larger.
18. Shoes: Borrow a shoe from each member of your
family (do you want to include pets? Get creative!) Try
to convey each personality in the way you depict their
shoe. (For example, my husband’s sandal would be
shown at an angle, with mud and scuffs to capture how
lively, fun-loving and adventurous he is). You may use
any style (abstract, realistic, collage, etc) that brings
their personalities to life!
19. Fragmentation: Create an artwork based on the
idea of showing parts of an object, place, or person.
You could make a drawing/painting, then cut it into
pieces and reassemble it, make a “Frankenstein”
composite creature, where different part of its body
resemble different creatures, or collage the drawing
surface (use similar colors of paper), then draw on top.
20. Flip it, Reverse it: Reverse color (use
complements), perspective (worm’s-eye view),
functions (hairdryer with ice cycles), relative size, etc,
or “reverse” a law of nature, like gravity.
21. Substitute: Change the original quality of a familiar
or well-used object (ex: a “soft” telephone, a wooden
light-bulb, a concrete pillow)
22. One with the world: Draw an object, person, or
building that is morphing into its environment. The
original object is identifiable, but the edges/perimeters
are melding into it’s location!
23. Distortion: Change an object by deforming,
distorting or altering it’s appearance: dissolving,
decomposition, crushed, inflating, etc. Be playful with
this prompt, and try to make yourself chuckle with your
artwork.
24. Metamorphosis: Create
an artwork showing 3
stages of change - could be
an object, animal, building,
etc. It could be a simple
transformation (the subject
changing color) or a
dramatic shift (the subject
changes shape or form).
The challenge is to create a
interesting composition with
the 3 stages of change!
25. Contradiction: Choose an object with a distinct
purpose (ex: coffee-maker), then create an image
contradicting that function. Many great artworks are
visual and conceptual contradictions, and include
opposite or converse elements that are combined in
their final form. Suggested idea: Contradict a law of
nature like gravity, time, etc.
26. Parody: Ridicule, mimic, mock or create a
caricature: Make fun of your subject. Transform it into a
visual joke or pun. Exploit the human element, make a
zany or funny reference. Create a visual oxymoron or
conundrum. Make yourself chuckle! This is a great
prompt to use unexpected materials: a very “formal”
subject done in juvenile materials.
27. Squish-it: Purchase a set of playdoh to use as your
“paint.” Create an artwork inspired by things that are
soft and squishy. You will need a canvas board or
sturdy piece of cardboard to support the playdoh, and
may need add glue to it to keep it sturdy. Remember,
this is not a sculpture, rather it’s a 2D artwork made
with an unusual material!
28. Subtract: Simplify, remove, omit, or “delete” a
specific element of your subject. The challenge here is
to make the removal appear INTENTIONAL, and not
simply forgotten.
29. Animate it: Inanimate objects/ideas can be
“brought to life, and living items can be given human
qualities. Create a character design, animating a non-
living object or item.
30. Numbers: Create an artwork inspired by the
numbers 62307.
31. Movie Night: Watch a beloved movie from your
childhood, and create an artwork that captures the
mood of the story’s setting. The challenge is to create a
scene reminiscent of the set design without directly
copying the movie’s environment.
32. Line per day: There are just over 80 days of
summer, from May 14 - August 5. Create an artwork of
overlapping, interacting, interlaced lines, adding one
new line each day of the summer. Focus on developing
an abstract composition with wide range of values,
textures, patterns, or designs. Suggest pen or marker.
33. THE THEME: Create a piece related to the
concentration theme you think you want to explore
during senior year. This could be an extension of you
Final exam artwork, or something new.