Ms.Kane's AP Art Arena: 09/01/2010

Mepham's Class of 2009 A.P. Artists give advice to the next generation

"I wish I knew in September...

Although this year was really challenging the end result was VERY worth it. It is one of the first times that you get REAL FREEDOM with your art and with your time. In order to make sure that you can make pieces you are proud of and finish with enough time to not freak yourself out there are some things you should keep in mind that I would have liked to know earlier because that definitely happened over the past few weeks. Make sure you budget your time and try and try to finish things on time or before deadlines so that you can give yourself extra time for adjustments and editing and to relax, all things you will need to do. It also really helps to make lists –the work you need to finish vs the work you need to edit and the works you are still planning out. This makes everything seem more manageable when there is still a lot to do. Also, try to get as much work done over breaks and take all your work seriously because you will need as much as you can, even if this just gives you more options. Also, don’t be afraid of taking risks or using pieces that didn’t take such a long time. Some of the best work can be your random experiments. Finally, don’t ever hesitate to ask people for help. Getting a lot of opinions will help you get ideas and Kane is the best person to check with. Always take her suggestions into consideration even if it will be more work its worth it in the end. Overall, the year is really, really hard honestly but in the end make work you are proud of and have fun with the opportunity.
–Aurora Parlagreco Class of 2009

I wish I would have listened to you more. I feel time guidelines could have saved me so much unnecessary stress at the end of the year if I had only listened. I wish I had known my concentration in September not November, I feel that 45 minutes a day is not enough time to complete a great portfolio I think they should make AP at least a 2 period course. I do feel the figure drawing unit at the beginning of the year was really fun experimenting with different mediums in that unit. I wish I “tried” harder in the beginning of the year but I must say I am super proud of the work I have created this year it was definitely worth the time and energy. I would just like to say you have to go in strong & stay strong the whole year. Go to extra help, it really helps & photograph your stuff as soon as you are done with it! -Hannah Silver Class of 2009

I would definitely suggest to do your work digitally on the computer it makes it so much easier and faster. I would have your concentration idea right away, so you can make as much work for it as fast as possible. If you have all your concentration pieces you’ll have plenty to use as your breadth and plenty of time to make more for your breadth. I wouldn’t stress over your breadth you can always use pieces that you already have. Stay calm and organized, organize all your pieces into folders. Good Luck –
Kristin Zecher Class of 2009

I would suggest matting as you go. Once you finish one piece matte it so you don’t get overwhelmed at the end of the year. Listen to Ms. Kane and do your homework because there is a reason to make each of the works. When you start a piece, finish it as soon as possible because you don’t want to wait till the last minute and have a lot ot finish before the AP test. Also, this is TIME CONSUMING so don’t take a lot of classes if you are planning on taking AP Art. – Melanie Jacobs Class of 2009

• Look at examples of 6’s!!! See the strength of the connection! Chose a specific concentration and focus on a color scheme.
• Matte as you go & do works on time.
• Finish every piece in two weeks, procrastinators are losers in the end.
• If you’re going to complain just don’t take it, no one likes the kid who whines about deadlines & unfair grades.
• Make A.P. friends and have cheesy art parties, you legit get stuff done and get input from people other than Kane.
• Get Edgar’s advice as well as Kane's, it’s a new perspective.
• Don’t forget about Breadth, everyone thinks they have enough but long story short- 3 days before the test they’re 2 pieces shy of the requirement.
• Make sure concentration pieces get more complicated as you go.
• 2-D portfolios are easier (not much but it is). You can take your concentration in a few edited rolls of film as opposed to months of painting.
• Come up with 8 ideas for every piece, there hasn’t been one piece that ended up with the same idea I started with.
• Respect the Art Center
• Have fun with it.
-Robyn Macy Class of 2009

Dear incoming AP Art Kids,
My name is Lori and I would like to give some advice if you plan on pursing an artistic and creative career this class can only be beneficial and helpful towards your future. Make sure to work hard in the beginning so that you won’t be overwhelmed with work at the end of the year. Ms. Kane will always be there to help you along with Ms. Edgar. Try your best. Being lazy will only set you up for failure. Pick a concentration you REALLY like, give a lot of effort and care into your work. Use your time well, be original and progress. Never underestimate your talent and take this opportunity to develop your skills.
Love,
Lori Karp Class of 2009

If I knew in September how much time and patience AP Art would take I would have managed it better. I wish that I paid more attention to due dates and progress checks because they are really helpful and although they might not seem like it at the time they will benefit you in the long run. Coming up with your own unique concentration idea allows you to reflect on yourself and your strengths as an artist. Pick a theme you’re interested in because you’ll have to develop it throughout the year. If I knew at the beginning of the year that all the hard work and time consuming projects would be worth it in the end I would have put more details into my first couple of pieces. You really get to explore your talents and style during the year. Don’t be surprised if you surprise yourself! The end is very hectic and stressful but it is DEFINITELY worth all the work. In September if I knew what I did now, I'd take it over again. IT was a great learning and growing experience. Good Luck!
-Katelynn Dwyer Class of 2009

The advice I can give to the AP Artists is that you must be capable of managing time. I recommend picking a concentration I was fortunate that I had an off period right after the art class so I would continue to work and it helped tremendously. Have a home set of supplies if you are capable to, so you do not have to worry about traveling with tons of supplies. IT is a lot of work and a huge commitment but if you are willing to do it you can succeed with ease if you manage your time. Do not think of it as a chore but look towards your work with enjoyment. Work comfortably, you work better when you are relaxed.
–Denis Murphy Class of 2009

If you have any idea of what you want to do with your concentration then just run with it! Make as any pieces as you can over the summer. This way if you decide to change your concentration than you can do it sooner than later. I changed my portfolio in January and just finished everything last week! (The test is today by the way.) If you have no idea what your doing concentration wise put that aside for the summer at least and work on your breadth because your breadth must be as awesome as your concentration.

Save your work. Save your work OFTEN and EVERYWHERE!
By everywhere I mean on CD’s on flash drives, external hard drives, on our home computer, on the school computer, EVERYWHERE!
Don’t panic, just tell yourself you can do it & think positively. You will be able to pull it off. EVERYONE pulled it off this year; you can pull it off too.
-Sam Soave Class of 2009

Dear incoming A.P. Artists,
If I knew what I know now about the A.P. Art test I would have done a lot of things differently. First, I would have found out which of the colleges I applied to actually accept the A.P. credits because I found that many of my colleges did not accept them too late in the game. I would have saved myself a lot of stress this way. Secondly, I would have liked to have a clear & concise idea of what the concentration and breadth truly consisted of because this tool I had found out way too late. If I had known from the start I would have been able to ensure that I had a strongly related concentration. Lastly the more important thing to know is to not stress your self out about it too much. While it is important to keep the A.P. test at a top priority receiving a grade of a 5 will not be your greatest accomplishment in life.
-Rachel Cutler Class of 2009

If there was ever a fault in the course, it was my own. This course required so much time and dedication and I only wish I began sprouting my wings as an artist earlier. I did my work and finished it on time but time is meaningless when it’s obvious that my full potential as an artist was not yet discovered. It was a shock like a jump into cold water when I learned just how “unstructured” our assignments were, how much freedom we were given to explore… but I soon learned that if I had let “myself go” I had some pretty good ideas and Ms. Kane was right there to help me embellish them and provide constructive criticism.
I do wish we had more time with the other artists so we could critique our work or gain inspiration by their progress and ability. Other than that I’m happy I’m done. I’m just wishing that incoming students take this seriously and passionately. Work nights to touch up a drawing or sketch you will feel PROUD. Here you will loose yourself & find yourself. –Timea Kernacova Class of 2009

If I knew in September what I know now I would have definitely stuck to the timeline and not slacked off. In the beginning I would have put more thought into each piece instead of making something because I have to. Before choosing a concentration make sure that it can be made into more than 12 ideas because if not then you struggle for ideas and then your pieces become boring and very much alike. Do as much work as you can over the summer because you will need them for your breadth. The test is a lot more work than you initially expect. It will get stressful and you will feel yourself slowly going nuts but it all pays off when your finally done and you feel the greatest sense of accomplishment. Even if you don’t need the credits for college it is still good to have this body of work. It will always be something to remember and look back on. You won’t believe some of the things you can come up with when you really try to push your limits. If you would have shown me my work from this year when I was in 9th or 10th grade I would have never believed that I could make something even close to that good. Just work hard and put your heart into this body of work because it will be one of your greatest accomplishments. -Nicolette Lagomarsini Class of 2009

The first thing I think of when I think of upcoming AP artists is time management. My biggest suggestion would be to complete at least 3 pieces over the summer coming into senior year because I feel like that is what helped me the most. Even if you are not sure what your concentration will be make artwork like crazy and continue to improve it. I may have rushed a little at the end to get everything together but if you have the majority of your pieces completed at least 3 weeks before the AP date, your life will be SO much easier. If I could change what I did throughout the year I would probably want to outline all my pieces first to make sure I was happy with what I was going to do. The other thing I would suggest would be to work on building a good breadth section. The one weak part of this test was my breadth and I feel like it could be better if I worked on pieces over the weekend. Make artwork from your heart and make sure you like what your creating. Even if you don’t like what a piece is becoming, if there is time, collage over it and make it something you are proud of. Don’t be afraid to make drastic changes and change your idea if you feel really confident.
Listen to the Art-teachers, they know what they’re talking about! Have fun with it!
-Samantha Beim Class of 2009

Well its hard work but it is fun work. It is all about you now and the artwork you want to make. I know it is hard to think of a concentration idea. My advice would be to look at your past work and pick your best pieces. Make a list about what you like about your work, which could be a good place to start. That’s what happened for me I had no idea where to start. I had 3 ideas like photograph of people where all you see is there eyes but then I was looking at my past work and loved 2 photos I had of hands. So then I just through for everything we use our hands for and worked like crazy. I had 12 works by February but just because it was “done” with the # did not mean I couldn’t make it better. I made more pieces so I could make choices about what I would submit in the final concentration no finishing it the day of. Think outside the box and do your best because you are doing it all for you now. Good Luck!
-Beth Zink Class of 2009

I am going to be completely honest. In September of 2008, I was skeptical on how I’d last in A.P. Art. It was tough in my view but at the same time I didn’t want to give up. As the year went on the work got easier because I was actually trying to do what I had to do. If you do what you are asked to do and get the assignments in on time A.P. Art will be a breeze and fun. I’m thankful to have had the help of Ms. Kane and Ms. Edgar to help me work harder and actually be confident enough to finish something that I wasn’t happy with in the beginning, but looked awesome in the end. What I would do differently is actually start the class with the confidence I have now rather than have waited till the end. Also, I would have listened to my teacher more. I feel bad for not cooperating the way I should have, I thank her for the patience she had with me. Advice that I would give to upcoming students that will come into A.P. Art is to come into class ready to work, listen to the teacher, and have complete confidence in your work. Don’t give up on something that ma not look good in the beginning because the final work, once your done will look amazing. Even if you’re still not happy with the outcome, it would probably look awesome in someone else’s eyes. –Kimberly Cowen Class of 2009

I can honestly say that I don’t know if I would have done anything differently in this course, I followed the deadlines and was totally on track through out the year. Maybe, I would have been more prepared to be more original than I ever had to be, if I knew how independently we created ideas. Instead of being given a concrete project to do. We had to create ideas based on our concentration. However, we were given a lot of help by Ms. Kane and Ms. Edgar who were always available with encouragement and new ways to make our ideas fresh and college-board worthy. –Emily Grazia Class of 2009

Dear incoming AP Artists,
If you would like to continue in your years in art class I would suggest for you to keep in mind the central idea of your concentration is. As an AP student myself I experienced many last minute work which didn’t portray my true potential. I should have put more time and effort into my portfolio (which I suggest you do at the beginning of the year). Please keep in mind the same idea throughout concentration portfolio and the breadth section of your portfolio should contain any work that you do on your own time. Being an artist lets you create endless possibilities so be creative and use all the materials that you can! Good luck and have fun!
-Joanna Wu Class of 2009

If I knew all the organization needed to put into this portfolio I would finish projects earlier so I had more time to edit, and mat (which for me was the most difficult part). It is smart to mat your work after you finish a piece that way you aren’t cramming in time to be at the matting board. Also incoming students should take full advantage of extra help time. This gives you helpful time with your teacher for critiques and to improve. Time management is very important! Due dates should be taken seriously because those dates help everyone get things done on time. It is fun being able to choose your own concentration in AP Art. It gives you more flexibility to be creative and make whatever comes to mind. In the beginning I did not know if I was a 2-D or drawing portfolio. Once I decided 2-D I realized it was the best decision for me. It allows me to take photos and edit them for my breadth and concentration pieces. My theme was music, which is easy to work with because there are so many windows and doors choose a theme that can open possibilities for you! I totally recommend this class to other incoming students. –Melissa Kabak Class of 2009

"I wish I realized how quickly the time really does go by. Although I started the year with a drawing portfolio, I changed it about a week and a half before the AP exam. I honestly would not recommend this to anyone unless they have the time both during each and everyday and also after school. I don’t think I would have gotten anything or nearly as much done as I did without the Ms. Kane and Mrs. Ptacek and friends helping and it was still a very stressful experience. I wish I had chosen the correct portfolio for me in the beginning of the year and listened to Ms. Kane and her bi-weekly deadlines. I wish I had more time to digitally enhance all of my photographs with Photoshop. I also wish that I was more well aware of what was expected of myself in the fact that I wish I had seen others artwork and the scores that they received in order to compare my artwork to theirs and see where I stand in the class and in the eyes of the college board. The homework assignment in which Kane made us go on the AP art college board website and view and write about those who received a grade on it and why was very helpful. Although the AP Art course was difficult and time consuming it was worth it and I would definitely take the course again." –Kristin Bauer Class of 2009

"I work slowly, so if I knew then that I would have worked more with smaller sizes then by 7" by 11" and not draw my artwork along an edge. Coloring my largest piece took the longest to work on and getting your own mat cutter is worth it when there is only two cutters. Waiting until the last week is not a smart idea since staying at school till 7:45pm is not nice to yourself or Ms. Kane."
-Kaitlyn Compert Class of 2009

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