Let's talk about AP ART (advice + Q&A)

Hello kiddos! For all my AP Art students out there, this is the video for you! Hopefully some of these tips help you through the class this year. Don't stress, you got this!! Hope you liked the Strawberry Momma progress :)

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[jmurillo]

My terminology for "AP" is advance procrastination.

[miadelara]

This dude is so talented he inspired me to start drawing

[HeidiLinlol]

I took AP Art last year got the highest score under the new curriculum! (scores are arbitrary but my perspective might be helpful) Here is some of my advice:
~ take it with a grain of salt, this is just what I've observed from my own experience and talking to others ~
1. *Try to make your theme unique but broad enough so that if can't think of a specific "meaning" going into creating pieces it'll be easier to connect your piece to your theme at the end.* If it is too specific you will feel stifled, if it is too broad it will be hard to make your pieces relate to one another in a series. Don't feel bad if you don't have a specific idea of what you want to create, most people find more focus in their theme as they make work!! I have a friend who got full score even though she had no idea what her theme was almost up until the last minute but it worked out for her because the subject matter she drew was cohesive and she was able to connect her pieces to an over branching theme at the end. Personally i created work under a few general umbrella terms that i was interested in and slowly found focus.
2. This is not to discourage experimentation though!! *Please experiment!!! Often times playing with new styles and mediums can reinvigorate your motivation to keep working!!* I would do mono printing or different styles of painting when i got sick of painting oil, which is my main medium. Also if you see your peers trying out a process/medium that you find really interesting you should try it as well!! Obviously don't copy other people's work but you can and should take inspiration from what they are doing!!
3. *If you feel burnt out do research on various artists / read books / watch movies to gain inspiration again!!* A lot of the work i create is inspired by media that i consume. I watched a video essay about jackson polluck and listened to a podcast from a sleep expert and that's literally what inspired my entire theme lol. This is also a great way to get out of the frustrating burn out headspace, deliberately take breaks to appreciate the beauty of the world.
4. *Don't feel bad if all of your work isn't that deep, * it's hard to make 15 masterpieces within the span of a school year. NGL i had some "filler" pieces in my portfolio that I wasn't the most proud of and that's ok! A lot of my pieces were pretty fast too (1-3 hour works), not all of your works have to be 20+ hour pieces.
6. *Try to plan ahead and have concrete goals that you set for yourself!!* If you have a hard time sticking to that try to follow the 2 day rule (or some form of that) and make sure that if you take a break from making work that it is less than a certain amount of time. For example I would tell myself that I could slack off but never for more than 3 days at a time!! That way you stop focusing so much on whether or not your work is good enough and put more focus on just producing. Try not to be too hard on yourself because you will just stress yourself out even more.
7. *It's really beneficial to make sure your pieces are cohesive with each other!!* The scores are arbitrary so don't be too hard on yourself if you don't score well, a friend of mine got a 4 (which is still good and u should still be proud if you get one!!) even though her art was incredibly deep and visually compelling. Unfortunately she did not get top score because her theme was too broad. My work wasn't as high quality or as technically strong as hers but I think I got full score just because my pieces worked really cohesively under my theme. A lot of other artists who took this course that i talked to shared the same sentiment but take this with a grain of salt since I am not collegeboard.
8. *Make friends with the people in your class* (if possible)!! It's a lot less frustrating when you have people to talk to about your work and to share your pain (lol)!! Also the feedback i received from my incredible peers would often times help me flesh out my ideas and spark inspiration.

Good luck!!! THis is frikin long so thank you if you read to here LOl i hope this was helpful and feel free to DM me on IG @Hi_d_Lin if you want to talk moreee! im happy to discuss your work in particular and elaborate on any of the above :))

[leigheaux]

I want to say do not miss the opportunity to take AP art if you feel insecure!! I almost dropped the class because I was so insecure about my art and my portfolio and I ended up getting a 5! You never know what you’re gonna get so go for it! I had a blast in my AP art class with my friends and as frustrating as the deadlines were, I made it. And you can make it!

They really focus on your art journey now. My themes changed as I went and I changed my theme many times while working. I didn’t do any research because my portfolio centered around my flaws so I just looked into my soul throughout the entire journey. Also, focus on different mediums! I used crayons for one of my pieces to display my childhood behavior. I used colored pencils and experimented with using paint thinner to make it more flow-y, the judges loved that.

Just remember to have fun! Do not be intimidated! You may hate your art but you may get a 5!

[willowjensen]

I graduated this year also, but my highschool didn't have AP art, and now hearing your description, even though hard, I think it would have been a good experience for me. I took Art 1 my freshman year, and 'Advanced Art' for the rest of highschool. Love your work 💙

[DBearRose]

Me: I’m done with men. That’s it. No more
Matthew: breathes
Me:....👁👄👁

[Soda.Pop]

I remember taking AP Art my senior year. I only took AP art to challenge myself, and expand my experience. I didn't care about the outcome because I know a number doesn't define my art since I can always have room improve. In the long run, I did learn a lot in that class.

[Maddie.d]

I freaking love your personality man! You bring me so much joy all the time when I see you post! This is also a very informative video for me since I’m a freshie and I’d like to know a bit more about future art classes :o ❤️

[bbozkurtz]

I never thought Matthew would be the type to argue with his teachers :O 🤣

[nostalgia]

I think you're Tom Cruise's son; you actually look like like him, especially when he was still young.😁

[noellealmeidasantos]

"how did you manage time between school and art?


" *i didn't* "

[dogesoftheoof]

Im so happy i found him, hes making me look at art in an entire different perspective, and i'm so thankful.

[stillthesame]

Ok i know this is a little random but i absolutely don't like my art teacher this year, he was so kind and gave me a lot of feedback last year and i absolutely love it. But this year he stays away from me and expects me to do amazing on everything sense he thinks i'm one of his best students, all i want from him is to give me critique on my art and for him to get to know me better as an artist and to help me grow more because i feel as if i'm not growing at all.

[arockiaselvikumanan]

Dude.. Watching your videos gives me joy and comfort... And thank you being an inspiration.... 💙

[nrdboink]

yes i agree with you on everything in this video, and i especially hate that college board doesn’t give actual feedback :/ it doesn’t feel real, it feels like they look at your art for like 30 seconds, come to a conclusion, and move onto the next one. it feels real bad man

[_moonchild_]

I'm a junior and doing AP 2D studio art this year, and this video helped so much, thanks Matt!! <3

[daydreamerca]

I’ve got a Google slide to do but it can wait

[thebaobabsandroses]

im taking ap art this year and I know I’ll be coming back to this video throughout the year bc it was so informative and comforting, thanks for this matt!

[brina]

Yes I’ve been wanting this video for so long!! Thank you Matt for inspiring me so much!! You’re such a great artist and you’re such a sweet soul!! Keep up the amazing work!! God bless❤️

[marrealillustrations]

This is perfect timing! I’m doing Ap art this year in my final year of high school. (Low key stressing about it) At least it’s only 15 pieces this year.