Creating an Advanced Placement (AP) art portfolio can be a challenging task for high school students. But it’s also an exciting opportunity to show off their talents. It requires creativity, planning, and a thorough understanding of the requirements set by the College Board. AP art students are typically passionate about art and design, but they’re also often overwhelmed by the portfolio’s complexity. Read on to learn more about the College Board’s current portfolio requirements and scoring criteria, as well as to get tips for creating portfolios, examples of high-scoring AP art portfolios, and insights from the students who created them.
AP Art and Design Portfolio Requirements
The current version of the Advanced Placement (AP) Art and Design Portfolio consists of two sections: Sustained Investigation (60% of total score) and Selected Works (40% of total score). While the previous version required 24 artworks, the current one requires just 15. Until recently, there was a breadth section that demonstrated student range and provided an opportunity for working with different mediums. The intent with Sustained Investigation is to demonstrate practice, experimentation, and revision through a number of images that seek to answer an inquiry chosen by the artist. While students can submit solely finished artworks, they can also include revision and process images as seen with many AP art portfolio examples. The Selected Works portion consists of five high-quality artworks.
There is also a writing requirement, which includes an artist statement of 1,200 words split into two 600-word sections. Additionally, artists have 100 characters to explain the process behind each work and 100 characters to explain the materials used.
While there have been changes to the AP art portfolio requirements in recent years, older, successful portfolios still provide valuable insights.
AP Art and Design Portfolio Scoring
The portfolio, which can be 2D, 3D, or drawing, is submitted digitally and scored from 5 (extremely well qualified) to 1 (no recommendation). A score of 4 is considered well qualified, a score of 3 is qualified, and a score of 2 is possibly qualified. Previous versions of the AP portfolio scoring had different ranges and went up to a high score of 6. A portfolio provides students the opportunity to earn college credit while showing off their talent. The collection of finished artworks and images should demonstrate students’ grasp of design and art concepts while also showing the full range of their abilities. A student’s portfolio should definitely show relationships between materials, processes, and ideas. It will also include written evidence of these things. Check out our tips and AP art portfolio examples before getting started.
Top Tips for Creating an AP Art Portfolio
- Don’t be afraid to revisit artworks.
- Pay careful attention to composition.
- Don’t be afraid to abandon an artwork if it isn’t working.
- Refer to apstudents.collegeboard.org/art-designprogram for the most up-to-date information.
- Show your development as an artist.
- Develop your sustained investigation and theme.
- Take some risks.
Examples From Successful Portfolios
1. A Perfect 6
A perfect score on the AP Art Portfolio is very rare but not completely unattainable. Although difficult, student Ratthamnoon Prakitpong earned every possible point in the different sections of his drawing portfolio. Prakitpong gives loads of good advice while providing examples, including before-and-after examples of different artwork. He also recommends drawing inspiration from unexpected places.
Learn more: AP Studio Art Drawing Portfolio: Tips from a Student Who Gained 100%
2. A 3D Compilation
This video compilation shows a wide variety of finished 3D artworks but also includes photos showing Cyan D’Anjou’s process. D’Anjou said that most of the concentration section of her portfolio was developed during her final year of high school. In today’s portfolio, this would be akin to the Sustained Investigation portion.
3. A Strong Theme
Once student Alina Rhoadarmer chose childhood memories as the theme for her AP art portfolio, she was able to set out creating a wide variety of artworks that fit that topic. Rhoadarmer explained, “I was constantly developing and redeveloping my question and reinterpreting my topic to create new art pieces.”
Learn more: 2020-2021 AP Art Portfolio Showcase
4. Digital Painting Concentration
This is an example of a 2D AP art portfolio with more of a commercial focus since it centers around character creation and development. Although there are a wide variety of platforms for digital painting, this particular artist used Ibis paint, incredibly, on her iPhone. The artist created many different types of characters and environments, including variations on Thomas Edison. The portfolio expresses the story and concept of the characters while also demonstrating the artist’s range and ability.
5. Three Portfolios, One Artist
While a video compilation of an AP art portfolio is helpful, a video including three is even better! First, we see artworks from a 2D portfolio submitted in 2015 during their junior year. Next, we see a portfolio for drawing from the artist’s senior year. Finally, we see their 2D portfolio from their senior year. Although difficult to do, all three of these portfolios scored a 5 (strong).
6. Artworks With Explanations
Artist/student Conan Gray does a nice job showing his artwork while providing his rationale for each image. Since a still-life can fall flat, Gray recommends incorporating meaning and shares an example of his own still-life that succeeds at that.
7. 2D Photography Example
These images are from a perfect score AP 2D Art and Design portfolio. This artist explores the animal world through photography. As with any good AP art portfolio examples, there is a clear mastery of the chosen medium as well as consistency in theme throughout the works.
Learn more: AP Art Portfolio (score 5)
8. A Perfect Score on a Drawing Portfolio
The artist in this video provides helpful tips and examples for obtaining a perfect score on the drawing portfolio while also being hilarious. This artist used 11 completed works in her Sustained Investigation portion and 4 more revision and process images to round out the required 15 images. She provides helpful tips like using your best works toward the beginning and end and putting your least favorite works in the middle.
Examples of Sustained Investigation
9. Theme: Femininity and Masculinity Through the 20th Century
This Sustained Investigation is particularly effective since it not only explores gender but the expression of gender throughout different moments in the 20th century.
Learn more: AP Art Studio
10. Theme: Negative and Positive Effects of Social Media on Self-Esteem
This artist explored the negative and positive consequences of social media on self-esteem. They used color to express positive effects while a lack of color clearly indicates the negative consequences.
Learn more: AP Art Studio
11. Theme: Feeling Comfortable vs. Uncomfortable
Looking at artworks on a given theme is helpful, but having the artist explain their processes and ideas is even better. Artist Karina Singh does a wonderful job of explaining her use of composition and materials to explore her topic of being comfortable versus being uncomfortable. Her work shows a thorough exploration of a theme with ideas ranging from female sexuality, COVID, and family to environmental waste.
12. Theme: Nonverbal Communication
Artist/student Sophie Miller chose nonverbal communication for her Sustained Investigation so she could draw “with elevated contrast.” According to the artist, at least half of her drawing time was done during a free period or at home. Her theme is made undeniably clear through her drawings of people with intense facial expressions and hand gestures.
Learn more: AP Art Students Complete Their Portfolios
13. Theme: Phobias
This artist chose a topic that certainly allowed for endless possibilities of subject matter. He showed his range by creating images that represented different phobias while utilizing different materials and mediums.
Learn more: AP Studio Art Concentration Portfolio (Phobias)
Other Ideas for Sustained Investigation
- Abandonment of people and places
- Evolution of illness
- Human influence on the environment
- Effects of social media
- Reflections on various surfaces
- Depression
- Close-ups (food, body parts, etc.)
- Effect of corporate advertising on human psyche
- Painting friends in different historical eras
- Voyeurism
- Modernization of famous fairy tales
- Woodcuts based on Japanese printmaking
- Found-object sculptures
- Exploration of clothing across cultures
- Road trips
Examples of Low-Scoring Portfolios
Seeing examples of high-scoring and well-flushed-out portfolios is helpful, but it can also be useful to see examples of what not to do. The AP College Board posts examples of low-scoring portfolios while including the rationale behind the scores. See below for some examples of portfolios that only scored a 1.
- 2D Portfolio Example 1/AP Central/College Board
- 2D Design Portfolio Example 2/AP Central/College Board
- AP Central/College Board/Sustained Investigation
You can also find examples of complete portfolios that scored high on the 2022 portfolio exam as well as more scoring commentaries at the AP Central College Board website.