Independent Art Projects and Online Art Portfolios

Independent Project 2.0 by Sophie M, Grade 9.

By Brianne Cooper, Art Teacher

Each year, high school students are given the opportunity to design their own art project from start to finish. We in the art room refer to this as their "Independent Project." Throughout the year, students find inspiration from contemporary artists, past projects, and new explorations and ideas to inspire their project.

This year, their work was so well developed that during our class critique we had multiple ideas that could be used to extend each project. Through this collaboration, students were challenged to create a second component of their Independent Project. Their "Independent Project 2.0" could revise their original project, or stem off in a different direction and become a new project altogether.

These portraits by Sophie are part of her Independent Project 2.0. Sophie explored drawing techniques and rendered a series of portraits of her mother for her Independent Project. Using cross-hatching and an expressive line, Sophie became increasingly interested in studying the human face. Since then, she has filled up her sketchbook with renderings of Instagram models and used these drawings as her subject matter for her Independent Project 2.0. Keeping her design plan simple, the bold colours add contrast and interest to her overall design.

To view the rest of our high school online art portfolios, please click the link below.

https://brie469.wixsite.com/brieteachesart/student-portfolios