Clarify the requirements of your essay. Find out the due date and time, whether your professor prefers the essay to be emailed or printed, any required reading materials, the citation style and the required length of the essay. The length of the essay may be a specific number of words, or a specific number of pages. If the length is specified in pages, clarify the required font, font size and whether each page is to be double- or single-spaced. Also, clarify whether references and images are to be included or excluded from the page count.
Research your essay. Read any and all required references, taking notes regarding general ideas and specific quotes that you may want to reference in your writing. Make sure to note page numbers of any ideas or quotes you will reference.
Make a chart showing the overall structure of your essay. Typically, this will include an introduction, several subsections and a conclusion. Decide how many words or pages you will assign to each section of the essay.
Write the first subsection of your essay. When you refer to any ideas or direct quotes from another author, make sure to correctly cite the author, publication and page number. Chicago style is common for art history papers, although it is by no means ubiquitous. Check with your professor to learn which style you are to use.
Write the remaining subsections of your essay. Make sure that the sections flow together smoothly, and that they progress in a logical order.
Write the conclusion of your essay. A good conclusion neatly summarizes what you have written, discovered or argued in your paper.
Write the introduction to your essay. The introduction should lay out what your essay is about, and include any thesis statement or argument that you seek to prove. Writing the introduction last is a way to make sure that the introduction is closely linked to what you have written in the body of your paper.
Double-check formatting and editing details, such as margin size, paper layout, page numbering, whether a header or footer with your name and essay title is required and whether a title page is needed.
Double-check your references. Make sure that any work cited in the body of the text is included in the reference list at the end of the paper. Ensure that all references follow the correct format. Check that every work in the reference list is also cited in the paper. Make sure to reference any images you have included in your paper, as well as books, journals, electronic sources, interviews and films.
Proofread your paper. Run a full spelling and grammar check. Consider any changes you would like to make to the overall essay structure and flow. Ask a friend, colleague, professor or professional editing service to read your draft and give you feedback.
Make any changes that you feel are necessary, or those suggested by another reader. You now have your final essay draft. Proofread the essay once more, and you are ready to hand it in.