Florida School of the Arts

PORTFOLIO TIP SHEET

Journal or Sketchbook

A record of your thoughts, ideas and processes as well as a way of getting you to think about your art outside class. Very often thoughts and ideas come at unexpected times so it is a good idea to carry your journal with you all the time.

Portfolio (artistic presentation and a demonstration of your raw ability)
  • Keep ALL of your work. Take care of it. Continually work on your portfolio.
  • Get critical and honest feedback on your potential portfolio from professionals in the arts, art teachers, artists from the community, and portfolio days. Find out which pieces you should keep in, pieces not to include, and new kinds of work to add.
  • Write comments/feedback down so you will not forget or get confused at a later time.
  • Document (shoot slides) your work properly and ahead of time. Accept that you will not document them well 100% of the time. Give yourself time to re-shoot pieces.
  • Most students will have completed 10 finished pieces for every one that is actually included in the final portfolio.
  • The particular institution you are applying to may specify portfolio content so pay attention to those demands. Tailor your portfolio to the college where you are presenting your portfolio.
  • No portfolio fits all occasions/situations.
  • Portfolios can have all or only a little weight regarding your acceptance.
  • Remember presentation is important; mounting, matting or shrink wrapping is a plus.


Most portfolios are broken down into the following categories:
    1. Observational Art
    • Drawing or painting in a traditional method using a still life, figure model, portrait or landscape as the subject and rendering the subject as accurately as possible.
    • The image should not be taken from a photograph or the artist's imagination but from real life.
    • Size of the artwork should be approximately 18" x 24" or larger in scale and fill the entire surface of the paper or canvas. Most work in this category is done in pencil, charcoal, or other drawing mediums, but it can also include painting and collage.
    • At least half your pieces should be drawn from observation.
    2. Personal Art
    • This work is done outside of a classroom situation and reflects the artist's unique interests in use of materials, subject matter and concept. Work can be completed in any medium including (not limited to) drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, digital/computer art, etc.
    • Other half of the portfolio should demonstrate your particular strengths and interests. Risk taking, concept and experimentation are highly encouraged in this section. You should submit your best recent work regardless of your intended major area of interest. Don't go back more than TWO years.
    3. Home Exam
    • The home exam consists of specific work that has been required by a particular college or department. (Example: Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in the past has asked that all portfolios include a drawing a "bicycle".)
    • When presenting graphic or digital medial work (CD ROM/Digital/Interactive Portfolios) make sure that your work is finished/complete as possible.
    • The portfolio should include a color printout of the work as well as a copy on disk format with attached list of instructions and programs used.
    • Check with each individual school to see if they accept digital/electronic portfolios and what computer platform they require.
    • DO NOT assume that the college will accept digital portfolios.


Slides
  • If you need to photograph your works on slides, always take enough slides of each individual work so that you can send them to all the schools that you are applying to (itÕs better to have too many than too few.) Always keep a master set that you can duplicate at a later date if you need to.
  • Give yourself plenty of time prior to the due date of the portfolio. Documenting artwork can be tricky and it may take more than one attempt to get it right.
  • Use a 35mm camera with manual operation, if possible. The background should be solid white or black depending on the art.
  • It is a good idea to shoot your art against a black background unless your art is black or the paper is transparent. Black is less distracting and looks much more professional.
  • Photographing indoors, use photoflood bulbs for lighting because a flash will produce glare or hot spots.
  • Make sure you match color temp of the film to the lights you are using.
  • If you are shooting color, use the correct light source for which the film is balanced. Daylight film with daylight bulbs and tungsten film with tungsten bulbs.
  • Measure the distance from the center point of your copy to the light, both lights should be exactly the same distance away. Measure the distance from the wall to the lights, this too should be exactly the same distance.
  • The lights should be aimed at the opposite edge of the art, not the center, to ensure even lighting.
  • Measure the distance from the light to the floor, this should be the same for both lights and also should be the middle point of your art.
  • Make sure the light is evenly falling on the art. A quick simple test for evenness of lighting from two lamps is to place an n object such as a pencil at right angles to the art on a white piece of paper. Examine the shadows cast; they should be equal in tone and length.
  • Outdoor photography usually produces even lighting. Be sure to prevent shadows from falling on two-dimensional wok if they help define edges or textures.
  • Fill the frame in the viewfinder with the image of your work so that it is centered and parallel with the frame lines.
  • If you still need to edit the image you can mark parts of the slide with a special tape that is sold in camera stores.
  • Only submit focused, well exposed and clear slides.
  • To get the proper exposure for your slides get a photographic gray card (Kodak Publication R-27) from a photo supply store. Fasten the card in the center of the area where you are going to place your art to photograph. Get close enough to fill the frame of your camera with the card. Be careful not to cast any shadows on the card and don't worry about the card being in focus. Take a meter reading. Use this reading for all of your photographs. If you move any of the lights, repeat the process. If you are suing sunlight, check your exposure about every 30 to 45 minutes, or if the sun goes behind a cloud.
  • Label the slides with your name, date, title and dimensions of the work. (Avery brand #5267 return address labels work great for slides and can be done on a home computer and printed using most word processing programs.) Include a separate typed slide description sheet. Follow each schoolÕs directions on how they want slides submitted to them labeled.
  • The best way to submit your portfolios is by sending slides of your artwork in an 8" X 11" transparent sheet unless the school prefers to see the original artwork. The slides should be accompanied by an inventory list giving the size, medium and date of completion of each piece.

Original Art
  • Do not include torn or poorly cared for work.
  • Include your most recent work. Do not go back more than TWO years.
  • Include only finished or completed works (avoid sending too many studies or gestures).
  • Include your name, date, title of the work and your social security number on the back of each individual artwork.
  • Photograph or slides all 3-dimensional/sculptural work (do not mail 3-dimensional work).
  • NOTE: mail portfolios "Return Receipt Requested" to ensure that delivery of your work made it to the right department/person in a timely manner.
  • Each college of art and design's admission staff has their own ideas of what they want to see in a portfolio. However, most are trying to determine each studentÕs strengths, individual growth and interests. The portfolio you submit should reflect your best examples in observational drawing, color composition and concept.

Right Fit
  • Finding the right art education is a very individual process and decision. Curriculum priorities within each art department, the look and feel of a particular art school, and one's own extracurricular plans are all crucial in making our own individually correct decision.
  • Find out early what's important to the art school to which you apply. Then, make what's important to them, important to you.
  • Most often cited factors that make a great portfolio were:
    • 1. Strong technical skills
    • 2. Creativity
    • 3. Drawing from direct observation
    • 4. A variety of media and scale, sketchbooks, and good technical skills.

Interview
  • 1. Motivation / Passion / Enthusiasm
  • 2. Commitment to your art
  • 3. Openness to new ideas and critiques
  • 4. Ability to articulate your work

You can't hold back - you need to tell them with confidence that you're the one they want, and show them in every way possible that you are serious, committed, and passionate about making your art into your career.


Factors that hurt your Admission:
  • 1. Weak portfolio
  • 2. Bad grades
  • 3. Work copied from photographs
  • 4. Underdeveloped ideas and work
Failure to know enough about the field to tell someone in an interview why you feel this is the career for you.

Advice
  • 1. Work, Work, Work
  • 2. Visit the schools before you make your decision
  • 3. Pay close attention to the school's admissions criteria
  • 4. Don't neglect your grades
  • 5. Take as many high school art classes as possible, supplement these classes with summer art programs, or community art programs.


Sources:
  • Preparing Students for Higher Education in Visual Art Presenter: Bucky Wetherell: Ringling School of Art and Design
  • Preparing Your Portfolio for College Admissions By: Kavin buck, Artist and Director of Recruitment and Outreach, UCLA School of Arts and Architecture
  • Charles March, Artist and Instructor, Florida School of the Arts
  • James Thurman, Artist and Professor, Penn State University/School of Visual Arts