Following portfolio guidelines and requirements can help ensure that your artwork gets the attention it deserves.
Students applying to art school or an art program within a liberal arts college are required to submit an art portfolio as part of their application. This process can be overwhelming, particularly if you are applying to more than one school. To help you stay on track, take a minute for familiarize yourself with the general content and formatting requirements of an art portfolio.
Nevigating Each College's Requirements
Most art programs ask you to present work that can be categorized as a home exam, observational art or personal art. Some institutions will want to see pieces from two or three of these categories, while one category will be sufficient for others. Because each school has its individual content and quantity requirements, speak with admissions personnel from each school or read the admissions packet to find out about any criteria that must be met.
Portfolio Work Categories and Formats
The term observational art refers to using a still life, portrait, landscape or figure model when painting or drawing. You should depict the subject accurately and realistically. In other words, the image should be taken from real life and be reproduced without abstraction. Create the image on a piece of paper or canvas that measures 18 by 24 inches or greater. The entire surface of the paper or canvas should be covered. While the majority of observational art is created with drawing mediums such as charcoal or pencil, painting and collage are also acceptable.
Works produced outside of classroom instruction are considered personal art. It should reflect your individual interest in and experimentation with various concepts, materials and subjects. In this category, there are no restrictions in terms of permitted media. Lastly, work created to fulfill a school's or department's portfolio requirement is classified as a home exam. Examples include a school requiring all applicants' portfolios to include a drawing of a given subject, for instance, a tree.
If you plan on including photographs in your portfolio, use only those that you shot and printed yourself. Avoid using any pictures printed by photography labs. Schools will want to know why you chose the subject of a photograph. Therefore, you should type up a brief explanation of the print or print series and attach it to the back of each picture.
Slides
Regardless of the category or categories that your portfolio work falls into, in most cases you will need to submit it in the form of 35 mm slides. This format not only helps to avoid high mailing costs but also minimizes the need for storage room. However, some colleges may request that you send original work. If so, you should document any original work on slides before mailing it in the event your originals are lost or damaged while in transit.
Each slide should be labeled with your full name, the artwork title, medium, dimensions and date. Make the lower left corner of each slide with a red dot and number each slide. Place the slides into a clear plastic sheet. Be sure to also create a list which provides the information for each slide next to the corresponding slide number. You should also include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want the slides to be returned to you.
