Why do I need an art portfolio? Represents the type of artist you are Highlights your artistic strengths It is your ticket into the school of your choosing. You can submit to earn scholarships for school!

What kind of work should I include? Original work from direct observation No drawings of other people’s drawings! (No well known characters, no copies of well known art, absolutely nothing from another artist’s work) Admissions officers are well trained to quickly spot artworks that have been copied from photographs or that have been lifted from other resources. You need to prove that you can translate 3D concepts into a 2D space, that you can rotate a subject and keep the correct proportions and perspective. Choose your best and most recent work (within the last 12 months)  Yes! No 

Have a variety of subject matter This demonstrates your willingness and interest to work with different topics. Include: Figures, self-portraits, still-lifes, landscapes, interiors, etc. Admissions officers don’t want to see a portfolio of twenty self- portraits. A portfolio with only one topic comes across as narrow minded and limited.

(Typically) Every piece should be a finished work and presented neatly Be sure that everything in your portfolio is a work that has been 100% fully realized. Unless the school specifically requests to see images from a sketchbook, assume that they want to see finished works. This means no white backgrounds, no dirty fingerprints, no ripped edges, no half finished figures, etc. Some art schools will require that you submit your sketchbook along with your portfolio to help them understand how you developed your ideas. Dirty pages! 

Demonstrate versatility in a range of different media. This shows you have taken the initiative to learn and develop skills in contrasting media. It shows that you have more than one skill set, and can move fluidly from one media into the next. Include drawings, paintings, sculptures, mixed media, digital media, printmaking, or anything else that you’ve had experience with.

Demonstrate good technical skills. Accomplished drawings are the heart of a successful portfolio when applying at the undergraduate level. Make sure that you have the basics down: anatomy, color, lighting, etc. A creative art piece without proper proportions is not going to impress. Drawing is like the foundational skill – you need to know how to do it to succeed in all other mediums  Yes! Proportion of neck is off and the first thing you notice 

Ask an art teacher for help before you submit! Typically, the college will ask for a certain number of works. An art teacher or someone in the art world can help you edit and choose your strongest pieces. The images below are a former 2D Art student’s. * She is applying for a scholarship and needs to submit work. * Look at how much just simple cropping does! Before After

What is National Portfolio Day? National Portfolio Day FREE event specifically for visual artists and designers. An opportunity for anyone who wishes to pursue an education in the visual and related arts to meet with representatives from colleges accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Representatives will be available to review your artwork, discuss their programs and answer questions about professional careers in art. High school students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and college transfer students are encouraged to attend.

Top Ranking Art Schools in the U.S. Top Ranking Art Schools in the U.S. Rhode Island School of Design Freshman Application

Resources for art scholarships: Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Young Arts Program National Sculpture Society Find College Scholarships Design Sponge Scholarships

Photographing work - Photograph outdoors or using natural light where possible. For three-dimensional work, make sure you have additional lighting to avoid creating shadows. Turn the piece on an angle that is most interesting. For 2D work, crop the image to get rid of distracting backgrounds Make sure the image is level with an even amount of border or white space around the edges – use a tripod!

Score Yourself Teacher Score The submitted Digital Portfolio shows: Images  All project photos are included  All photos show completed art work  Photos are cropped evenly and show even negative space around the edge of the object  All photos have been taken using ample light (all details can be seen)  Majority of project photos are included (missing 1-2)  Majority of photos show completed art work  Majority of cropping is done accurately  Majority of photos have been taken using ample light (some details are hard to see)  Many of project photos are missing  Many photos show art work that in unfinished  Many of photos show uneven cropping/ portions of the work have been inadvertently cropped out  Many photos lack ample light (details are very hard to see) Presentation  Student could be heard clearly from all areas of the room  Student made eye contact with audience  All photos included an accurate credit line  Student followed presentation outline accurately  Student elaborated on information written on slides (did not read directly from slides)  Student could be heard clearly the majority of his/her presentation (asked to repeat/speak louder 1-2 times)  Student made eye contact with the audience most of the time  Most photos included an accurate credit line (1-2 were incomplete)  Presentation outline was followed somewhat accurately  Student elaborated on some information (sometimes read directly from slides)  Student was very hard to hear (asked to repeat/speak louder several times)  Student did not make eye contact with audience  Many photos did not include an accurate credit line  Presentation outline was not followed accurately  Student read directly from slides and did not elaborate Total Project Score Comments: /18 /18 2D Art: Digital Art Portfolio Presentation Name:____________________________________________ Hour:____

Makayla Menge 2D Art Digital Portfolio Presentation 2014

Makayla Menge, Room Décor, 2014, Graphite Pencil, Still Life Drawing,12” x 16”, Shakopee West Junior High (My most successful work of art this semester) Do you have previous experience doing a project like this, (if so, when, how often?) or was it your first time working in this medium? What did you enjoy most about this? What was the most challenging part about this project? Did you revise any areas of this work? (If yes, why? Was it after critique or handing it in?) What is your best advice for a student who will do this project next year? If you could start it over again (or do another one) what would you change and what would you keep the same?

Makayla Menge, Lies Behind the Truth, 2014, Acrylic Paint Painting, 12” x 16”, Shakopee West Junior High (My 2 nd most successful work of art this semester)

Makayla Menge, Dream, 2014, Color Pencil and Sharpie Inspiration Page, 10” x 16”, Shakopee West Junior High (My 3rd most successful work of art this semester)

Makayla Menge, Downtown, 2014, Sharpie 3 point perspective, 12” x 12”, Location (My 4 th most successful work of art this semester)

Makayla Menge, Mark McMorris, 2014, Watercolor Portrait, 12” x 16”Shakopee West Junior High (My 5 th most successful work of art this semester)

Makayla Menge, Old Yeller, 2014, Screen Ink Printing, 4” x 6”, Shakopee West Junior High (My least successful/most challenging work of art this semester) Do you have previous experience doing a project like this, (if so, when, how often?) or was it your first time working in this medium? What did you enjoy most about this? What was the most challenging part about this project? Did you revise any areas of this work? (If yes, why? Was it after critique or handing it in?) What is your best advice for a student who will do this project next year? If you could start it over again (or do another one) what would you change and what would you keep the same?

Final Class Reflection Do you feel your skills improved during this class? Why/Why not? What were the 3 most interesting things you learned during this class? How was this class different from your previous art classes?