<p>College admission officer once told me to send my art portfolio if I have a talent for art or interested in drawing. I've never taken an art class in high school, but merely did sketches/paintings at home once a while. Is it okay to send in one painting or drawing? Any suggestions of what I should do? </p>
<p>Also, do you think it's bad if my artworks aren't as polished as the AP art students'? Or do you think that adcom will take in consideration that I've never had much formal training?</p>
<p>I wouldn't suggest sending it in, especially if it's just one piece. You can talk about your hobby on other parts of the application or during interviews.</p>
<p>This might be helpful; it's from Yale's undergrad admissions site:</p>
<p>
[quote]
There are many successful applicants who submit only the items that we require. There are also cases in which too many or average-quality submissions can work against a candidate. Supplementary submissions make sense when they add important information. If you have a particularly well-developed talent, you may send supplementary material such as a cassette tape, musical scores, slides, or writing samples.
<p>It depends on the school, but I think you want to aim for about 10 pieces of work. For example, Stanford asks for 10 but Williams asks for 20 (I know you're not applying to either, but I thought I'd just say). My point is, you should definitely send more than one. It's too easy for someone to send one drawing which is someone else's work (not that I'm saying that you will). I'm sure you have more than one drawing that is indicative of your ability!</p>
<p>Just because your work isn't as "polished" as the AP art students' doesn't mean it's not good. That's the beauty about art - your work could be as good as theirs, just different. If you're confident in your ability, go ahead and send a portfolio. :)</p>
<p>I might be taking AP studio art if my schedule allows me. ED is due november 1st, I MIGHT be able to finish 4 pieces by then if I work hard. Can I send more work after the due date?</p>
<p>The point of supplemental materials is to demonstrate substantial ability to the admissions officers, as the excerpt from Yale's site says. So basically, your work should be on a level where it wouldn't matter if you've taken AP Art or not. They're looking for exceptional talent; that's it. I think at most schools your portfolio is reviewed by art professors - hence why they prefer slides, 1) because it's more difficult to digitally enhance a piece this way and 2) because slides lend themselves to being projected on a larger surface. </p>
<p>I honestly don't think 4 pieces would be enough. :/ I don't know what your portfolio would have to be like for it to harm you, but I think for there to be a substantial benefit and for it to actually be worth it, your works need to be impressive on some level. Whether or not you've taken AP Studio is in my opinion not a big deal.</p>
<p>If I take AP Studio, I'll have the opportunity to work with oil paint. At home, i draw with pencils, paint with pastels and watercolor. The thing is, I don't know what will impress the school. Showing my artwork to friends/students is one thing, but I need a more knowledgeable person to critique me.</p>
<p>Well, if your pastels and watercolors are good enough I don't think the absence of oils will be a big issue. I'm going to be sending in an art portfolio as well, and the only media I've worked with are pencils, colored pencils, and oils. The issue for you right now is really just 1) do you have enough pieces? and 2) are you good enough for it to make a difference on your application? I agree with miraboo about having at least 10 pieces. Maybe less pieces will be enough to demonstrate your ability, but I think the idea is that if you're talented enough for an art portfolio to make a difference in your application, it's assumed that you'd also be prolific. How serious are you about art? If I were you I would just really look at what I've done, especially relative to other artists, and think hard about if taking the effort to prepare a portfolio is worth the benefit it'll probably confer. Is this just a casual hobby, or is this a serious pursuit for you?</p>
<p>I have enough pieces, but many of them are from 2 years ago. For the recent ones I've done, I've only spent about 4 hours on them, at one setting. I don't think art will be a serious pursuit/a career option for me, just as many good violin players won't be playing concerts as their main source of income.
I just want to show my passion for art and that I believe that I have a talent for it. I've done art related activities in middle school and back; was given the art award at my middle school graduation. Unfortunately I was too occupied by everything that I "had" to do in high school that art has become a pastime for me. Even though I wasn't involved in any classes or art shows, drawing has never left me. So I guess it takes 3 years to discover what I really like to do. I just want adcoms to somehow know that I do take art seriously and that I'll join art related activities in college.</p>
I just want to show my passion for art and that I believe that I have a talent for it.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's enough then. Don't feel as if you have to only use your recent pieces if you have older ones you're equally proud of. Go for it, and good luck!</p>
<p>Don't worry about not using oils. I've only used them once and I decided that I prefer acrylics. It's not the medium that counts, but what you do with it. Good luck!</p>