<p>Hi everybody, sorry if this doesn't merit a post but I'd like some advice and feedback. My name is Jordan, I'm 17 and a high school junior looking to go to school for graphic design/communication design. I've got a long list of schools but right now my ultimate favorite seems to be CMU. My question is: I haven't done many art portfolio-friendly pieces. When I do art on my own time, it's mostly me drawing from photographs of celebrities and such. I know this is frowned upon for art school portfolios but hey, it's what I enjoy the most! (Other than design, I have design pieces but not on this computer). </p>
<p>My question is, do you think, based on these drawings, that I have potential to put together a successful portfolio of things that schools DO look for, like still lifes and life drawings? </p>
<p>Also is it completely horrible to submit something like my self portrait drawing, since it was done from a photograph? Or the drawing of the husky (I took the photo then drew from it for a friend's present, it's her dog)? </p>
<p>I have other questions but can't think of them at this moment, but thanks in advance everyone!</p>
<p>oh my g**
you sure have potential and great attitude.
ditch Jonas and you be fine.</p>
<p>jokes aside, you should take portfolio prep class or life drawing thing so art schools won’t frown at you.
did you trace photos or just looked at them and copied side by side? if latter, you should be able to crank up decent observational pieces with little time.
set up still life and practice and/or draw your family member when they are sleeping (so won’t complain and not moving much)
there this nice mom named, ahem, fineartmajormom knows about out and in of CMU.
she should be around, or I will call her up.
how is your academics? from your drawings you are one of those hard working perfectionist who get good grades and scores but haven’t been done much of outrageous thing in your life? then just bump up the area with some art and will be good to go. again, fammom can tell you how to go about.</p>
<p>Haha, thanks a lot! Jonas is just a guilty pleasure of mine, what can I say. I sure as heck won’t be putting those in my portfolio!</p>
<p>You pretty much hit the nail on the head with the description…I get good grades, mostly As with a couple Bs, my GPA is around 3.5 but that’s not official yet, it’s a rough number. I haven’t taken the SATs but I am in June, I did pretty decently on my PSATs…high 60s in math and mid 60s in reading and writing. Hoping to get those up a lot with the SATs. Taking a couple of AP classes senior year.</p>
<p>I want to take a class like that so bad! I always ask my sister to model for me and she’s all “Not if it takes longer than five minutes.” I think a life drawing class is what I need. I don’t trace the photos, I just look at them and try to draw what I see. I know schools want people to draw from their imagination too but when it comes to drawing, I draw for realism…it’s what inspires me to draw, trying to make everything as realistic looking as possible.</p>
<p>I’d love to talk to this fineartmajormom woman! Haha thank you for your help!</p>
<p>I am the mom BandD warned you about. She pm’d me and thinks you should be encouraged. Absolutely! Yes, you will probably need to broaden your portfolio to have something not from photographs but if you are thinking design at CMU you should check with them exactly what they need and go visit (if possible) and talk to them about what you should focus on in the next 6 months. My son took a portfolio prep class at our local art school the summer before applying to CMU. can you do something like this? It helped him because he had a lot of different things but few finished and ready to show; the class helped him finish things and also broaden his portfolio…he did some 3-D pieces, for example and lots of figure and drawings from observation that he had not done much of before. A class at a local junior college, art school or summer program could be ideal and it isn’t too late to find one. You obviously have some great drawing technique but you need to expand on it…</p>
<p>CMU is a wonderful place for creative and hardworking students. It is awfully expensive so make sure you consider great (and much cheaper) alternatives. read through some threads here and get some ideas. </p>
<p>Feel free to ask more questions and get more input. Remember no one here is an expert but there is a lot of goodwill and experience to share. </p>
<p>PS…everyone should have a self portrait in their portfolio. GO to utrecht.com…every year they have a self portrait competition for high school students…My son was a runner up but the winners get money and a scholarship for a summer at SCAD! If you missed it this year do next year.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice! I’d really like to visit CMU and talk to them. I have a question though I assume you’ll know, you sound pretty experienced… for CMU applicants, they want you to go to the campus for a portfolio review, correct? If you can’t do that do you think it lowers the chances of being accepted? I highly doubt I’d be able to attend an on-site review ;/</p>
<p>I’m gunna look into some courses over the summer, I feel like this summer is going to be a lot of time spent on my portfolio, which I don’t mind at all. The only problem is the ones that I have heard about all seem to be pretty pricey… BTW I checked out that contest, totally entering next year! Thanks!</p>
<p>Well you certainly have some advanced skills even at this point and I think if you can get a good portfolio pulled together you would be very interesting candidate to a lot of schools. But you need to take those drawing skills and definitely expand the imagery beyond “famous people” etc. but you can do that.</p>
<p>I know that people here have talked about scholarships for those summer schools/portfolio places, anyone? You should definitely go a National Portfolio Review day as soon as possible and get some feedback. Do you know about National Portfolio Day? You didn’t mention where you live.</p>
<p>I live in southern New Hampshire, and I heard there was a NPD in Boston in October so I’m going to go! Just need to actually get working on the portfolio.</p>
<p>Yes, definitely go to Boston for that. Go early, like about 2-3 hours before they open so you can be sure and get an early spot in line. Take a book, some music and just sit. Be sure and check out MassArt while you’re there. If money is an issue they offer a very impressive reduction for New England residents and their design department looked strong.</p>
<p>Do you have a mentor at school or someone in the area whose advice you could trust who you could work with this summer?</p>
<p>One other suggestion, while your portraits are strong sit down and try drawing some objects around the house that won’t move. Like chairs, sofas, stuff outside, one thing they will want to see at NPD are images that aren’t just faces. So that would be a good idea for now, add images of objects, outdoors, indoors go beyond the portraits using those same skills.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice on NPD, I actually visited MassArt about a month ago, it’s the only school I’ve visited but I loved it! I believe it’s around $15k for NE residents which makes it a very high contender on my list. Plus you can’t beat the location…I really fell in love with the school.</p>
<p>I’m gunna try to get in drawings of things other than people, it won’t be as interesting to me but I know it’s gotta be done!</p>
<p>The onsite review seems the preferred route but obviously lots of people can’t manage that so I don’t think it is a huge problem. I certainly don’t think you will be turned down for that. You do have to send a CD so you want to have good photographs taken. You could, however, try to attend a sleeping bag weekend when they do those reviews and there is financial aid available for travel. </p>
<p>CMU tries to meet the estimated need of the student but they don’t have the endowment of other top schools. That being said, there are a lot of kids getting substantial scholarships and aid. Again…find some good financially viable options if CMU is too expensive. </p>
<p>Your work is really good! In your final portfolio you need to show more variety though. That means maybe some still lifes like others have suggested, maybe even a land or cityscape, definitely a self-portrait, and some COLOR somewhere. Don’t worry that these have been drawn from photographs, that’s a form of observational drawing to some. Schools get a lot of anime and graphic novel drawings and they get tired of that and want to see more drawing from life. Keep us all posted, your work is very interesting!</p>
<p>Thank you for all the help! I finally convinced my sister to pose so I’m going to see what we can do tonight (: It’s no life drawing class but it’s something at least.</p>
<p>Also as an earlier poster said, don’t focus only on people. Create and draw still lifes, animals at the zoo, streetscapes, the standard umbrella, bicycle, corner of your room projects, anything you see. You obviously have a great deal of technical skill but need to start working on things you are less comfortable with. I don’t think they are looking for perfection but more to determine your potential.</p>
<p>Hope this isn’t too late to post. I took students to a portfolio review at the Art Inst of Chicago. One of the MOST important things is to look at your desired school’s portfolio requirements! My students did and the end result went well. If the school of your choice wants 5 still lifes in pencil, produce 5 still lifes in pencil. Follow the directions. They want to see your technical skills mostly from life. If you can, go to museums and look at the work, most of the work in museums is done from life. </p>
<p>Film portfolios are different. Best advice, follow the directions!</p>
<p>"most of the work in museums is done from life. "
I think that depends on the “age” of the piece, if you’re talking contemporary pieces I think that actually might not be true…or as true as the pre-1900 works. Remember the reason artists used to work from “life” is because they didn’t have cameras. I would be quite comfortable stating that probably all photo-realists work from photos and/or slides. </p>
<p>BUT if the schools still want works drawn from life then draw them from life. Follow AHSTteacher’s advice and follow directions. Except maybe if you’re applying to Cooper, then interpret the instructions as you can or will.</p>
<p>and SAIC
being art teacher, and stated quite old himself (assuming him, from hardships described in other thread, no I am not a sexist. wait, maybe…usually woman would go different sort of hardships, I think) he must be thinking works he likes or trying to teach upon young’ums
I scratched head, too reading it was Chicago, then it does not mean NPD meeting SAIC reps only.
and some of SAIC reps might like to see honest five still life.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mikeweissgallery.com/html/home.asp[/url]”>http://www.mikeweissgallery.com/html/home.asp</a>
I was gaping at them, they are photos, just that they are painted. oil on paper, was much better (photo-er) than ones on canvas.
and he had like, 30 or so works all labeled 2011.
how he does it so quick is another thing. I am sure technology galore and even bigger pieces are not Chuck Close big, but still.
If you are photographer and like taking pretty girls in Victorian lace running around in barren field or even do painting of it one or two and not obsessive nor as good as this guy, no big name gallery would care about you, I bet.
good for him. then again, I can’t help wonder
“what’s the point?” </p>