<p>I'm a high school student who have applied to McGill's B.Sc. Arch program for the next fall term, and I have to send in at least 10 pieces of artwork for my portfolio which is due in early March.
This is part of the requirements copied&pasted from McGill's site:</p>
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Work appropriate to the portfolio might include, but is not limited to: freehand drawings, paintings, sculpture, photography, computer graphics, technical drawings and model-making. Include work done in a variety of media.
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<p>Right now I'm only working on a freehand drawing of some building and I'm planning to do two or three more still life drawings, but as in the requirements stated that I need to include "work done in a variety of media", I really need some help and advice here.
I have never done any 3D-model work or computer graphics, nor do I have a decent camera that will allow me to come up with something impressive.</p>
<p>For the photographs I'm thinking of renting a camera for a week to take all the pictures I need, but I really have no idea how can I put something together and make a scale model. Time is limited, so I'd like to know if there's any kind of model that's easy to make or beginners'-friendly? Are there some recommended tutorials sites I can look up? Is it okay if I do a scale model of existing structures rather than designing one on my own? I tried to create something using a 3D-software program I just downloaded, but I'm still utterly confused about the whole thing. :/</p>
<p>I’d say that since you haven’t done any 3D modeling, it wouldn’t be too wise to teach yourself something really basic and hand in a subpar portfolio piece. </p>
<p>As for photography, they don’t necessarily need to be high quality. You just need to show your ability to compose a scene, to take into account lighting effects, color, and mood. They are much more important than having a 10Mpx camera. And plus, you can also edit the image to your liking on the computer before submitting it. </p>
<p>If you are more comfortable with traditional media, try showing off your technical skill and variety there. For example, you could do pencil drawings, pen linework, painting, collage, abstract. </p>
<p>If you do choose to make an architectural 3D model in the time you have, I don’t suggest any CAD. Get some cheap foamcore or chipboard and try designing something small. The emphasis here is on design. Be creative, you shouldn’t make scale models of something that exists.</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice! Regarding the 3D-model, I don’t know from which way I can start working. I know that doesn’t sound pretty concerning I’m a prospective arch major, but I’ve never had any experience in designing houses and such. I just hope I’ll learn everything by the time I start to have actual classes in university.
What do they typically look for in those 3D models? Do they expect you to show something that is almost up to par with what a current arch major can come up with?</p>
<p>You actually don’t need any experience to make a 3D model. I put one into my portfolio as well. It doesn’t have to actually be a building design or whatever; I gave myself the assignment of designing a 10x10x10 personal space. It was pretty boxy and clunky, but as long as you take the time to make it look good and have some kind of reasoning behind everything you do, it won’t really matter that you haven’t done it before.</p>
<p>Definitely not! Although they are looking for some degree of craftsmanship, that is definitely not expected. Don’t worry about not knowing how to design houses and such, that is what architecture design studio is for.</p>