<p>I'm helping some high school students prepare portfolios for art schools and I'm curious about what you would consider your best/strongest/most unusual piece? Which projects really stood out when you were going through portfolio reviews? Were there any pieces you which you had included? </p>
<p>I teach at an after school art program and we have students in our Advanced Drawing classes who are ready for more. Some are thinking about college and some are getting ready to apply to AP programs at their high schools. I'd like them to start working independently in our classes preparing the pieces they really need.</p>
<p>Any other thougths - I'd really like to develop some projects that will be helpful for their portfolios. Drawing from observation - different views, imaginative drawings, interpreting poems, ........ please share.</p>
<p>Feedback my son received (that I wouldn't have known and that his art teacher hadn't shared) was that "conceptual pieces" were appreciated, not just technical skill (symbolic or metaphorical meaning, the conveying of emotion over a series of drawings or paintings). Certainly the self-portrait(s) was important and conveyed technical skill, but they also wanted to know that the artist had something to say. The choice and execution of background was as important as the foreground.</p>
<p>Honestly, I have seen a lot of kids do great self-portraits and not get admitted to top schools. The top design and art schools want more. You need to have a lot of different drawings from observation and maybe one or two self-portraits. They also want a number of color pieces, which should be at least three or more.</p>
<p>RARELY use photographs for portfolios because colleges want drawings from observation. One or two photos might be used if you are SURE that they are of very high quality.</p>
<p>Finally, and I can't emphasize this enough, you could have the finest pieces,but if your presentation is mediocre,it will detract from the whole portfolio. Imagine going to a restaurant that has fabulous desserts but the presentation looks like dog droppings. You wouldn't find that too appetizing, right? The same can be said of portfolios. You should be sure to have professionally done slides of your work and mount them professionally. You might even want to prepare a pictorial booklet of your pieces.</p>
<p>Finally, go to National Portfolio Day in order to find out what each school looks for in portfolios. Some are very color oriented. Some of time in motion oriented etc. You really need to understand the needs and wants of the school.</p>
<p>taxguy said:
"RARELY use photographs for portfolios because colleges want drawings from observation. One or two photos might be used if you are SURE that they are of very high quality."</p>
<p>I assume the exception to this is if your emphasis and area of art concentration is photography? Or do you stand by your orignal statement?</p>
<p>I think (correct me if I'm wrong) taxguy meant not to use photographs as sources for drawings, not that you shouldn't put any original photography in your portfolio.</p>
<p>ok, so thinking back to undergrad.... the most unusual thing I did was a 'life wheel'- concentric circles in which each ring contained an entirely different subject matter. Mine ended up pretty abstract, but I've been thinking it could be nice to do one more realistic, with a particular relationship between the subject matter.</p>
<p>The life wheel sounds pretty cool - do you remember any more of the instructions?</p>
<p>I agree with drawing from observation for the most part but I also see the value of using photos as reference for learning certain techniques - maybe some of these turn into portfolio pieces, maybe not.</p>
<p>Every one(about ten schools now) that D has looked at, except for one (SCAD and they still need it for scholarship app) DO require it for admission to their Art Department which includes their BFA with studio emphasis in Photography. What schools are you refering to that do NOT?</p>
<p>Before you answer, check out the new thread I will start in two minutes as i don't want to hijack this thread...</p>
<p>Back to the question of what to include in the portfolio - my daughter has quite a few drawings and paintings done from observation but not enough so far to make up the 12-20 pieces that most schools require. Regarding the comment about using photographs for drawings-I have also gotten the impression from some art schools that they don't want to see drawings done from photos. For my daughter's AP Portfolio class, she is required to do a concentration of 12 pieces and she is using photographs she has taken then used Photoshop, etc. to change the images and color so they have more of an abstract or funky appearance. She is then doing her paintings from these computer altered photographs. Her teacher thought this was a good idea for the concentration portion of her class. Can she include some of these paintings in her portfolio for college applications? If she already has 7 or 8 drawings from observation, I would think it would be good to show some variety. Thanks for your thoughts/opinions.</p>
<p>I have a few pieces that have been somewhat "praised" by portfolio critics. One is a tea pot that resembles a tree trunk( a large log protruding from the side is the spout, and the top of the tree and its leaves is the lid). I made it in ceramics class and glazed it. Another is a collage/ mosaic of a lion's and fireman's faces fused together with shading and blending of cut out magazine clippings. It is quite abstract. They seem to like things that "others wouldnt think about doing."</p>
<p>////Regarding the comment about using photographs for drawings-I have also gotten the impression from some art schools that they don't want to see drawings done from photos.////</p>
<p>The reason is that spatial relationships are predefined from a photo, but from life requires the student to make these observations. Developmentally, it's a better choice.</p>
<p>////For my daughter's AP Portfolio class, she is required to do a concentration of 12 pieces and she is using photographs she has taken then used Photoshop, etc. to change the images and color so they have more of an abstract or funky appearance.////</p>
<p>This is button pushing, and about the last thing someone reviewing a portfolio wants to see.</p>
<p>///She is then doing her paintings from these computer altered photographs. Her teacher thought this was a good idea for the concentration portion of her class.///</p>
<p>But Picasso or Kandinsky didn't need Photoshop. Maybe this is a good way to teach your daughter to handle the media, but my opinion is that it would be better for your daughter to study what was behind modern art movements and apply them directly to the canvas. She may even find her own artistic voice in this manner.</p>
<p>///Can she include some of these paintings in her portfolio for college applications? If she already has 7 or 8 drawings from observation, I would think it would be good to show some variety. Thanks for your thoughts/opinions.///</p>
<p>She should show her best work. Diversity of media and subject matter is encouraged.</p>
<p>Every one(about ten schools now) that D has looked at, except for one (SCAD and they still need it for scholarship app) DO require it for admission to their Art Department which includes their BFA with studio emphasis in Photography. What schools are you refering to that do NOT?////</p>
<p>RIT does not, don't know about others. </p>
<p>Photography is a skill that can be taught to a professional level of competence. BTW, photography is a tough tough career. It's very competitive; there's lots of undercutting; you have to hustle your butt off; you must be aggressive. I wouldn't recommend photography to anyone unless they were highly committed and passionate.</p>