<p>I want to submit a DVD of my artworks for an arts submission for instate early decision for William and Mary. Photography is not allowed but I took photos of my artworks because my scanner won't fit a lot of them. </p>
<p>I gave them cheesy names so it would be easier for people to reference them.</p>
<p>Could you all please tell me
1. Which ones (if any of them) are worth sending for an arts submission?
2. Will they be competitive in the early decision arts submission pool?
3. Which ones are obvious fillers?
4. Can you guys in general just critique me as well?</p>
<p>I think the reason you may not be getting responses is that you are asking forum members to judge your art. As most of us are not artists or art judges, that makes us reluctant or unable to comment.</p>
<p>My oldest daughter is a professional artist, so I have seen the best art submissions for high school art competitions at the Scholastics regional and national art competitions. If you won a gold medal there, it would be worth telling W&M about it.</p>
<p>One of my other daughters did get offered admittance to W&M, although she did not accept. She was/is a pretty good artist and had won some art competitions, but she didn’t send in any submissions as she wasn’t applying to the arts programs. Same with music; she listed her music accomplishments on a resume but did not send in a recording.</p>
<p>My sense on these EC submissions when you are not applying to major in one of the arts is that it won’t make a difference unless it is really outstanding and you are passionate about that art. Evidence of outstanding work and passion would be reflected by the fact that you took lessons/classes for years, entered and won competitions, entered or held your own art show, etc.</p>
<p>I see. I haven’t taken any classes nor have I entered any competitions. These artworks were also from more than 2 years ago. Would it hurt to send them anyways? Just in case? Perhaps to show dedication to the school (although I’m aware that interest isn’t taken into factor)?</p>
<p>Well, as I said, I don’t work in admissions at a college and I’m not an artist.</p>
<p>My understanding, based on several daughters’ applications to arts and other schools, is that submitting an art portfolio is certainly not going to count against you if they aren’t widely enthusiastic for your work. They’ll just ignore it. However, colleges do like it when you take an interest in their school. So, it shouldn’t hurt to submit it.</p>
<p>Take out Blue Virus or add more detail. If you are going to close in on a subject then what you close in has to be visually interesting and hold your viewers interest. Think of those medical commercials where they close up on things and you can see the tiny little hairs and other details.</p>
<p>Contrast: While I am not a hundred percent for this piece, I do not think the photo is bad. It’s simple but has a professional quality. Not bad. </p>
<p>In my opinion, Ocean Waves is strongest. While it could be better it is one of your more solid pieces.</p>
<p>Face: A common mistake people fall into when drawing faces is that they focus and draw the eyes first before the rest of the face. Remember, composition first. Why am I drawing this person, where am I drawing this person, etc. Do a couple thumbnails. And then start with the shape of the face. Starting this way will give it better form. And if you are going to do a close up of a face, please add in the head and at least the suggestion of the shoulders. That way you do not have a face floating in the middle of a white page. Avoid having any subject floating on a page (this includes all your pencil drawings). If you check out some books from your local library on the subject or look at photos of skulls, those might help you. And try getting a small pack of artist grade pencils. They are rather cheap (you only will probably need an HB and a 2B) to be extremely basic and they will help your graphite work greatly. You’ll be able to reach darker values and gain more control over the medium. And avoid smearing. Any art teacher I’ve ever had has hated smearing. It produces these large gray blotches that wipe out value rather than creating it. Small circles and crosshatching produce better results.</p>
<p>As I said before, take out Nemo and Indiana Jones. Try to avoid using iconic characters unless you are putting your own unique spin on them. A lot of the work you have seem to be observational drawings of other peoples photos. This is not good, and can be considered plagiarism in a portfolio. I think to use photo reference the motto is to change 70%. I’d check on that. I would consider only working from photos you take. If all else fails, you cannot plagiarize yourself and you can take photos that are more relevant to your subject matter then someone uploading to Google.</p>
<p>I second what naueth has said. When a school allows you to submit art to supplement your application the portfolio should show a considerable amount technique and talent. I apologize by being blunt but I do not think the offering you have right now is strong enough. I do not feel too terrible saying that considering the work you are submitting is two years old. There is some time. If you are really set on submitting a portfolio, maybe try some photography or enroll in a painting class. If you are asking for an opinion, Starburst, Ocean Waves, and, Contrast are the strongest. I would definitely take out both Nemo, Indiana Jones, and the rest of the pencil drawings. It is important to remember you cannot approach a piece only aiming to depict an object. Composition comes first. If you are drawing a horse, trying adding in an environment. It’ll be more visually interesting than a floating horse head. I’d try putting some objects together and drawing them from life. Why don’t you do a self-portrait with items that mean something to you? It is a very common prompt and can be a lot of fun. If you do decide to keep the pencil drawings, try taking a better photo of them. A lot of them were washed out and hard to see. If you do not want to do that then why don’t you edit the exposure a bit in a photo editing program? I think that will solve some of your problems. I hope I have not been rude because I am honestly trying to help you, but I do believe that as your portfolio stands now it will not help your application. But keep in mind I’m no admissions officer too. If you have any questions or concerns at all don’t hesitate to measure. Good luck!</p>
<p>Bowman, thank you so much for your response. Seriously.
It was insightful and extremely helpful. I really appreciate you being completely honest. I will take everything you said into account. I’ll definitely get rid of Nemo and Indiana and I’ll try to make better pencil sketches. </p>
<p>As for Contrast and Starburst, W&M specifically stated they wouldn’t review photography. Through Contrast I was just trying to find a better way of capturing an artwork I had made. Would that count as photography? Same goes for Starburst. I was just trying to capture the Starburst bracelet. </p>
<p>As for Ocean Waves, do you think it would be good if I went back and touched upon it a little? Perhaps I could go over the accidental smudging of the blue and orange located on top of the bottom set of waves? Maybe I could add some more intricacy to the sky and waves?</p>
<p>I’m happy it was helpful. Putting together portfolios is a hard thing to do. I do not see any problem with how you took the photos. I have a friend who creates jewelry and in her portfolio she took photos in a similar style. Too bad they won’t allow you to do photography.</p>
<p>Hmm. Considering the requirements, I think I would take out Starburst and I would find a way to show the entire piece you have for Contrast. </p>
<p>And I think you’d be fine trying to fix up that smudge and add more detail, but I think that piece is fine. If anything, why don’t you try to make it into a series of 3 or 4 pieces. Having work that is in a series will show that you are able to develop ideas beyond one piece. Just a thought. </p>
<p>@Bowman Yea I’ll get rid of Starburst. As for Contrast, the other part of the piece doesn’t really look as nice as it did with a white background? Perhaps I could put that one part of it onto a white canvas and call it a new piece as a whole? Would it technically still be photography?
I like the series idea but how would that work? Would I continue making ocean pieces? Perhaps I could do one with the ocean at night. Another one with the ocean during a storm?
Yea they said that they would review drawings so I assume that would allow sketchbook pages.
I also had another question. If i were submitting pieces for an arts submission, what would be the minimum # of pieces you would recommend? They ask for pieces on a DVD. Would that mean 10 or so pieces? If so, I have to get busy.</p>
<p>@xeebra lol you sound skeptical. any advice for me?</p>
<p>People usually say to aim for around 10 to 15 images. No more than 20 and no less than 8. For you I’d recommend 10 pieces and around 2 to 3 sketchbook pieces if they are strong. The most important thing people have to realize is that you must only put your strongest work. Weaker work to fill up space will detract from your strengths. It is hard for me to gauge where you are because as you have said, the work you’ve shown is two years old. Have you been practicing and improving? </p>
<p>woodwinds said it very well. I took a lot of art classes and participated in art programs and won some small awards for art in high-school. I almost applied for college as an IR major. Even if I had went to school for something like that, I clearly showed passion for art. It was at that time a hobby, but even then it was important to me. My question is, is art important to you? Trying to send 2 year old art pieces to brighten up your application may read as art isn’t very important to you. It also hurts that they cannot see art in your ECs. </p>
<p>My advice is this. If you want to submit this portfolio because you truly believe you have something to show or say then I will happily help you any way I can. If you are simply submitting it to perk up your application then do not send one. To be honest, right now you could be doing the opposite of what you wanted. If you want to submit a good portfolio I think you’d be okay keeping the ones I mentioned but you’ll need at least 8 to 10 more pieces to make a portfolio that will impress W+M. </p>
<p>For the series of work, it doesn’t have to be some ocean pieces. Why don’t you try to create a body of work consisting of 3 to 4 pieces based on a subject you are really interested in? Are you strongly for a cause like LGBT rights? Are you fan of historical eras like the 20’s? Do you want to make a statement on modern politics? Do you like doing character designs? Then make a walkaround and put your character in an environment. Find a topic you are passionate about and go for it. And why don’t you try some collages or making an altered book? Flip through some images of altered books on Google and try to get inspiration. I think you might like to do something like that. If you are interested I could give you more advice on how to make one.</p>
<p>@Bowman thank you so much for you radvice and help. I really do want tot show them that I"m passionate about art. Its just that I’m more of a sketcher than painter. Like I usually just look at things and draw them to paper which isn’t incredibly artistic. As for the submission should I give them Ocean Waves, Contrast, 3 sketches, 2 watercolors, and 2 oil paintings?</p>
<p>There is no problem with working in pencil, just keep in mind you want to create some finished and visually dynamic work. Don’t think about it as 2 watercolors or 2 of another medium but rather work in mediums you are comfortable or strong in. 80% of my portfolio was in pencil, charcoal, and ink. And the rest were ink and watercolor. If you need me to look at anything you come up with or have any more questions, privately message me or reply on the thread. And try to take an art class during the school, preferably at an art school in your area if you can. It’ll look good and you should get some work there for your portfolio. Good luck!</p>