What kind of work do I need in my portfolio?
Drawing is the most important aspect of a freshman applicant's portfolio. We encourage you to include work done from actual observation (life drawing). Although accepted, we discourage work copied from two-dimensional sources such as photographs. We also discourage applicants from focusing their portfolios on a single field of study, such as graphic design, sculpture or painting.
What is more important: technical skill or creativity?
Do not overlook the creative aspect of your work. Some students mistakenly include value scales/color wheels in their portfolios. Such pieces only indicate that an instructor or textbook has provided students with the basic information about value/color. It is more important to be able to show that you can apply such information in a personal and purposeful way.
How many different media should I show in my portfolio?
Pick three or four media with which you are comfortable. Make sure at least one is a color medium. Only present work that stands on its own merit. Work should show that you had enough control over your materials to begin dealing with creative issues, rather than showing successful technical methods.
What kind of subjects should I draw?
Find a subject that excites you. Interpret the same subject matter more than once. Imagine: How do you draw a sound? How do you draw a smell? Your drawings will become more interesting as you explore your subject from different perspectives above and beyond the first, immediate choices. Become comfortable with manipulating color, composition, texture, value and line to convey your ideas.
Can I show work in progress? Can I include my sketchbooks for consideration?
Your work need not be mounted, matted, framed or even finished. We encourage you to show us your sketchbooks because these documents allow us to gain a better understanding of the process in which you work. In most cases, sketchbooks are an outlet for experimentation, and we are very interested in seeing that side of you.
How old can the work in my portfolio be?
We recommend that you limit your portfolio to work that you have created within the past two years. This is the best indicator as to where you've come from and where you're headed.
