Friday, 3 June 2016

Best Practices On Compiling A Great Portfolio Of Your Artwork

By Betty Edwards


If you are an aspiring visual artist who desires to enhance their skills in a professional academic setting, then you should consider applying for art school. There are plenty of top colleges and universities with exceptional arts programs, and even specialized institutions dedicated to exclusively teaching art to students. So when you want to realize your creative pursuits, you must first impress the admissions office by sending a great portfolio submission via these helpful guidelines.

Your first order of business is to determine the specific submission requirements of the schools that you are applying to. You need to know whether they want applicants to submit essays on advanced color theory or video documentation of their previous works. Knowing such details will give you ample time to prepare everything that you must check off your list of things to do.

Learning how to draw or sketch is a vital skill since a lot of visual artists begin their projects by creating two dimensional studies rendered in pencil or ink on paper. That is why it is necessary for you to keep several sketchbooks drawing implements on hand whenever inspiration strikes at unexpected moments. Use these as possible inclusions to your portfolio submission.

When curating your portfolio, it is best to get inspired by themes and elements which you can personally relate to. A good rule of thumb to follow is to sift through your personal experiences which can be the thematic basis of your artwork creations. Admissions officers will appreciate you more if you are able to successfully put yourself into the work.

As a suitable alternative, you can make do with exploring conceptual ideas that you do not usually go for. An admissions panel is looking for individuals who are unafraid to challenge themselves in bold and new directions when it comes to expressing their art. As such, you would be wise to employ some innovation and originality in your works.

When you are a creative visionary who can express himself in various mediums, then that is a very significant advantage. But do try to show some restraint by paring things down to the essentials and focus primarily on your core strengths as an artist skilled in a particular style. Doing this will eliminate the hassle of having too many ideas distracting your process.

Before submitting your art school application, you should think about having professional artists critique your work so you could gauge their opinions. Expect to get frank and objective criticism, so do try to remember that they are judging your pieces and not launching a personal attack towards you. Learn to control your emotions when confronted with tough commentaries.

Knowing how to talk about your artwork and defending its artistic merits is important because presenting your portfolio to the admissions panel will involve interviews. Practice for this moment by having a friend or family member field you any and all possible questions they may throw at you during the interview. This way, you will not be rattled when you are facing the real challenge.

Before you become a serious art student, you must pass the hurdle of wowing an academic panel with the best art portfolio that you have. And as long as you dutifully heed these handy hints of advice in this post, then success is surely in your future. Above all, stay positive and never be afraid to stay true to your outspoken artistic voice.




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