making a portfolio

[Isobutane]

i'm applying to do an "art and design diploma in foundation studies" next year (along with a few as levels perhaps), which would allow me to do a degree course next year!!!@11
1) i am trés excited
2) i need to make a portfolio..
3) they stress for lively and passionate individuals

1) um, yeah
2) all my work is mounted on black card, but should i put it onto those massive ring bound A2 books that a level students do?
i know my art teacher will help me sort it, but i'm not going to be in school until the 16th and i want to start nowww! i'm going to do more drawings for it, 'cause that's probably what i'm best at and can do quite a few over the course of a week or two.
3) would it be good to show my art interests outside of fine art, like bring along something i've sewn and some fashion sketches and wear something i've made?

the entrance qualifications are 4 gcses / 1 a level / btec (must all inc something art/design related). and seeing as i've only gcses, it's pretty likely that i might not get on the course, right?


sorry i'm all scatty and incomprehensible :/

[Mahimaki]

Whether looking for a job or just presenting yourself, a good portfolio can do wonders. Having it too full can hurt you, so just pick out ten or twelve of the best ones that show your skills and talent. It's also a good idea to create a secondary portfolio that details your creation process, such as your sketches, thumbnails, and rough drafts.

Don't include your originals with your portfolio, rather take a high quality picture and print it out on a regular sized sheet of paper, paper choice can play a great deal in how your work is recieved.

However great it may seem, those looking through your porfolio aren't wanting a gallery and they would rather not have a giant 4x3 folder sitting on their desk. Having a digital copy in PDF form is also appreciated by those looking at it.

Hope this helps

[Euda]

I've always liked your art. Good luck. I'm sure that whatever you put together will look damn good and rather professional.

[kAtE-]

Have they given you guidelines on what they want to see from a portfolio? I was given specific elements in my portfolio into university that I had to met, and the main thing they were looking for was development of ideas - if you couldn't show them that then you didn't get in.

Do they want a digital portfolio along with it? A lot of school these days often rather this method because it decreases the amount of bulk they have to shift - espeically if they're going through hundreds of portfolios.

As Mahimaki said - DO NOT include orginals unless they request so! Very unprofessional and messy - espeically a lot of the drawing mediums.

Show a variety of work, they'll like to see that you've tried a lot of different things, in saying that play to your strengths, don't just add something in because it's a different medium/style what ever when in reality its a very average piece of work.

There's all different ways on making a portfolio, keeping it to a smallish book form is good - mine personally was quite large, almost A2 but thats because I had a lot of panoramic work and compared to most peoples, mine was probably twice the size lol :\ You can buy awesome concetina portfolio books that open up into a long chain, black carded books - or if you mount them on blackcard yourself - get them sprial bound, it's fairly cheap.

And sorry, I don't know how the education system works in the UK.

[Isobutane]

no guidelines at all. just that all candidates will have an interview and to bring a portfolio along ):


foundation is like a year course you do in the uk before you can do degree

[kAtE-]

Originally Posted by Isobutane

no guidelines at all. just that all candidates will have an interview and to bring a portfolio along ):


foundation is like a year course you do in the uk before you can do degree

ah, thats right, I remember the atomiser telling me about that. Do you plan to go on and do a degree in the art field after this course? If so where abouts?

I'm currently looking at places in the UK to do my post-grad studies (if I can get the funding).

[Isobutane]

Originally Posted by kAtE-

ah, thats right, I remember the atomiser telling me about that. Do you plan to go on and do a degree in the art field after this course? If so where abouts?

I'm currently looking at places in the UK to do my post-grad studies (if I can get the funding).

i do, well, i did. either glasgow, edingburgh or london, i haven't really looked around yet.

i doubt it matters anymore, as about half an hour ago my dad plain told me that i'll never get a real job, i'm not good enough to make a living and he doesn't want me to do art as a job, that i should get a real degree and a real job and just have art as a hobby.

[Mahimaki]

Piss on him. You can make a fine living being an artist. Hell, I'm just starting out and before my computer was stolen, I was able to make about 2.5k for a weeks worth of work for book covers, business logos, and album art.

[kAtE-]

Tell him that you're going to do what makes you happy, and isn't that what he wants for you?

And then tell him what kind of work you can do - or pull the 'if all else fails I can be a teacher'.

[Isobutane]

we know so many people with art or textiles degreees who own their own factories, are teachers, artists, restorers but he is like ER NO WAIIII