5 Things Your Art School Portfolio Should Say About You

It’s Portfolio Prep Week here on the blog! In the fall term, universities open their applications to students looking to begin their fine art studies. And for any fine art or design degree, portfolios are a HUGE part of the application.

I completed a degree in Economics followed by a degree in Fine Arts, and I found the application process much more challenging for Fine Arts. Good grades and testing will get you into an academic degree, but you can work your butt off until the very last day before submission of your art school application and still not get in.

But don’t be discouraged! This week’s posts will all give valuable advice for getting into your dream art school. I’m an art school alumni (from Emily Carr University of Art + Design, the top art school in Canada), former table host at National Portfolio Day, and instructor for Portfolio Review courses, so I’ve picked up a lot of helpful advice to pass along.

Your portfolio is like an artistic introduction to the faculty of your dream school and should tell them exactly why you are a perfect fit for their school.

Here are five things your art school portfolio should say about you:

You Take Your Craft Seriously

Life is busy. I get it. You might be a full-time high school student, maybe you have an extracurricular, like a sports team, or maybe you also work. Or you’re a full-time worker with a family to take care of. Whatever your story, I feel for you. Carving out time for art can be tricky.

But when applying to art school, you should demonstrate that art is among your TOP priorities. Hit that maximum count of included works (not over!) and ensure your portfolio is packed with fully realized, completed pieces. If the portfolio submission allows, include the name and medium for each art piece, at minimum, and a little blurb about it. Make sketches and plans for your work before you execute it (some portfolio submissions even let you include these!). Learn to edit and revise your pieces. Have a theme or idea behind each work.

Your portfolio is your chance to show that you will be an engaged, caring and passionate art student. Prove it!

Maybe you need to review my post on creating a daily drawing habit to help you with this step

2. You Care About Skill Development

Different portfolios will have different requirements for things like life drawing. But even if your portfolio doesn’t specifically request studies like still life drawings or self-portraits, you should still show that you are working on skills related to your practice.

If you’re applying to a general fine arts program, you should include some work that is referenced from life. And don’t feel like that limits you to a photo-realistic pencil drawing! Be creative. Do a self-portrait in pencil surrounded by gouache cartoon versions of yourself. Or do a self-portrait in oil paint and embroider the canvas with thread accents.

*Self portraits are a tried and true method of demonstrating drafting skills*

But even if your portfolio doesn’t have any drawing/painting - maybe you have film, photography, 3D animation, performance art, etc - think about what skills your genre requires and show you are working on those. Photography? You had better show your consideration of composition, lighting, and storytelling. 3D Animation? Show that you understand basics like stretch and squash, walk cycles and expression.

3. You’re Focusing on Your Creative Ideas

Most art schools probably explicitly say you aren’t allowed to include fan art in your portfolios. Let’s add a note here: fan art is awesome and you should keep doing it if you love it! You can find a good following online, sell merch, and even meet up with the creators of the work you're a fan of! We’ve seen it all in the age of the internet.

But your art school portfolio is NOT where to put your fan art. And no - don’t try to sneak in your AU (alternate universe) versions or self-insert-into-favourite-IP either.

A big part of ANY art school experience is showing that you have a whole creative world inside yourself. You need to bring your voice to your portfolio - you are the ONLY one in the WHOLE world with a head like yours! Show them what’s inside of it. They want to see that you can come up with your own ideas and stories and are doing it - all the time.

After all, the next generation of artists will need someone to make fan art for - maybe it’ll be YOUR stories.

4. You Are Experimenting

If you are applying for an undergraduate degree, diploma or certificate, no one expects you to be a professional artist before you go through art school. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even need art school (and could save yourself a LOT of money by skipping it).

So show them that you are an artist already in the throes of learning about art and are ready to extend your practice at their school. Use different materials in your portfolio. Try mixing media in one piece. Push yourself to create something out of your comfort zone and explain why it worked (or didn’t) in your little blurb beside the piece. Be brave and give your wildest ideas a shot. Show off your skills and your spirit of playfulness and creativity. Don’t take yourself too seriously, but take your craft seriously.

You want the reviewing faculty to look at your portfolio and think, “huh, never seen that before.”

And trust me, that’s the hardest thing to pull off - because you won’t find the answer for what “that” is on this blog or anywhere else on the internet. That’s the point! It has to come from somewhere inside you.

*Try as many different mediums as you can! They will all pull something different out of your work*

5. You Read the Instructions

You’ve probably heard this one before, and it seems obvious. Make sure you read all the application and portfolio requirements supplied by the schools you are applying to. Go to their info events if they have them. Sign up for their newsletters. Make your way to their table at National Portfolio Day.

But this is even more important for the portfolio portion of your application. By carefully reading and following the instructions, you show that you care what their specific art school is known for and looking for. You show them you are a good fit because your portfolio fits their requirements.

For example, my alma mater, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, is known for being a really conceptual art school. So when they say they want work in your portfolio that demonstrates a depth of thought and ideas, showing that you’ve read that and included it shows that you will fit in with the culture of ECU. Likewise, some schools lean toward technical instruction and ask for specific life-drawing studies! If the portfolio requirements don’t work with what you want to submit, it actually might not be a good school fit for you. So read those instructions!