*Applying to Art College -- Question on Portfolio

[Sculpture]

Yay! I figured out the whole recommendation thing, but now I've got a question about the portfolio.

Is it better to have a portfolio with different types of art (ie sculpture, paintings, digital art, t-shirt design, AND sketches) or just one area?  

[Errol McGillivray]

Pay attention to where you're posting. [moved to the main forum]

Show them the best of what you do. If you suck at sculpture, don't show them any. What they want to see is your understanding of art theory. Not how shiny you can make something. Show them the best of your work that demonstrates an understanding of art theory.  

[KowPatty]

I would find out what the school wants to see in your portfolio. Some colleges and universities have criteria for portfolios, for instance i was told one university requires all pieces to be mounted on black, so if you come in with white mats you are going to look a little silly. I agree that you should only include your best work, whatever you feel most proud of. This will set a standard for yourself in the future - show only what you want to make an impression on people. If you show something that looks like it was made in a hurry, has a lot of craftmanship mistakes or technical errors, it will only make you look worse. When I go to an open critique and find a student making excuses for something he feels bad about in his work, before we even open our mouths, I already know that this isn't his best work and he should have spent more preparation time. I see it happen with a lot of people, unfortunately. So if you look at your potential portfolio pieces and feel that you would want to tell the viewer something about the piece to help support it, then you might want to spend some time fixing it so that the artwork stands well enough on its own. That way when someone looks through your portfolio, they will see your most polished work straight away. This is so very important because many times your portfolio and artwork will be seen when you aren't around to speak for it.

That said, if the school does not have a preference and you want to show that you're a jack of all trades, I would absolutely show the best of my work from all mediums. If you do this, I would organize it in such a way that it isn't visually confusing. a sculpture, a t shirt, and a painting might look strange in a group, but if you arrange things well, it could look great.  

[David Keju]

Everything , as mych as possible in every area is much better. if your well rounded they love you, if your one sided they wouldn't touch you with a 10-foot pole.  

[Errol McGillivray]

David Keju

Everything , as mych as possible in every area is much better. if your well rounded they love you, if your one sided they wouldn't touch you with a 10-foot pole.

She probably applied already.

Most schools tell you how many pieces they want and of what. Also, why send them something that sucks? If you suck royally at pottery, will you send pictures of your shitty pots or focus on your figure drawing which you're good at?

They often ask you about weaknesses at the review anyway. It's best to send out your best and only your best. If you don't have enough for that, get started making more of your best.  

[s t i c k y k i t t e h]

if you have good pieces that your proud of that show what you can do BESIDES draw, that apply the principles of design, then by all means, SHOW THEM, unless the school has strict portfolio requirements. if you don't have anything you feel is quality, don't bother showing it. also, if you do include samples of your pottery, et cetera, via photographs, make SURE that the photographs are high quality. Also, if the school has more of a "show us what you've got" attitude rather than a strict guideline that's set for portfolios, they definitely want to see you be creative with your presentation. make your portfolio a piece of art, itself. if you're handy enough to MAKE your portfolio, they will love it. if you have a lot of T-shirt design under your belt, have them printed onto uniform (all the same, probably black, probably smaller sized) t-shirts and roll them up nicely and display them in an attractive manner. when you put everything together, make sure it's neat and organised somehow, preferably creatively and applying the fundamentals and principles of design. they want to be impressed by you and your talent, but they also want to know that you can do more than one thing, and you can do it differently than everyone else has. if you're a jack of all trades, then prove it. if you're not, then don't show them kindergarten-quality sculpture next to your fine arts university- quality renderings.  

[Sculpture]

Thanks for all of the advice, guys!

I've already sent in my portfolio for two schools, but the last three schools I need to turn it in to are due in January (so I'm going to work on it over winter break). I'm so stressed with it because I can do a little bit of everything, but my problem is that I'm only mediocre in ALL areas. I've thought about just giving up and going to a normal university, but for some reason I don't like anything as much as I like art.

I definitely agree though with those of you that said it should be something you're proud of and don't see mistakes in yourself without critique... which is totally not the way I felt about the portfolios I turned in for the schools I already applied to. I need to get my act together. redface