Why do I need an art portfolio?
•Represents the type of artist you are
•Highlights your artistic strengths
•It is your ticket into the school of your choosing.
•You can submit to earn scholarships for school!
What kind of work
should I include?
 Yes!
•Original work from direct
observation
No copies of other people’s work! (No well
known characters, no copies of well known
art, absolutely nothing from another artist’s
work)
Admissions officers are well trained to
quickly spot artworks that have been copied
from photographs or that have been lifted
from other resources.
•You need to prove that you can
translate inspiration,
proportions, texture, scale, etc
into your three dimensional work
•Choose your best and most
recent work
(within the last 12 months)
No 
Have a variety of
subject matter
•This demonstrates your
willingness and interest to work
with different topics.
Include: realistic and abstract
interpretations
•Admissions officers don’t want
to see a portfolio of twenty selfportraits.
•A portfolio with only one topic
comes across as narrow minded
and limited.
(Typically) Every piece
should be a finished
work and presented
neatly
•Be sure that everything in your
portfolio is a work that has
been 100% fully realized.
Dirty pages!

•Unless the
school specifically requests to
see images from a sketchbook,
assume that they want to see
finished works.
This means no white backgrounds, no
dirty fingerprints, no ripped edges, no half
finished figures, etc.
•Some art schools will require
that you submit your
sketchbook along with your
portfolio to help them
understand how you developed
your ideas.
Don’t
photograph
unless it’s
completed!

Demonstrate
versatility in a range
of different media.
•This shows you have taken
the initiative to learn and
develop skills in contrasting
media.
•It shows that you have more
than one skill set, and can
move fluidly from one media
into the next.
Include clay, paper sculptures, paper
mache, carvings, etc…
Demonstrate good
technical skills.
Yes!
Proportion distortion looks
planned and fits with style.
Craftsmanship is excellent
•Make sure that you have the
basics down: anatomy, color,
lighting, etc. A creative art
piece without proper
proportions is not going to
impress.
No 
proportion and craftsmanship
need revision
Ask an art teacher for help before you submit!
•Typically, the college will ask for a certain number of works.
An art teacher or someone in the art world can help you edit and choose your strongest
pieces.
Before
The images below are a former 2D Art student’s.
* She was applying for a scholarship and needed to submit work. *
Look at how much just simple cropping does!
After
- Photograph one work at a time (unless part of a series)
- Avoid distractions in the background
- Use extra lighting so details can be seen
What is National Portfolio Day?
•FREE event specifically for visual artists and designers.
•An opportunity for anyone who wishes to pursue an education in the visual and related arts to meet
with representatives from colleges accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
•Representatives will be available to review your artwork, discuss their programs and answer questions
about professional careers in art.
•High school students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and college transfer students are
encouraged to attend.
•http://mcad.edu/portfolioday
•It’s on October 11th this year!!
Resources for art scholarships:
•
•
•
•
•
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Young Arts Program
National Sculpture Society
Find College Scholarships
Design Sponge Scholarships
Photographing work • Photograph outdoors or using natural
light where possible.
• For three-dimensional work, make
sure you have additional lighting to
avoid creating shadows. Turn the
piece on an angle that is most
interesting.
• Avoid distracting backgrounds
• Make sure the image is level with an
even amount of border or white
space around the edges – use a
tripod!
Show the best angle or include multiple views
Always photograph using the PHOTO
BOOTH STATION (or a similar set-up)
Your Turn!!!
Today: Take a variety of photos of your Clay Signature Stamp
Create a Google Slides Presentation, name it:
(Your Name) CERAMICS Digital Portfolio
Share this presentation with Ms. Gestner via google (jgestner@shakopeeschools.org)
You must include a clear picture from the best angle and you must include an accurate
credit line for each slide in your digital portfolio
Please create the first slide of your Digital Portfolio for your Clay Signature Stamp
An accurate credit line includes:
Title of the piece
year the piece was made
Material/medium
Size (in inches – height, width, depth)