Wednesday 24 April 2013

Graphic Design Programs Prefer Samples Of Artwork

By Cesilia C. Vias


Graphic design programs frequently have a portfolio review as standard of the application and admission review. It can be a nerve wracking thing, since it can seem the next few years of a student's life are based on how their work is judged. It is really nothing to fear if you have taken the proper plans to prepare your portfolio. This can mean putting together a thesis, picking out your best pieces, and even drawing new work for just this occasion.

A mission statement is usually included, and sometimes required by graphic design programs, in a portfolio. This statement is meant to describe the overall unifying goal of the works included in the portfolio and what the artist intended to do with his or her work. You may have trouble developing a mission statement if all of your pieces were created separately. However, with a large enough set it should be possible to choose a smaller portfolio of pieces that are related. Many artists like to work in just one or two mediums like ink or paint. Others work solely in graphic arts. Sometimes an artist will have a long span of time where they churn out portraits or landscapes. All of your artworks can be the overarching subject. When explaining your goals in the work you can state simply that you wanted to explore the theme, challenge yourself in a new medium, or develop your skills in just one area.

The most important factor in filtering out pictures to include in a theme, are whether or not the artwork is accurate and precise from a technical standpoint. While creativity is important, the primary goal of the portfolio is a demonstration of technical merit to the graphic design programs reviewers. Demonstrating particular aspects of your skill, such as good cross hatching and shading is a nice criteria for choosing pieces. Include pieces showing accurate representations of faces and properly drawn bodies. Look at your color usage in paintings from balancing contrasting colors to using monochromatic themes. A handy tip: art program review boards love it when students submit works with accurate representation of reflections, such as in a mirror, glass bowl, or on water.

At this time consider fleshing out the portfolio with more drawing or paintings made specifically for your applications to graphic design programs, it should not only fit the theme better, but have a technical focus. If the portfolio itself is still light on images this will be a good time to bulk it up some, as well as making sure to focus on purely technical works. Even a basic piece can be fine to demonstrate ability and theme. If your strength is painting, paint a still life of one or two objects. This will emphasize color choice and placement, as well as be fairly quick and good practice. If you work with digital art, create a piece that shows you thoroughly understand the software tools at your disposal, including brush types, filters, colors, and effects.

Make certain to triple check each piece has been added correctly and has full contact information on it before sending the portfolio in for review. Make certain that there is nothing wrong with the mission statement for the application at submission time. It wouldn't hurt to have a friend edit it. The most attractive and most technical pieces can be considered for the submission itself. It may be necessary to add even more new works to the portfolio if it is not large enough.




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