Preparing Your Portfolio for Review

By Brooke Hunter-Lombardi

Since the purpose of developing a portfolio is for other people to view a sample of your artwork, it is a great idea to take advantage of any opportunity to have your portfolio reviewed. Try to be open and receptive to feedback from art educators, art professionals, as well as family and peers. It is wise to keep in mind the audience you want to make a favorable impression upon. In other words, it is great to do pieces that your friends like, but consider that those artworks are not necessarily in line with what a committee reviewing portfolios for college admissions and scholarship awards is looking for.

Everyone is subjective when they review artwork. People tend to respond well to subject matter and techniques that they personally like and less favorably to things that are not of their taste. However, a trained artist can also give you objective feedback, such as evaluating skill in using a particular media, use of composition, development of value scale, use of light source, use of proportion, etc. With this in mind, it will be important for you to process the comments of others. Ultimately your portfolio is yours and needs to be representative of what you feel is important in your art making.

There are two kinds of reviews to prepare for. One is an informal or preliminary review. This review will occur earlier in your process, perhaps many months before application and scholarship deadlines. For the preliminary review, you can be less selective. You should feel free to bring more than 15 pieces, works in progress, and pieces that are not matted. At this review you will get advice on which pieces to edit and new works to consider producing.

The second kind of review is a formal or final review. This is where all of your hard work pays off. Using the advice from the preliminary review you will present a portfolio which is a grouping of your best artwork that represents your skills and potential.

The following is advice on how to select and order pieces for your portfolio.

Selection of pieces

Be aware of the suggested number of pieces that each institution recommends be included in a portfolio. CCAD is looking for 10–15 pieces of your best work. Quality is more important than quantity. Most trained reviewers are interested in seeing your potential and assume that you have improved.

The best way to put together a strong portfolio is to have many completed pieces from which to choose, and then to carefully edit out those that do not best represent your ability and creativity. Ideally you should like all of the pieces in your portfolio. Since an artist is often his or her own hardest critic, you may not love each piece, but you should have a basis for including it in your portfolio.

Selection tips

• Look at all of the pieces you are considering as a group. Which ones stand above the rest? Ask your self: What is each piece contributing to my body of work? What does it communicate to the viewer? Is it showing an aspect of my ability? Is it strong in concept? Is it emotionally charged?
• If you have similar pieces, look at them together. Are they competing for the same attention? Is one stronger than the others are? Would like pieces work well grouped together as a series?
• Consider editing older pieces, ones with blatant drawing problems, incomplete pieces or ones that have been damaged.
• You may be emotionally attached to an older piece because it was important at the time you created it. Perhaps it was a new technique or concept at the time. It is important to look at older pieces along side your current best to be sure that each piece is of the same caliber.
• Keep in mind that your portfolio should include all works that you want to present to the viewer. Be sure to include artworks such as logos, prints, photography, garments, etc. Any piece that you consider a good representation of your abilities and interests will be a valuable contribution to your portfolio.

Organizing your portfolio

Now that you have selected your strongest pieces, you need to consider the order in which they are presented. Below you will find suggestions, but always remember that this is just a guide. We are talking about your personal body of work, and the selection and order should feel right to you.

1. Wow !: The first impression sets the tone. You should select one or two of your strongest pieces to begin your portfolio.
2. Technical (everyone likes these): The next few pieces should show off your abilities.
3. Content: The mid point of the portfolio is a good place for pieces that may be a little different—perhaps more expressive and imaginative.
4. Series: Working on multiple pieces that go together as a series is a great way to encourage yourself to develop concepts fully. A series can be two or more pieces that have any common trait or set of traits. An example of a series concept is one with common subject matter or inspiration such as a self-portrait series. Another series may all use similar media like a series of photographs, collages or printmaking. Yet another way to make pieces relate as a series is to select the same format or size and orientation. For example making a series of images that are all 9" x 12" vertical. This is another great mid-point inclusion for your portfolio.
5. Sketches (show personal process): When submitting original work, sketches are usually grouped together in a book or folder. However, if you select to submit slides or a digital portfolio, you will need to document sketches individually. You should consider ordering the images so that the sketches are grouped together, probably towards the end of the body of work rather than placing the sketches through out the body, which can be confusing to the viewer. You will want to limit the number of images of sketches that you submit to about five. To select slide-worthy sketches, simply go through your sketchbooks and see what appeals to you. Consider selecting pieces that show your art making process (thumbnails and compositional sketches), technical proficiency (a good pen and ink sketch or small rendering) and any other areas that may not be fully represented through your other portfolio pieces.
6. The finale: Save one or two of your best pieces for last. You want the viewer to end with a strong, lasting, positive impression of your work.

Now you are ready to present your portfolio. Take a deep breath and relax. Remember that the reviewer has been through this process from your point of view and is interested in helping you develop as an artist.

Brooke Hunter-Lombardi is the Education Outreach Coordinator and an adjunct faculty at Columbus College of Art & Design. She was an admissions officer for 12 years in which time she reviewed thousands of portfolios from students seeking admission to CCAD. She is in her eighth year of conducting portfolio preparation workshops.