What Makes an Awesome Art Portfolio?

Question

Well, Im going to be an art student going off to college soon and I really need a good idea of what to put in my portfolio besides the obvious thing which is my best work.

Answer 1

Students in AP Studio Art need to have a number of pieces that show breadth (variety) in media, subject matter and in some cases style.
Also needed is an area of concentration- 6-10 pieces showing an in-depth study of a particular concept, subject matter or topic.

Also, it's always good to have self-portraits from the past few years to now so people looking at the portfolio can see how you've progressed in skill and how you see yourself and express yourself.

If you go to the AP Studio Art website (see below) it's explained in depth. But I would imagine what's expected of AP Art students would make a good portfolio. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Besides your best work, you should have a variety of things, ad design, pen and ink, logo design,digital art, etc. Anything you've actually done for businesses will help to. If you've redone or made something better, include a before and after to show the improvements you've made to the design.

Also, you should take great care with the actual portfolio, to make it as perfect as it can be. All designs centered on the page, all descriptions of designs typed and centered under the design itself. You should be able to set down your portfolio and walk out of the room and the person looking at it should know what they are looking at and how it was created(ex: programs used, or materials, etc.)



Hope this helps. I've been in the design world for over 10 years.