Art portfolio?

Question:

Art portfolio?

what does a portfolio look like... I"m going to make a portfolio of some of my art to send to a college but I've never taken any art classes so i have no Idea how to begin, I have a few pieces tha I know i want to put in it I just don't know what one looks like cause I've never seen one...is there a website with a art portfoilo that i could look at ?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I recently had to make a portfolio to get into a college art program. I don't have any websites, but I can give you some pointers...

If this is to get accepted at a college or into an art program, judges are probably looking for a wide variety of work. When you get further along or before you can graduate you'll probably have to do one with work that's specific to your concentration. When choosing which pieces to use, try to focus more on the quality of the work than whether or not YOU like it--you're trying to show the judges that you are talented and capable of making quality art. This was a little difficult for me because I had lots of pieces that I was emotionally attached to, but which were not very well-done. I ended up using a few pieces that I didn't really like, but which were good examples of my skill.

You should have a list of specific requirements as to how you should present the portfolio, but if you don't one of the easiest ways is to use a simple 3-ring-binder. Buy a small but nice (simple, you don't want to distract from your artwork) binder and some of those clear plastic sheet protectors that fit into it, preferably the non-glare ones. If your works are scan or photograph your pieces (more on photographing your work later), and print them as large as possible on hihg-quality matte photopaper, or, if you don't have a good printer, take them to Kinko's or something. The quality of your portfolio is almost as important as the quality of your work--judges may toss out a crappy-looking (staples, wrinkled pages, low-quality images, etc) portfolio without even looking at it.

As far as getting the images of your work:
If you have small, flat, 2D pieces, scan them at a high resolution. If your pieces are large and/or 3D, you'll have to photograph them. Use a decent camera (not a camera phone or anything like that), and get multiple shots of 3D pieces (if you have any) to show different angles. You should take the photos outside, when it's slightly overcast (not in direct sunlight to avoid shadows, overexposure, or oversaturation), and place your pieces in front of a neutral backdrop (black, gray, or white sheet or something similar).

I like doug's suggestion as far as what order to put your pieces in. Start off with something great that will get their attention, place your least-awesome pieces in the middle where they will make less of an impact, and end with something to make them remember you, and which won't leave a bad taste in theri mouth.

That's all I can think of right now...good luck!