The Portfolio
What Is a Portfolio?
A portfolio is quite simply a collection of work. The common misconception is that it is required to be a 'best of' of all the work you've ever done. Although this can be true in some cases, it is more likely to be a series of work with a unifying theme, style or taken through a specific medium.
Why Create a Portfolio?
Lets answer this question with a questions. What do you hope to do with your art? Show it to people is the most common, but others will use it for collage applications, job interviews or to get their work into art galleries. This is your way to show what you can do. This is your chance to wow people!
Create Something Different.
Shock, surprise, wow or evoke an emotion from your viewers. This will make your portfolio stand out, and be more memorable to whomever sees it.
Choosing the art.
The most difficult part of creating a portfolio is selecting the best of the best work. People are going to see your work! Just because you feel you spent hours working on it, doesn't mean that it is the best. Ask other people you trust to look at your art and help you narrow things down.
Presentation
Presenting your work is an important part of being an artist. You get feedback. This will help your learn and try new things to improve.
Brainstorm what kind of a presentation are you going to do. Think about how you can wow your audience. What do you already know how to do? Do you need to learn something else to help you create the best portfolio?
Get creative with this! Are you going to turn the room into a museum of your work? Are you going to make a movie? Are you going to create a website, or do a TedTalk? The list can do on and on. Keep in mind, a portfolio is made to wow your viewers. To this end, I encourage you to think deeper than the basic google slideshow.
The Requirements:
What students need to share about their art:
- What did you make and why did you make it? (inspirations, ideas...)
- What led you to use the materials you did?
- What do you hope people see when they look at your art?
- What do you like about it?
- What would you change?
- Create a presentation of some kind (see above in presentation for tips).