Crafting Creative Portfolios

I have a few questions if you don't mind! when I talk about an artwork, should I keep it as concise as possible? or can I get a bit more wordy? Also if I'm not mistaken, the artist statement is to be sent separately if I'm not wrong? or am I to include it within the portfolio itself? and should I avoid cramming multiple artworks into a single page? I'm so sorry for badgering you with so many questions, we didn't really work with portfolios as much at my previous uni and I am a bit intimidated by the whole process as a result :')

Hey @piyalb!
Typically, it's recommended that you keep explanations of your artwork fairly concise within your portfolio; this gives you room to speak more about each piece in your artist statement/interview. Consider captioning your work with the title, date, material and size of the artwork, and maybe provide a brief one sentence explanation of what the piece is/key themes if you think it's required.
If you're applying to a course or university which asks for an artist statement, the university should specify how the statement should be uploaded when they ask for your portfolio to be provided. For example, when I applied to Kingston University for BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History, the artist statement was uploaded as a separate document.
In terms of placing multiple artworks onto a single portfolio page, I wouldn't necessarily avoid that; I did the same for my portfolio. What I would recommend is grouping work together and making sure each page feels themed and consistent - for example, try to avoid placing artworks from two completely separate projects on the same page as one another (e.g. a small still-life painting and a large, abstract metal sculpture may be best placed over two pages instead of on one).
Hopefully this helps - and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask! 🙃
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Hey @HnadpickedCotton,
First off, it's great to hear you've applied for the MA Animation course here at Kingston! Whilst you can definitely include some links in your portfolio, I would overall recommend following the portfolio requirements listed on the Animation MA course page:
'Your portfolio should:
Kingston School of Art's criteria for analysing portfolios focuses on four key attributes - questioning, curiosity, technical ability and enthusiasm - so regardless of whether you're applying from a software engineering background or an art and design one, these are the qualities members of staff will be looking for in your work. Luckily, the MA Animation course page offers an overview of what exactly should be included in your portfolio to help you best express those attributes:
Hope this helps and best of luck with your portfolio! 🙂
Eve (Kingston Rep).

I submitted my portfolio last week and look forward to hearing from the admissions team. Any rough idea how many days it will take to get feedback? Being an international student, I need CAS to apply for my student visa, and I don't want to miss my chance for the September intake

Hey @HnadpickedCotton,
Great to hear you've submitted your portfolio! Typically, you should receive a decision on your application within four to six weeks - however, hopefully it should arrive sooner. 🙂 (For example, I received a decision on my MSc User Experience Design application to Kingston after ten days.)
If you need an urgent response on your application, it might be worthwhile reaching out by email to the MA Animation course leader, whose staff page can be found here.
Hope this was helpful,
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Hey @HnadpickedCotton,
Great to hear you've submitted your portfolio! Typically, you should receive a decision on your application within four to six weeks - however, hopefully it should arrive sooner. 🙂 (For example, I received a decision on my MSc User Experience Design application to Kingston after ten days.)
If you need an urgent response on your application, it might be worthwhile reaching out by email to the MA Animation course leader, whose staff page can be found here.
Hope this was helpful,
Eve (Kingston Rep).

When I applied to study BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History at Kingston University, I had to prepare a portfolio of roughly 15-20 slides which effectively showcased my work and artistic practice. Later, when I applied for a student graphic design role within the university, I had to create a separate portfolio to demonstrate my capacity and understanding of graphic design. In short, creating portfolios is a natural part of working and studying within the arts sector - so, here's a few of my top tips on how to get a portfolio started!
Understand what it is you're applying for/to.
It's important to remember that whilst your general portfolio of work might be quite consistent, different jobs and courses will want you to highlight different aspects of that work. For example, if you're applying for an entry-level graphic design role, it would be a good idea to include pieces that show your proficiency with software such as Adobe Photoshop or InDesign. On the other hand, if you're applying for an architecture course, technical drawings and any experience you have of sculpture/model-making might be the most relevant to include. Try to specifically tailor your portfolio to the needs of each role/course you're applying for before you submit your application.
Be selective.
I've been there myself: you have a huge range of work that you want to show the admissions/hiring officer, but only so many pages you’re allowed to present. The key here is to be selective - obviously you want to include your strongest work, but you also want to consider whether or not you want to tell a narrative with your pieces and whether you want to show a range of mediums and skill sets. What I like to do when creating a portfolio is go through several elimination processes until I'm down to my final images - I'll start with maybe forty or so, weighing their pros and cons until I narrow my selection down to fifteen or twenty.
Don't forget works in progress.
Although it can be tempting to only show your finished, ‘best’ works, creating art of any kind is a naturally experimental activity. Including snippets of research, sketchbook pages and first-hand references can help demonstrate your creative thinking and highlight that your work has a purpose beyond the physical making process.
Take photos that do your work justice.
A lot of portfolio advice will recommend taking pictures of your art with a high quality camera; however, as someone who doesn't own or have regular access to a high quality camera myself, most of my university portfolio pictures relied on a plain background with strong natural lighting. Try to find a white/neutral wall to display your artwork on (in the absence of that, find a large sheet of white/coloured paper to temporarily mount your artwork on top of) and take your photos during peak daylight hours. If it's a sculptural piece, make sure to snap some pics from various different angles as well!
Read the requirements.
This one might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often people skim over it! No matter what job or course you apply to, reading the portfolio requirements thoroughly will inform you of how to structure and lay out your work. Whether it's the amount of images to include, the caption specifications or the format the portfolio’s supposed to be presented in (e.g. PDF/Slideroom), following the outlined requirements gives you the best chance of getting an interview or offer further down the line.
I hope this was helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them down below.
Eve (Kingston Rep).

I am applying for next years Graphic Design course and I have an enquiry about portfolios in Graphic Design. Is it okay if a student uses photographs within their designs included in their portfolio that aren't their own however they have been credited?