The Why and How: Assisting Your Child in Creating an Art Portfolio
The Why and How: Assisting Your Child in Creating an Art Portfolio
The why:
Out of all the extracurricular activities in which to immerse your child, have you contemplated the importance of art and having your child create an art portfolio?
Creating a body of artwork demonstrates and communicates a student’s knowledge and skills learnt over a period of time. Similar to any other subject taught, creating an art portfolio can:
Produce a goal to work towards
Create a disciplined work ethic
Exercise the mind and cognitive skills
Improve the ability to absorb new information and problem solve
Allow for new skills and knowledge to develop
Assist in articulating the process and understanding of a body of work
Elicit confidence and reward of accomplishing a body of work
Open the door for opportunities
Act as an extracurricular that looks great for applications, scholarships, programs, etc.
Display your child’s inner creativity!
Art and arts education plays a vital role in children’s development from mental and emotional cognitive growth, problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills. Similar to how you do not exercise only one part of your body, exercising another part of one’s brain affects and influences other areas of the brain.
Having worked alongside numerous students in their youth, I have experienced students that enter a course with the goal of developing an art portfolio by the end of the course as well as students who just want to create art. In both cases, I have been informed that the child’s accumulation of artwork has assisted them in either getting into a school of their choice, opened the door for future possibilities as well as generally grown their confidence.
For those who are wanting to assist their child in tapping into their creativity and compiling their work into a visual arts portfolio, I have created helpful steps, guidelines and tips in approaching and completing it. I have also designed courses specifically catered towards the requirements of most visual art portfolios. To have a look at these courses, please visit:
Portfolio Preparation: Visual Art (Ages 8-12)
Portfolio Preparation: Visual Art (Ages 13-18)
The how:
Creating an art portfolio can be fun! However, it requires dedicated time, discipline and effort. It is something that needs to be thought through, analyzed and thoughtfully assembled. An art portfolio is meant to showcase the individual; it should be unique like the artist while showcasing their technical skills and abilities. It is to be noted that although I will be providing guidelines for what is often called upon one in creating a portfolio, it does leave room for experimentation and your own creative voice.
Please note: if you are going into this with a specific goal in mind, such as, creating an art portfolio for the enrolment of a particular school, please ensure you look at the school’s enrolment requirements to ensure you are meeting all of the necessities.
Here are some helpful steps in starting, creating and finalizing your visual arts portfolio:
1. Your goal and intention
Before you set out creating your portfolio, think about and consider what your goal and intention is in creating it. This may be to apply for a school, scholarship, program, award or competition. This may also be for personal gain and enjoyment. Whatever the reason may be, clearly define what you hope to accomplish in creating the portfolio as well as why you are embarking on this journey. This will ultimately help guide you, determine what media and subject matter can be included in your portfolio as well as to making it a true reflection of you.
2. Pencil to paper
Once you have your goal set out and your intention, begin to list out on paper:
Areas in art you believe you are good at, i.e. drawing facial features *Be specific in this step!
Areas in your art that have room for improvement and development.
Aspects of art creating that you enjoy. This can include subject matter and mediums, i.e. I enjoy painting with acrylics; I enjoy abstract art.
Aspects of art you don’t enjoy as much. This can include subject matter and mediums as well.
Characteristics and personality traits that make you who you are, i.e. I have a passion for cooking and want to be a chef. This is important to identify because it can be incorporated into your art!
Elements in art making that excite you.
3. Look at inspiration
Having written down your reflections in step 2, have a look over it and begin to identify some common aspects in your practice, your likes, your interests and enjoyment in particular mediums and subject matter. Circle key words in your reflection notes and lightly research some art and artists that have explored these themes. Get a feel for what you are attracted to and what excites you! Don’t worry about the notion of being original. When starting off your portfolio, it is helpful and a learning tool to look at other artists and their techniques.
4. Project outline and timeline
Now having identified aspects of you as well as looking at inspiration, begin to list out specific projects that can be included in your portfolio as well as a realistic timeline. A general rule is that your work compiled should be completed within a year’s time and contain anywhere from 10 - 20 pieces. Your time 10 - 20 pieces is truly up to you, but remember, look back at your goal and think about what you can create that fulfills your goal while also being true to who you are.
A helpful list of project ideas that encompass a wide variety of subject matter and medium includes the following:
A tonal graphite still life on paper (A3)
A charcoal still life on paper (A2)
Natural forms in watercolour on paper (A3)
Drawing the human figure in graphite or charcoal on paper (A2)
Self portrait in acrylic, watercolour or gouache on canvas or canvas board (A3)
A collage piece on paper (A3)
Photography pieces that explore a certain theme printed and digitalized (A4)
A three dimensional project using clay, paper mache or media of choice
A recreation of an artist’s work in media of choice on paper or canvas (A2)
5. Gather your materials
Once you have finalized your projects, begin to list out the necessary materials needed to fulfill these works!
6. Create!
Although you have a timeline in mind, don’t rush this process and sacrifice the integrity of your creations. Also, be open to possibilities and directions in your work while you are creating. Although we may have a vision and intention, we can still allow for an organic direction for our piece to follow. Have fun with this!
7. Photograph and digitalize your work
Once your work is complete and dried, take well lit photographs of each piece. When photographing your work, either mount it flat onto the wall and photograph it directly at eye level or lay it flat on a table and photograph it directly above the piece. Be sure that the lighting is even and there are no shadows. In post production, I would suggest cropping the image so all you see is the artwork (unless you have photographed the piece on a clean white background).
8. Create an artist statement(s)
Although this is not always necessary, I would strongly urge creators to write an artist statement about the body of work produced. Being able to articulate your intentions, thoughts, processes and knowledge is an excellent muscle to exercise and it also benefits your practice! It encourages you to think about what you have done and what you can learn from. Your artist statement can go along with each individual piece are speak about your work as a collection.
In approaching the artist statement think about:
What - What pieces did you create? What media was used? What techniques and methods did you employ? What concepts are present in your work?
How - How did you approach these pieces? How did you execute your vision into reality? How would you describe your work? How do you hope your pieces are viewed and the feelings they will elicit in the viewers?
Why - Why did you decide to depict the subject matter you have? Why did you use the select media for each piece? Why are these pieces important to you?
My hope is that you find this information helpful and inspiring more than anything! We are all creators and all have the ability to produce a body of work that is worthy. Run wild with this and feel free to connect and share your work with me!
evanfaithhutchinson