Good Things to Draw For an Art Portfolio
Art portfolios are the calling card of professional artists. Everybody always gets asked for their portfolio of work, even if they are established artists.
Many aspiring artists have a common question regarding their portfolio of work, namely, what should be included?
Typical university requirements make restrictions such as prohibiting cartoons or doodles, tracings, copyrighted figures, uninterpreted renderings or photographs.
While the list may seem pointless to some, it can actually stimulate more creativity when you are encouraged to explore subject matter you may have not previously considered, or dismissed without a proper attempt.
Your art portfolio is your artists passport which it is important to present your artistic range. You need to express yourself through different media and different subject matter.
Make sure you have a self portrait of some kind,even if that means simply a drawing of your hand, in fact a drawing of your hand is a great addition to your portfolio.
Mix it up a bit with a pencil drawing, a pen and ink drawing, pastels and even a scratch board, to show the viewer you can work with many mediums.
Everyday objects can take on a new meaning when interpreted with the artists choice of style and materials. One idea for a drawing is find something simple like a chair and draw it making the negative space your focus. Although the person looking (and probably judging) your work may have seen thousands of similar images before, yours definitely is unique. You must try to demonstrate techniques which bring out your individual style.
Whistlers Mother was immortalized when he took the everyday scene of his mother sitting on a chair and brought his artistic talents to the scene, painted in London. It was shown at the Royal Academy of Art in 1872 under the original title of ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist’s Mother’ which goes to show the title that sticks isn’t always the one the artist give it.
The take away is that this piece was using a limited color palette with a common scene and setting. The artistic interpretation is something you, as an artist would add. Your Art Teacher should be able to guide you in this.
Your art portfolio should include examples of your preferred work, together with a subject in a variety of mediums from different viewpoint.
One final important point is that you should always have high resolution copies of any work in your portfolio. Make certain you have at least two copies away from your studio or home. This is an option that wasn’t even possible a few years ago, but your work can enter a whole new dimension with digital copies.