Portfolio Preparation

Admission to some courses is not by points alone. If you've applied to an art related course - including stuff like film, photography, architecture and industrial design - then you're gonna need to prepare a portfolio...

Most students only have to worry about the points they get in their Leaving Cert. But for some college courses, there is another leg to the application process. For these people are not assessed by points alone, they must also submit a portfolio to show they deserve their third level place.

Portfolios are there for a reason. If you are thinking about a career as an artist, or in a similar creative area, then some Leaving Cert subjects are maybe of limited use in working out whether you would be any good. Putting together a collection of your best work, showing off what you are capable of, and proving to the college that you would fit in well on the course, just makes sense.

All third level Art, Fine Art and Art & Design courses in Irish colleges and universities require the submission of a portfolio. A good few other artistically inclined programmes ask for them too - examples include Architecture in UL, Industrial Design at NCAD, Film and TV Production at Dun Laoghaire and Photography at DIT degree courses. It’s a good idea to read the prospectus and websites closely to find out if a portfolio is needed for the course you are interested in.

What generally goes into a quality portfolio? What are colleges looking for? Well, according to NCAD…

“Your portfolio should include work done in school, college or adult education classes and at home over the past year or two. The diversity of approach and range of materials you have used should show that you have tried to make the most of the equipment and facilities that were available to you both within and outside of your school environment. We look for evidence and range of personal interests through drawing and collecting.”

This can mean using a combination of materials and media including some or all of painting, jewellery, fashion, textiles, prints, murals, photographs, audio-visual, ceramics, posters, illustration, design and maybe most importantly of all – drawing.

For the non-specifically Art courses (Architecture, Industrial Design, Film & TV and Photography) you don’t necessarily have to prove you can design a building or make a film, you just have to show that you have some creative talent and experience. Drawing, design, 3D work and photography are all perfectly acceptable. Again check out the prospectus or website for the individual course to find out exactly what they are looking for.

It is a good idea to think long and hard about the portfolio before you put it together. Throwing all your best stuff in higgledy-piggledy might not be a great idea, especially if there is no obvious thematic link between the pieces. Whereas your exam results are very impersonal, a portfolio is an opportunity for you to impress with your talent and application. Equally importantly you can show everyone just how much you want to get onto the course. It’s a chance to stand out from the crowd. Again NCAD have some advice which makes sense for other courses as well…

“Through the work in your portfolio you are taking us on a visual journey. You should be showing us the things you got interested in and where that visual interest led you. A continuity of ideas or a theme will develop naturally out of your personal visual exploration. Enjoy the journey! Make it an interesting one for yourself. The most successful portfolios are ones that show how well you can visually observe and explore subject matter that you are curious about or have a personal interest in.”

All this can be a lot for a Leaving Cert student to get their head around, especially when you also have French verbs and differential equations taking up a considerable amount of your brain capacity. So hopefully staff at your school – subject teachers and the careers advisor – can help out with advice. If you can get to the college open day go and ask questions. If you know somebody who is now in college who had to put together a portfolio to get in, then talk to them and get some pointers.

Some students decide to hold back, and put their portfolio together the year after their Leaving Cert. This can make sense as compiling a good portfolio takes time. It depends on the student. There are a number of portfolio preparation courses available that allow the student to concentrate solely on getting a decent body of work together. These courses can range for a weekend to a full year. Search the National Education Database [handily found on this very website] to find one that suits you. Mature students looking to get enrolled on a third level Art course can make use of a portfolio preparation course to get back into the swing of full time education.

So, to sum up, portfolios are a good bit of work, but they are worth it in the end. If you are going to end up as a professional artist, designer, photographer or in any other creative line of work then you will constantly be preparing portfolios to get commissions and impress clients throughout your career. Now is as good a time to start as any. Best of luck.

If you would like to contact daycourses.com about this or any other article, just email dermot@learningireland.ie.