Portfolio Brief. HELP & ADVICE

sarahpie

we had vis culture every monday and thursday ...its only about 5 hours a week so not too bad ...the monday ones are usually a lot better though

ncad is great tho ...didnt know what to expect
simply splendid

unugh

Lady Luck wrote: »

Why the negative attitude? I just said I am talented and I will get in. I'm just warning people that don't be suprised if they don't get in. I cant upload any of my work because I have no scanner and my camera got robbed the other day.

Fact is, you MUST have confidence in your work, and I have a fair bit. I hope everyone who applies gets in, but the truth is they won't because NCAD are so exclusive.

This is not the first time iv seen NCAD been put on a pedestal,I wish people would stop viewing things through their insular view of the world.NCAD has a reputation,but I guarantee you it doesnt leave these shores.If you want to throw around words like 'exclusive' at least attach them to art colleges that command attention on an international scale(CSM,Pratt,Antwerp,Goldsmiths etc...)
Im not putting NCAD down,Im extremely grateful to have been accepted,but for someone like myself who wants to eventually work overseas I realise I have to work extremely hard to compete against people who are in colleges,that a lot of employers are biased towards.

zeroonetwothree

Hi everyone! I'm going on to 6th year in September and I'm going to IADT's Animation portfolio preparation course on the 6th July~
I'm trying to aim to finish my portfolio by the end of the summer...

I don't really understand what a visual diary is Is it possible to stick pages (from old sketchbooks) in there? Also, are you allowed to scan your work and put it in a folder/binder? Because there's a lot of my artwork that I'm fond of in a lot of diferent sketchbooks >_<


Also, in your artwork do they allow swear words/violence/blood? x'D

Thanks guys!

HouseHippo

zeroonetwothree wrote: »

Hi everyone! I'm going on to 6th year in September and I'm going to IADT's Animation portfolio preparation course on the 6th July~
I'm trying to aim to finish my portfolio by the end of the summer...

I don't really understand what a visual diary is Is it possible to stick pages (from old sketchbooks) in there? Also, are you allowed to scan your work and put it in a folder/binder? Because there's a lot of my artwork that I'm fond of in a lot of diferent sketchbooks >_<


Also, in your artwork do they allow swear words/violence/blood? x'D

Thanks guys!

hey your visual notebook can contain anything you want which shows where you got your ideas etc
You can put anything you want in it as long as it has some relevence to your portfolio
Good luck. need anymore help let me know

HouseHippo

HouseHippo wrote: »

hey your visual notebook can contain anything you want which shows where you got your ideas etc
You can put anything you want in it as long as it has some relevence to your portfolio
Good luck. need anymore help let me know

Oh and you can put as much swearing and blood as ya like...i did

zeroonetwothree

Oh good xD
Thank you very much!

Is it possible to scan and cut out drawings from old sketchbooks and stick it all in one neat sketchbook?

Dollhouse

Oh dear, you really have the wrong attitude Ladyluck.
I've have an NCAD deg and am returning to further my education there this yr. I can assure you that your attitude will get you nowhere there.
At this stage it is so important for you to be able to critique your own work and see where you can improve and advance your skills in order to show development in your portfolio. Confidence is all well and good but humility is also a desirable quality, I believe that you are talented but as a lot of other people have noted, talent alone will not get you in, it involves intelligence, ideas, originality... and luck. Bear in mind that you may be the best artist you know, but trust me you will be amazed at the standard of art you will encounter, not just in NCAD but in every college in Ireland.
Keep the work ethic, you'll surely need that, but adopt a positive attitude that allows you to accept, evaluate and praise other's work because NCAD is all about the experience and you'll want friends to experience it with, and at the end of the day as an artist/designer you will continually be influenced by other people's work, good, bad and ugly, be it famous artists', friends', colleagues' or your little brothers'
Best of luck to everyone who is applying, it's a great feeling to get in, a great college to go to... and a great college to return to.

NeonTiger

Hey...

For my portfolio which im curently working on for visual communications in CIT, i picked 'transportation' as my theme and so far i have done a drag racing poster, some stil life drawings and some paintings. I also am planning on creating a logo and cd cover.

Does this sound as if im on the right track??
Any tips??
=D
x

kimmyt1987

carlmango11 wrote: »

Could anyone here tell me how many days/hours you do in Portfolio Preparation in Colaiste Dhulaigh? Like is it 5 days a week 9 to 4 or what? Thanks

Hi there... I did this course a couple of years ago and I absolutely LOVED it!!!! I would highly recommend it to everyone looking to go into art based courses...
It is full time but the week is broken up into studio practise, photography and darkroom experience, photoshop lessons, gallery visits, lectures, work experience.... The list goes on. I was not the academic kind in school and was worried about how I would fare in the portfolio course but I just took to it immediately. The tutors there are all great and will do anything they can to help. Doing the portfolio course gives you such an advantage when in college over the school leavers, as you have been introduced to a completely different way of working than you will have been used to in the Leaving Cert.! It makes the transition to college life sooooo much easier!!!

Will

Howdy,

I'm considering applying for the Jewellery & Goldsmithing Training Skills Course (http://www.ccoi.ie/content/view/328/112/) run by the crafts council of Ireland. I've already mailed the person in charge of applications and the course trainer. I'm jumping the gun a bit as I've not heard back from them and don't expect to until sometime next week.

edit: portfolio and bench test (for successfull applicants)

My guess is I will need a portfolio show casing my ideas and a portfolio course is what would be needed? Or some examples of work I could do? Are there any recommendations for any course in particular? I live in Dublin 6.

Any info is appreciated

Larianne

Will wrote: »

Howdy,

I'm considering applying for the Jewellery & Goldsmithing Training Skills Course (http://www.ccoi.ie/content/view/328/112/) run by the crafts council of Ireland. I've already mailed the person in charge of applications and the course trainer. I'm jumping the gun a bit as I've not heard back from them and don't expect to until sometime next week.

edit: portfolio and bench test (for successfull applicants)

My guess is I will need a portfolio show casing my ideas and a portfolio course is what would be needed? Or some examples of work I could do? Are there any recommendations for any course in particular? I live in Dublin 6.

Any info is appreciated

Hiya Will,

I had a look at PLC courses on the southside (I went to Colaiste Dhulaigh, Coolock so no use to you, it was good though!) and I found a portfolio preparation course in Inchicore which has a metal craft element in it which would be excellent for what you're interested in. There are courses offered at Dundrum and Stillorgan Colleges of Further Education but I think Inchicore is the one for you! http://www.inchicorecollege.ie/art_and_design_portfolio_preparation.htm

Yellow Brick Road in town run different jewellery making courses throughout the year. The courses on the website are for 2008-09. I'd go in maybe and speak to someone there and see if there's anything that interests you. They've always been nice when I've gone in.
http://www.yellowbrickroad.ie/information.php?info_id=14

Also, did you know there's a Jewellery Manufacturing Operative traineeship held at FAS. Might not be what you're after but no harm having a look. http://www.fas.ie/en/Training/Traineeships/Traineeship+Courses/Technical+and+Operative/Jewellery+Manufacturing+Operative+Traineeship.htm

I did a google search and found this guys course. Haven't a clue what its like. http://www.irishjewellerycourses.com/

And finally, (phew!),
NCAD hold part-time evening courses in Jewellery making. They don't seem to have an up to date brochure but maybe send them an email or give them a ring. http://www.ncad.ie/faculties/education/cead_short.shtml

Will

il come back to thid lter when sober

chanks

edit: cheers for the info larianne, will look into it more in the next few days

echter

I'm thinking of applying to the core year in NCAD for next september, maybe something in DIT but I haven't scoped out their courses yet,

I don't want to apply to Dun Laoighre or anywhere else in the country as I have to live at home and from where I live IADT is a bit of a schlog away. (would like to get a part time job maybe, so long commutes aren't feasible)

Anyways, I had the best intentions of starting the portfolio brief back in fifth year but I am now in sixth and I haven't done a scrap of the brief, my old art teacher was a bit vague with almost everything you asked him and I don't really have the confidence to just push myself off. So, now I've decided to go hell for leather until I have a reasonably chockablock portfolio that I would be happy sending off, I just have a few questions about it - since yous all seem to be really helpful here .

Does it matter about presentation - of course THAT matters!, but a messy sheet?, a few crumpled pages?, a smelly sheet covered in egg shells? , that sort of thing?, does it need to be pristine?

Do your ideas/pieces need to be crammed into your visual notebook?, ie would they be looking for loads of little thumbnail doodles that correlate to your pieces or are they looking for sketches/something that's very nearly there to the final product?

Do they appreciate extras? like say customising your notebook and showing off your versatility, or writing comments to show your ultimate understanding and verifying your ideas, that sort of thing?

What way do you organise the portfolio itself?, do you have one section for the brief and then one for misc work from over the years?


I'm sure these are really stupid questions but this whole portfolio thing really does stir up a lot of stress!

DigiGal

echter wrote: »

I'm thinking of applying to the core year in NCAD for next september, maybe something in DIT but I haven't scoped out their courses yet,

I don't want to apply to Dun Laoighre or anywhere else in the country as I have to live at home and from where I live IADT is a bit of a schlog away. (would like to get a part time job maybe, so long commutes aren't feasible)

Anyways, I had the best intentions of starting the portfolio brief back in fifth year but I am now in sixth and I haven't done a scrap of the brief, my old art teacher was a bit vague with almost everything you asked him and I don't really have the confidence to just push myself off. So, now I've decided to go hell for leather until I have a reasonably chockablock portfolio that I would be happy sending off, I just have a few questions about it - since yous all seem to be really helpful here .

Does it matter about presentation - of course THAT matters!, but a messy sheet?, a few crumpled pages?, a smelly sheet covered in egg shells? , that sort of thing?, does it need to be pristine?

Do your ideas/pieces need to be crammed into your visual notebook?, ie would they be looking for loads of little thumbnail doodles that correlate to your pieces or are they looking for sketches/something that's very nearly there to the final product?

Do they appreciate extras? like say customising your notebook and showing off your versatility, or writing comments to show your ultimate understanding and verifying your ideas, that sort of thing?

What way do you organise the portfolio itself?, do you have one section for the brief and then one for misc work from over the years?


I'm sure these are really stupid questions but this whole portfolio thing really does stir up a lot of stress!

Hey, I'm mad busy right now but I will pop up some info here on the portfolio 2mo....I'll help ya as best i can, stay posted on this forum it helped me loads on my journey to NCAD

eleven

Hi Echter! I went to Ballyfermot last year to do a portfolio course, and I'm going to NCAD this year. Yay Here's my 2 cents, everyone will have their own take on it, so have a read and see if it makes sense to you. And good luck!

echter wrote: »

Does it matter about presentation - of course THAT matters!, but a messy sheet?, a few crumpled pages?, a smelly sheet covered in egg shells? , that sort of thing?, does it need to be pristine?

It doesn't need to be pristine, the finished work should be presented as you would expect to see any finished work, to the highest possible standard. Thats a bit subjective! The highest standard according to yourself. The preparitory work can be anything at all! Smelly, crumpled sheets etc, cause you can sit down and work for 3 hours at a neat notebook, but inspiration might come on the bus and all you have is a bus ticket and biro! But, I think you need both, and if you do have a lot of scrappy stuff, you need to think about how you can display it coherantly. i.e It has to make sense to the person viewing it. You won't be there to explain how you got from the bus ticket drawing to the finished piece, it has to basically explain itself. That said, you must bear in mind that they don't like notebooks stuffed with stuff, they see it as *filler*. (I've heard this from a couple of different NCAD teachers, one I was doing a nightclass with, and one at the open day last year)

Do your ideas/pieces need to be crammed into your visual notebook?, ie would they be looking for loads of little thumbnail doodles that correlate to your pieces or are they looking for sketches/something that's very nearly there to the final product?

Your visual notebook is for you, you use it to come up with ideas, some good, some bad, in whatever way or style that suits you. It should go from initial doodlings, to experiments with paint, tone, style or types of material, demonstrations of different experiments with different materials... Like I said, you basically are showing them your artistic process. If you don't work like this - from ideas to fleshing ideas out to experiments to final pieces, you'll need to learn how. It used to confuse me, coz I used to just do whatever it was was in my head, and I didn't really have any preparitory ideas. But I did, they were in my head, I just wasn't putting them to paper. It really helps!

Do they appreciate extras? like say customising your notebook and showing off your versatility, or writing comments to show your ultimate understanding and verifying your ideas, that sort of thing?

Yeah, why not? It can't hurt to customise you notebook. I did with mine a little. Painted a picture in blue and called it 'The Blue Notebook' in all my written notes. So yeah, I had written notes, exactly to show my understanding and verifying my ideas, and because the wording of the brief was pretty vague, I had pages of notes trying to figure out what it all meant. They do say in the notes to use as little written words as possible in your visual notebook, but it was all the same to me and I need to write to work!

What way do you organise the portfolio itself?, do you have one section for the brief and then one for misc work from over the years?

You basically don't have a section of misc work from over the years. If they wanted to see it they'd ask for it. As far as I know, from what I've heard from teachers etc, it will work against you to have old work that doesn't relate to the brief included. If you can find some way to relate it then grand.

If you show your portfolio to other colleges (IADT, DIT, maybe?), you put together as much of everything you've been doing as possible, not just the NCAD stuff. I went to Cork as well, where you get to show them your portfolio yourself. I'm nearly 100% sure that all the art colleges ask that the work in your portfolio be recent, from the last 2 years at most. You want to put your best foot forward, your newest and most relevent work is what's important.

The last thing is the overall presentation, I'm shiiiit at presentation, i didn't really know anything about it for the NCAD portfolio, coz it's the first one! I divided it by folding a piece of white paper over each section and writing what it was... like 'Objects in different locations' Ha! It looked so crappy, but I suppose the content was ok enought to pass.

For another viewing of portfolio, I bought plastic pockets (which were reallly expensive!) and displayed everything in them. It did look way better, and it was much easier to flip through... But way expensive and I wasn't even showing the entire NCAD portfolio.

Anyway, I think the most important thing is to try hard, work hard and make sure you show every step of your process in whatever way makes sense to you. And stick to the brief as tightly as possible, but if you get confused or don't understand something, just do it as best you can. Don't get bogged down in trying to figure out the exact meaning of a question if it really confuses you. Just keep working and it'll make sense.

Good luck!

RaeRae

unugh wrote: »

So we only really source the objects/things from the list...It doesnt exactly say record your observations,so what im taking from is that it is mostly brainstorming type work?

Im more concerned with the bringing of your portfolio...I havent looked at it in a while but im pretty sure it has been distorted beyond recogition from changing it to cater to other colleges.

Don't even worry about the portfolio. The tutor will only want to see it to get an idea of where you're at etc. Some expect to see the full thing, some only ask to see a few pieces. No big deal.

Just make sure you have all the objects brought in/stuff from the list done on the first day. In general they throw you right in.

Best of luck with it all.

A193

Has anyone here been/going to LIT. If so, have ye any tips for what they really look for in the porfolios...?

Inso Maniac

A193 wrote: »

Has anyone here been/going to LIT. If so, have ye any tips for what they really look for in the porfolios...?

erm i applied for lit and got 550 out of 600 points..i did the ncad brief though so dont know what to help you with but what i do recommend you do is have sketchbook (a2) all based on the human study...like ppl....jumping, running, etc etc etc etc....and then have a independant study sketchbook...like your own work that you do and wouldnt have anything to do with the portfolio...also....they like to see portfolios that link to each other..(the pics that is)......dont make it random....have a certain theme...and choose like a certain object..(with detail)...and examine it in drawing form..if that made any sense..^^ hope that helps!!^^ ooher also have a sketchbook that backs up the pieces in your portfolio!!^^

Lady Luck

Brief is going deadly for me so far ....

Larianne

Lady Luck wrote: »

Brief is going deadly for me so far ....

Good to hear.

spinandscribble

i'm looking at applying to art colleges in the uk. is there any difference to what they generally like to see compared to irish colleges? anyone have any experience?

A193

Ugh, im so lost...

Im doing stuff now but I don't even know if im doing the right stuff! I feel like im doing all this for nothing. Im gonna be applying to LSAD, but im afraid im just going to be laughed at when I had im my stuff! RTM Im doing a sketchbook with just fashion drawings, sketches etc., then im doing stuff the teacher is telling me to do ( a can opener, a coke can so far..), I really love photography and working with photoshop but I dont know how to add all this into my work..

Please help!!!

DigiGal

A193 wrote: »

Ugh, im so lost...

Im doing stuff now but I don't even know if im doing the right stuff! I feel like im doing all this for nothing. Im gonna be applying to LSAD, but im afraid im just going to be laughed at when I had im my stuff! RTM Im doing a sketchbook with just fashion drawings, sketches etc., then im doing stuff the teacher is telling me to do ( a can opener, a coke can so far..), I really love photography and working with photoshop but I dont know how to add all this into my work..

Please help!!!

1st off...
Don't only do what you are told!
The college want to see your thought process, how your idead develop, how you experement with different materials and concepts!
If you like photoshop just put it in, not everything has to be 100% relavent.Show them your photography try putting yuour objects in different enviroments and photographing them...
Anymore q's just let me know

spinandscribble

my tutor in art portfolio just says make sure its still relevant to your objects. if you've been doing a coke can for example and maybe went down the route regarding the injustice coke has done in developing countries you might want to photography people and develop a collage using faces to build the coke can image up or the coke spillin out the bubbles could be tiny faces (yeah i know, but its the first thing that popped into m head). you could photoshop away once the photos and everything are your own work. maybe first raw it/paint it from real faces then use photoshop to show how you developed it before that stage.
sure i'm doing stock motion movies out of my ideas on the side for the laugh and its being encouraged. it'll have to go in the sketchbooks/cdrom but its showing how wide you're thinking is and nothings off limits. as long as it originally and has a base in your initial objects then themes and as much as possible is from life and you don't copy or use another persons work ie photography you'll be ok. at least thats my understanding. do the stuff you're 'suppose to do" then go mad in your spare time and sketch books.

A193

Thanks for all that guys, its really helpful. Do you think if I stuck to doing some pieces really well as one of my finished pieces and then worked at them in sketchbooks, or even making some ideas another finished piece i'd be ok?

spinandscribble

well you don't start by doing a finished piece thats doing it backwards. work on it in your sketch/ideas book. then when you're ready do something bigger with it.

A193

Oh of course..:D
I just saw some stuff from NCAD, it looks so full up of brilliant stuff, im afraid i cant meet that standard, even though im hoping for LSAD..
An idea i have is evolving a kitchen into a collection of fashion designs based from kitchen utensils etc.?

spinandscribble

apply everywhere, you never know sometimes you're your own hardest critic.

spinandscribble

I'm going to Scotland tomorrow for Edinburgh art college open day. i am 90% sure i haven't a hope of getting in but it'll either reconfirm it for me after viewing the art portfolios on sample or give me some hope!!!!

A193

Ooooh try and get some piccys, can you..

Please..lol