Transfer Student Portfolio - Looking to go to SVA...

[whimsicality]

Hi everyone! I have been lurking around these forums lately and I thought it was time to finally post my portfolio and get feedback from people who have never seen my work. My friends and family just say "thats nice" by default now and my professors are very busy.

I currently attend a community college and have applied to SVA. I did not apply anywhere else (yet) but I am wondering if I should because I am afraid I can't get in! Then I'll be left with no options... scary...

I also need to trim down my portfolio, and add in some more still life/figure work from life. But otherwise, what do you think? what should stay and what should go?!

https://katie-woolley.squarespace.com

If you want you can refer to what I should keep/remove by describing it or by number, the first piece in the upper left hand corner being 1 and the last piece being in the bottom right hand corner on the bottom row. The website makes each row a different size depending on your monitor. Btw, don't click any of the other links, its all still under construction lol.

Oh I am getting nervous...

[whimsicality]

I just read the sticky about not posting links to portfolios. Ugh, I am a horrible first time poster already. Should I upload all the stuff directly here or is that ok?

[MrBigCheese]

Hello! I'm also applying to SVA this year as a freshman, you can see my portfolio HERE. Also, HERE is another one from someone applying this year. I think you can tell the obvious difference between ours and yours (I'm going to be honest in this post cause I want to give you good advice without any bs). You obviously have talent, I just don't think you've found your right medium or way of applying it in a well enough way yet.

You need about 15-20 pieces for applying to SVA or any other major art school. Trust me when I say you have a good chance of getting in definitely, and they will gladly accept people that they feel they'll be able to help improve the abilities of exponentially. Paying $30,000 a year could be a bit of a risky move however, especially for someone who is trying to develop their work still! A strong, consistent and thought out work program will help you improve your work dramatically, as well as learning from others and being around people who are also working in the same field. Your portfolio isn't strong enough to get you scholarships or grants however, so you'll have to rely on being able to pay for the big cost in other ways, which if you can and you have the money for, go for it. I don't exactly advice you to, though it depends what year of college you're in. Assuming this is your first year at community college, I would just urge you to think hard about what you want to do with your future. If you're serious about pursuing a career as a professional artist and are willing to accept the huge debt from college costs, then go for it! I just personally think that an investment as big as SVA (again, this is coming from a poor kid's perspective, i literally do not have any way of paying for it without a good scholarship, grant, work study, and financial aid) is something to attend if you've already gone past all the basics in art and are about to start refining some very specific skills and concentrating on very advanced and professional work. The intro courses in the first year just seem like a big waste of money for me, but again, it depends on the person. You could always attend a college like Purchase if you want to have a more concentrated and advanced art program than you would at a community college, or you could take classes afterschool or on your own to try to reach a certain level before applying, but PLEASE don't let any of this discourage you if this is truly what you want to do.

As for your portfolio, you seem to have around 5 pretty good pieces, and I think it's that quality you should be trying to aim for for your remaining 10-15.





Those are all pretty good, but your portfolio lacks things like landscapes, observational still lives, concept work, portraits, and bigger, more detailed pieces. You need to really think about what you want your portfolio to do, if you want it to help you get scholarships or if you just want to get in, and what both of those would imply. I started working on my portfolio in 11th grade last year without any real like, intense high school art class, we just had normal assignments and stuff I didn't even follow last year, and this year in AP Art I just do whatever I want to build my portfolio. You can definitely develop your technical skills on your own or at a place less expensive than SVA, such as Purchase (which I would say is the best non private art school in the state), and then always transfer in the next year to SVA. Or if you're serious about accepting the cost and going to SVA and seriously working your ass off every single day to try to improve dramatically and pursuing your dreams, ignore my cautious advice and do what you feel is best for you, cause that's really all any of us can do. I'm honestly terrified to think about how much money I'll have to pay even if I get a few scholarships (I definitely don't think I'll get the top ones unfortunately), but I've accepted that and hopefully I can attend SVA, otherwise I'll probably go to Purchase the first year.

[whimsicality]

Thank you so much for your input. You picked some of my least favorite pieces, which is interesting. I know my portfolio is weak in many areas which is why I put it up here. I am a mostly self directed and never been challenged much at my community college so this is what has happened. I work full time outside of being in school full time so creating elaborate work, or just a lot of work, has always been a challenge.

I am EXTREMELY hesitant of the cost of going to SVA, but I feel that I am paying for the networking opportunities above all else. I absolutely will not go if I have to pay full price. As I have been told, it's really more important where you get your masters. I don't even know if I have the talent there to begin with...

I am still trying to figure it out and have been toying with the idea of deferring admission for a year so I can pay off my credit card debt and save up money for school to decrease my loan amount. I definitely don't want to borrow more than like $40,000 to finish my bachelors!

Thanks again!!