Question About Portfolios

[crowKAKAWWW]

Hey, I was wondering if having a portfolio consisting of digital drawings instead of traditional artwork would affect an art school's decision?

Edit: I am applying to Sheridan for Animation, so would proving I have experience with Photoshop even be considered advantageous?

[ikken]

Artschools typically look down on digital art;
try to keep it 50/50 or at least 30/70 if your digital work is really good - sheridan had a paper with portfolio submission guidelines and it mentioned a variety of observational drawings, make sure to include those too.

[chil3]

what colleges want to see the most is your ability and skills in drawing and designing traditionally, you need to know the basics in order to succeed it doesn't really matter if you have digital or not, but if you have digital work then include it in your portfolio it will help, but the remember no matter how good an artist is digitally if you don't know the roots of art.

[crowKAKAWWW]

Thank you both for the replies, you have been very helpful!

[Ice Dragoness Sam]

Art schools look down on digital art? Why? Not that im any good with digital, but why would they not think that the digital genre was any worse than traditional means? Especially if you were applying to an animation course...

[Ninjerk]

Art schools look down on digital art? Why? Not that im any good with digital, but why would they not think that the digital genre was any worse than traditional means? Especially if you were applying to an animation course...

Probably because there's no such thing as effects or filters in traditional drawing and painting.

[Clavis]

If it's good, include it.

If the school in question is so averse to digital art that they'll look down upon even excellent digital pieces that show a strong grasp of fundamental skills, simply because of the medium, you probably won't be happy there anyway.

I would still advise including a mixture, though. 100% digital probably isn't a good idea, just like 100% colored pencil drawings, or 100% landscapes, or 100% anything wouldn't be a good idea.

[Alex Chow]

The personal works portion of Sheridan Animation portfolios does not limit people to traditional media. If I remember correctly, only creativity and presentation were considered in that portion. I placed a few digital pieces myself and got a good mark on that section, so I doubt it really mattered in the end. Of course, don't spam Lens Flare or anything...

[Storyboard Dave]

I'm of the mindset- if it's a good piece regardless of medium, include it.

But do realize a few things....

-who's looking at the art? We're still in a transitional stage where some older people just don't understand digital art or just have a fear based bias against it.

-what are the schools looking for? Ultimately they want to know if you can handle the foundations. Can you handle the tried & true basics of drawing is what is most important to any art school. While they'd love it if you were coming in as a superstar, they still have to make sure that whomever they accept (assuming that they do require portfolios, because some schools don't) can at least function on a basic level. They'll still accept the raw recruit with hopes they can develop into a superstar but again, there has to be some minimal criteria that you need to show.

I'd also like to think that one day, digital will possibly become a traditional media. It's not voodoo. It's not magic. One still has to be able to draw and paint. Whether it's with gouache, oils or pixels- it's still the person behind it that has to perform.

So my suggestion for you to include digital in your portfolio would be to ONLY if it's good. Now you might not want to lead with it as your first piece in your portfolio but show it later in your book after you've demonstrated your grasp of the traditional mediums, the figurative work, and fulfilled what it is they're looking for. Think of your digital pieces as a sort of culmination or another skill set or medium in your portfolio.

Good luck!