PortfolioMartha Watton

(Unit 10)

Interviews• When I began to put my portfolio together before Christmas I

had 3 interviews scheduled; Bournemouth, Leeds, and London Metropolitan, the first one being January 13th at Bournemouth Arts.• I got together all the portfolio guidelines for the Universities I had

interviews at and found the similarities and differences for each one, this helped me to know what I would need to change after each interview.• All three had very similar guidelines just worded differently, they

wanted to see evidence of working to a brief, exploring ideas, experimenting with materials and drawing, as well as an example of an academic essay.

Online Portfolios• Brighton and London College of Communication

both asked for online portfolios to be sent before being considered for an interview.

• Brighton wanted a Flickr portfolio: https://flic.kr/s/aHskQCXBVm

• For Brighton I already had my physical portfolio so I just took the best images as well as photos of my sketchbook to send to them.

• LCC wanted 10 images sent through their PebblePad system: https://ual.pebblepad.co.uk/admissions/#/viewer/dbhcGjZg9wptZ4dncmtbtkcGgh?historyId=ItBqpZtgv8&pageId=1ff9c992-d0d2-279d-d5f9-57bae6919f2b

• As LCC were the first University that requested a mini portfolio I hadn’t made my physical one yet. They also said it was to consider me for interview, so I didn’t spend too long just throwing a good mix of examples of work together.

Physical PortfolioA2 size boards

Board 1• Started off with my ‘Self

Portrait’ project as it has some of the work I’m most proud of in it.

• Also brought along the final piece on canvas.

• Shows who I am and is a bold starting point for the interview.

Board 2• ‘Kew’ project came next.• Again I feel this is some of

my best work so I wanted to put it near the beginning.

• Shows I can work in a variety of areas e.g. First board was more fine art/painting, now moved onto fabrics/printing/surface design.

• Examples of my sketchbook on the board, prompting the tutor to look at the corresponding book I bought along to see how the print developed.

Board 3• Continuing with the ‘Kew’

project.• Shows the other side of it,

sculpture.• More examples of working

in a different medium.• Evidence of experimenting

in the workshop with 3D materials as well as use of Photoshop.

• Working to a brief and a client.

Board 4• After ‘Kew’ I moved onto a

completely different area of art & design, into digital work in the ‘A Place in Question’ project.

• The portfolio guidelines wanted evidence of working both traditionally and digitally so this work fitted in well.

• These images are also an animated video so I wrote the link to that in the corner in case the tutor wanted to have a look.

Board 5• Continuing with ‘A Place in

Question’.• Shows the other sides of

it, sculpture, printing, and mixed media.

• More examples of working in a different medium.

• Evidence of experimenting in the workshop with 3D materials as well as recording of ideas.

• Traditional illustrative mixed media piece and abstract dry point print.

Board 6• Continuing with ‘A Place in Question’.• Examples of traditional illustration, drawing

scenes and objects.• Use of different traditional medias:

watercolours, crayon, charcoal, pencil, fine liner pen.

• Evidence of recording ideas in a sketchbook.

• Observational drawings.

Board 7• Continuing with ‘A Place in

Question’.• Mixed media dry point

printing.• Stand out final print on its

own board.

Board 8• ‘Tate’ project is my least

favourite but shows good examples of illustration and graphic design so must be included.

• Placed in the middle of the portfolio with better work positioned around it as I’d rather start and finish on a high.

• Shows use of drawing, painting, laser cutting, collage, and digital media.

Board 9• Continuing with ‘Tate’.• Packaging for the product.• Example of creating for a

client and following a brief.• Shows product in situ - use

of photoshop.

Boards 10, 11 & 12• ‘Life Drawing’ is an

essential requirement for all the Universities portfolios.

• Chose my best 3 pieces, I wanted to show a range of mediums and poses but not overload the portfolio with too many.

• Evidence of observational drawing, drawing in perspective and in proportion.

• Shows use of ink and charcoal.

Board 13• Moving onto the last two

and best project projects in the portfolio, this one is ‘British Museum’.

• Work from my sketchbook, initial drawings development and 3 proposed compositions for the final piece.

• Show off my illustrative style, mixed media and bright colours.

Board 14• Continuing with ‘British

Museum’ project.• Shows my final piece with

close up images as well as development pages from the sketchbook.

• In-situ image of my painting in the British Museum, photoshop skills.

• Evidence of working to a brief with a client in mind.

• Sketchbook for this project is also in the portfolio to show the development process.

Board 15• Last project shown in the

portfolio is ‘Vienna’.• Most recent and best

project, one I am most proud of.

• Shows drawing and painting skills in a unique illustrative, narrative style.

• Observational drawing from a 3D model.

Board 16• Closing the portfolio with

the ‘Vienna’ project final piece.

• Also brought along the real 3D woodcut relief painting as well as the project sketchbook.

• Development photos to show the process of making the final piece.

• Evidence of a unique way of working (3D relief) and personal illustrative style.

Aesthetic• My portfolio has a simple aesthetic throughout, with

plain white boards and small, simple, black fine liner labelling of titles and names of pieces.• Tried not to overcrowd the boards to make for an easy

viewing experience as well as making sure all negative space and odd shapes are to the edge of the images and not in the centre.• Grouped project together and considered the order of

the boards, aiming to start and finish with the strongest work, leaving the weaker bits in the middle.

Developing my Portfolio• Originally, I had planned to have to potentially change up my

portfolio 5 times for each of my 5 choices, however this didn’t happen.• After sending LCC my mini online portfolio, they offered me a place

without an interview, meaning I didn’t show them my physical one.• Bournemouth was my first proper interview and my top choice so

my first physical portfolio was suited 100% to their guidelines. • I received an offer from AUB a week after the interview and

accepted it, meaning I now had my top two choices.• I chose to decline the other interviews for this reason and thus

didn’t need to further develop my portfolio.