If you want to apply to study art at university or college, then a good portfolio is essential to showcase your work.

Many of the students that Stan has taught have subsequently gone on to study at some of the country’s most prestigious art colleges – Goldsmiths, Chelsea, St. Martins, Slade, Royal College of Art, to name a few.

The portfolio building course is specifically designed to prepare you for art college or university and build a portfolio to the right requirements to support your application.

This course will enable you to put together a broad visual collection of work that demonstrates your abilities as both a creative, explorative artist and one who possesses a range of visual skills and techniques.

On successful completion of the course, you will have a strong, consistent body of work in your portfolio. Equally important, you will also have the confidence to present the portfolio for application to a college or university.

GUIDANCE IN BUILDING A GOOD PORTFOLIO AND APPLYING TO A SUITABLE COLLEGE

On completion of the portfolio building course, we will give assistance on selecting and arranging your portfolio, along with advice on which colleges or universities are appropriate for your artistic skills and requirements.

We may also supply references to support your college application.

ABOUT THE PORTFOLIO BUILDING COURSE

Taking approximately 120 hours to complete, our portfolio building course is set out in three stages.

Build a portfolio – Stage 1

An introduction to the basic skills, techniques and methods of painting and drawing, stage one will develop and hone your visual skills. It also aims to give you the confidence and self-assurance to establish yourself as an artist in your own right.

Assignments with clear, step-by-step instructions will develop your understanding of the basic practices of painting and drawing. You will also learn how to apply traditional skills, techniques and theories, while embracing experimental approaches towards painting and drawing.

You will learn how to use and apply the following:

1. Line

2. Texture

3. Mark making

4. Tone

5. Colour

6. Shape

7. Form

8. Composition

9. Movement

10. Drawing systems including perspective

Context – all assignments at this stage of the portfolio building course make references to the practices of other artists from history and the contemporary art world.

At the end of Stage 1 you will have engaged in a fundamental visual and practical experience that will offer an insight into your own creative potential.

Build a portfolio – Stage 2

Aimed at building on and developing your knowledge and visual skills, the objective of stage two is to provide you with the self-assurance and confidence to establish yourself as an artist in your own right.

Step-by-step assignments in Stage 2, will lead to an effective understanding of the practice of painting and drawing. You will begin to discover your own creative pathway, which will be further developed in Stage 3.

Covering the key requirements in a traditional and experimental way, the curriculum will allow you to develop a visual literacy. This will enhance your ability to communicate and express your observations, perceptions and ideas through the act of drawing and painting.

The five main aims of Stage 2 are to introduce the way that artists fundamentally function using:

1. The eye – how artists perceive the world through observations and memory (eg Monet, Renoir)

2. The mind – a formal, analytical approach to painting and drawing that gives an impression of our thoughts and ideas (eg Cezanne, Seurat)

3. The heart – an emotive, intuitive and expressive approach to drawing and painting that allows artists to instinctively express feelings through observations and imagination. (eg Van Gogh, Munch)

4. Techniques, skills, theory and materials – expanding on the traditional skills, techniques, theories and experimental approaches to painting and drawing using a variety of materials

5. Context – placing all aspects of this programme into historical and contemporary art context.

At the end of the Stage 2 portfolio building course, you will have the ability to choose your own artistic direction, which can be further developed in Stage 3.

Build a portfolio – Stage 3

Stage 3 of the portfolio building course, is concerned with revealing a more personal approach to the act of painting and drawing. Elements from work produced in stages 1 and 2 will be used to develop a more individual approach and style.

A number of themes will be set for the Stage 3 portfolio building course in which you can research and anchor your ideas. This stage will involve:

• Gathering information and researching on your chosen subject

• Experimenting with techniques, skills, processes, approaches and methods in relation to your research

• Developing, expanding and opening out your ideas in relation to your chosen subject

• Creating a final piece of work based around one of the chosen themes, realised either in a drawing or painting medium.

You will be expected to:

• Apply traditional skills, techniques, theories and experimental approaches to painting and drawing, using a variety of materials

• Adopt and develop an individual approach and method of working that has its roots in observation, expression or analytical work

• Place your own work in an art historical context.

At the end of the course, you will have engaged in a visual and practical experience that will provide you with an insight into your own creative potential and direction.