Expert: Gianina L. - 11/6/2006

Question
What is the best resource for learning how to develop one's portfolio?  I am currently applying to graduate school for master of Architecture (I have no architecture background) and am required to submit a portfolio.  I am currently taking an drawing course and have created some work to display.  However, I have no clue on how to put together a portfolio?  ARe there some general guidelines I should follow?  How do I make copies of work?  Most of my work is on 18"x24" paper, how do I get this into an 8"x11" portfolio size.  Thanks for your help and i hope to hear from you soon.

Marcia  

Answer
Hello Marcia,

I have answered similar questions, so if in case I skip any key points, please peruse earlier answers I have given. One resource that I can highly recommend is "The Ultimate Portfolio" by Martha Metzdorf. This book outlines all the basics for establishing a good presentation with your portfolio.

I would say that three of the most important points are presentation, cleanliness, and rhythm. Presentation: present your work well within a nice binder, portfolio book, self-bound book, or any other container that matches your personality and the work being displayed. You don't necessarily have to spend a fortune on this. Don't forget to make your name visible somewhere and include drawing names, or media, or similar information if you want to. Cleanliness: Be clean, plain and simple. You don't want a portfolio to be difficult to look at. You want clean pages, background paper that compliments but does not distract. Make sure everything is lined up straight and trimmed neatly. Rhythm: How you arrange your images can create a rhythm. For example, if you did some work with pen and ink, and some in pencil, you can alternate between the two with your image order or you can gradually move from your pencil pieces to your pen and ink pieces. You can create such rhythm by being aware of the media, the value, the hue if applicable, and so on. Always put your second best piece first and your absolutely best piece last.

To capture the image for a portfolio, especially when you have larger paper, you need to take a photo of it. Do so by laying the drawing flat over a dark or black background, making sure you have even light over the entire surface. An easy way to do this is to use ambient daylight. Whether you lay the drawing against a wall, or on a table, or on the floor, be sure that you are taking the photo absolutely straight on to avoid creating strange angles. Try to get the whole drawing in with as little black background as possible. If you have any drawings that are especially detailed, feel free to take a close-up on an area for a detail shot. If you have a scanner at home, you can also scan larger pieces in sections and assemble them in a photo/design program such as Photoshop, but that can take some more experienced finesse to get the image to look correct. Either way, you will want to use the photos or scanned images to get a clean print out of your piece at your neighborhood printing company or on your home printer. Trim out the image and adhere onto another sheet of paper, preferably black but you can be creative with the color. This paper, which should be at least a little bit sturdy, will act as the matte to your pictures.

Now, since you are applying to a school, some require that you submit your portfolio in slide form. Double check in advance that you have all the correct requirements for submission.

Hope this has been of use. Let me know if I can help you further.

Best of luck!
Sincerely,
Gianina