Student Art Portfolio

The Staub Art Studio offers student art portfolio preparation services so you can get an outstanding portfolio together that showcases your current level of skill and proves that you have even more potential. You get advice from professional artists who have been on both sides of the desk as art students and as working professional artists.

We help you select finished works for your portfolio that demonstrate your ability and creativity in drawing, painting and essential design. We also help you focus your portfolio for the schools of your choice.

• Drawing
We help you develop a portfolio with variety of drawing media such as charcoal, graphite and pastel and encourage you to develop pieces that demonstrate advanced skill with at least one drawing medium.

• Painting
We suggest a strong selection of varied subject matter from landscape to figurative in pastels, watercolors, acrylics and oils.

• Essential Design
In addition to drawings and paintings, we suggest that you include a few pieces that require you to combine several elements in a strong design such as a flyer, poster or page layout. We focus on collage work and incorporating digital images into your paintings and drawings.

Kids Art Lessons

Our kids art lessons teach children to see the world through the eyes of an artist and allow them to unlock their creativity and vision. We teach children to use color, recognize style and have fun. Children learn to use pastels, watercolor, tempera paint and magic markers, and discover how warm and cool colors set the mood of a painting. By learning how another artist creates a unique approach to art, children begin to form a style of their own. Other lessons at our Maryland art school teach children how to draw their favorite cartoon characters and even make up characters of their own.

Student Art Portfolios: 7 Things You Must Know

Include enough work
A student art portfolio for a high school program should have at least 10 pieces that demonstrate your skill. College-level portfolios should include more pieces: 15 to 20 advanced works.

Use your eyes
Your portfolio should contain original work that comes from your direct experience. Avoid submitting drawings or paintings that are based on the work of another artist or on a photograph in your portfolio.

Prove your versatility
Art schools are looking for well-rounded students who have practiced with various media. A student art portfolio should have drawings, paintings and compositional pieces. Digital compositions or 3-dimensional submissions are also strongly encouraged.

Show your thought process
Include a sketch diary that shows the evolution of the pieces in your portfolio. Art schools want to see how you approach creative art.

Keep the portfolio current
Update your student portfolio with newer works and retire older works. A portfolio is an ever changing snapshot of your skills and artistic interests.

Representation versus abstraction
If you have developed a more abstract style, include a representative piece to show a well-developed suite of skills. If you have done mostly representative works, create an abstract piece and expand your repertoire.

Focus on the world around you
The first and greatest lesson of any art course is how to see. Including still life and landscape drawings and paintings as well as figure drawings and self-portraits reveals how you see the world as an artist.