Preparing Your Art Portfolio

Tips to prepare and submit your portfolio

Are you ready to start creating your art portfolio for college? Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, our major-specific portfolio guidelines listed below will help!

We understand that our applicants come from diverse backgrounds and have had varying levels of educational opportunity. So, as you prepare your portfolio, keep this in mind and know that Ringling College values your individualism and creative voice. We are simply looking for a portfolio that demonstrates your potential to succeed.

If you’ve been creating work for your high school classes, you should have lots of work to choose from. Choose work that shows your strengths. We want to see what you’ve got, from final pieces to works in progress from the pages of your sketchbook. Show us what materials you enjoy experimenting with, what topics you like to explore, and how you like to push your work to the next level.

Please submit only one portfolio. We do not need a duplicate portfolio in another program if you are still deciding on your major. All work submitted must be the student’s original creation and not made using Artificial Intelligence tools such as art generators, writing generators, or the work of others.

We look forward to reviewing your work! Please know that we are always here to help.

Portfolio Review

Schedule a video appointment with one of our admissions counselors to review your art portfolio.

Schedule a Review

Portfolio Tips From Professionals

Developing a portfolio can be daunting. To help you through the process, we tapped some of our friends from creative industries for advice on making your selections, what to include, common mistakes, and more. Read on for tips and suggestions from an expert.

Sarah Kambara, '14 — Creative and Producer

“Your portfolio should include examples of both your technical skill and artistic expression, but you should consider focusing more on the technical pieces. While it’s nice to have some artistic expression pieces to show your personality and an area of art you care about, the technical skills will showcase your talent level for admission.“

Matteo Caloiaro — Ringling College of Art and Design Illustration Faculty

“The biggest mistake I see students making is including too much fan art or other work that does not clearly demonstrate foundational abilities.If you stick to observational work, it’s hard to go wrong!”

Rachel Thompson — Background Designer and Painter for TV Animation, Concept Artist, and Illustrator

“Don’t focus on making everything perfect. It’s nice to have some finished pieces, of course, but process work and rough sketches can demonstrate just as much ability. Not everything has to have color, and not everything should be black and white. You can paint in your sketchbook from observation or do a still life on a canvas; both are great ways to show you understand color and light.”

Portfolio Suggestions and Guidelines by Major

Need some ideas? Here are a few suggestions and guidelines for building your art portfolio for college.

Business of Art and Design

Business of Art and Design applicants fulfill the portfolio requirement by submitting a short, written statement (3 pages maximum) that addresses the following:

Describes your interests in art, design, and the creative industries
Tells us why you wish to pursue a creative business degree and what you hope to achieve as a student here
Anything else that supports your interest in Business of Art and Design

Although not required, applicants may also submit visual work samples such as:

Design projects
Video, photography, or multimedia projects
Project presentations
Other creative projects

Computer Animation, Game Art, and Illustration

Here are some examples and suggestions to help you create an art portfolio for Ringling College, if you are applying for the Computer Animation, Game Art, or Illustration majors.

It’s important for us to see examples of drawing from life and direct observation. These can include:

Hands, feet, human figures, and animals
Representational drawing (drawing from life)
Interior and/or exterior environments

Important to remember:

Do not copy from another artist. Avoid clichés like anime, tattoo designs, dragons, or unicorns. At least half of your portfolio should consist of drawing from direct observation. Your ability to think creatively is important to us, so feel free to include pages from your sketchbook.

Note: The Computer Animation application deadline is January 15.