What is the Big Dealabout Uploading YourArt Portfolio Online?

Learn how uploading your art portfolio online hasbecome an integral practice among college

admissions and why you need to learn how to do this.

ByKaren Kesteloot

The state of art portfolio

Image by VancityAllie .com at Flickr. Click here to view image source page.

Technology plays an integral part in keeping us connectedin this globally expanding world. Before, people had lettersdelivered to people through telegrams and the postalservice...a now slow means of delivery. Nowadays, peoplecan send text messages and post status updates foreveryone to see in a matter of seconds! The bestadvertising campaigns are now executed on Twitter in realtime. Communications are moving faster all the time asare the art departments and creative directors.

Aspiring artists have also felt the need to take advantageof technology more than ever. In the past, artists and

designers brought their original artworks in a portfolio caseand present their artworks – along with a spiel on eachwork – in front of potential clients or professors. This wasnext adapted into copies being placed into smallerportfolio books or having artists send in 35mm slides to beviewed by the review panel.

While several colleges still use the portfolio book to reviewyour work, others have chosen to use more advancedmeans. Art and design programs are now askingapplicants to upload their portfolios to Slideroom or otherapplicant management systems to moderate the incomingportfolios they receive.

This is not to say that using technology to manage artportfolios is better, but it currently is the most efficient andconvenient way to send and view art portfolios. Studentsdon’t have to worry about damaging their artworks whenthey travel to the college or university to present theirportfolio or send over their works through mail. It’s also alot more affordable for the typically limited student budget.

At the same time, this allows professors to focus onchecking the artworks without worrying about how they willgive the portfolios back to the sender and where they willstore the artworks for the time being. With an increasingnumber of art careers being focused in the digital realmthis is often the best way to appreciate the full effect of theartworks. So much colour and detail is lost in the printingprocess that students can only afford.

The one drawback of digital portfolios is that for hand-done works, especially paintings, too much of the detailand laying is lost. So make sure you take some detailshots or scans to show the full richness of your work.

What are the main reasons why you as art student should setup your art portfolio online as early as today? Visithttp://bit.ly/artportfolioonline for more!