PORTFOLIO CLINICS

OCAD University has created a unique program designed to help you make the best portfolio presentation possible. This daylong clinic will help fill in the gaps in your visual art and design experience, build your confidence in working with different materials and techniques and give you an opportunity to explore new territory.

You’ll learn how to organize your portfolio and make an interesting visual presentation, how to include 3D pieces and talk effectively about your work. The day begins with a presentation explaining what assessors look for when evaluating a portfolio. There will be a discussion about the importance of your creative journal/sketchbook as well as the other features that make a portfolio stand apart.

After this presentation, you will spend the rest of the day in a studio workshop of your choice. The workshops are designed to inform and inspire your creativity. You will either complete a piece of work to include in your portfolio or learn a new skill that will enable you to create new work. They provide a great opportunity to study with professionals.

Workshops run for a full day on Saturdays from November to February. The cost of the workshop covers instruction and most materials. Not all workshops are available at every scheduled clinic date.

Please note that the portfolio clinic program is primarily designed for people who are interested in applying to a postsecondary art or design school. The curriculum of the workshops is not appropriate for students below the age of 15.

Portfolio Clinics run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a presentation from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 10:45 a.m. Students spend the rest of the day in the workshop of their choice.

Choose the date you want to attend then select a workshop to participate in. Register online using our secure online payment system.

NOTE: ONE WORKSHOP PER REGISTRANT ONLY
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE - (secure site opens in new window)

2012/2013 Portfolio Clinic Schedule 

2012/2013 Workshops

Advertising 101
Ever wonder what it would be like to be part of the world of advertising? Successful ads are always the result of collaboration and in this workshop you will learn how to develop big ideas, deal with tight time-lines and work towards creating an ad. The course kicks off with a briefing and a presentation. You'll get to try out some ideas and get some feedback from your fellow creatives. You’ll walk away with a linear sketch of a print ad, TV ad, guerilla/ambient concept or an interactive concept and a much clearer idea of how an advertising agency works.

Design Cityscapes: From 2D to 3D
Students will be guided through an immersive exploration of design process and drawing techniques that are useful for developing new cityscapes, products or sculptures. We'll use drawing as a tool for thinking while learning to transform 2-Dimensional contour lines into 3-Dimensional forms represented through accurate prespective sketches. Practical steps will guide the development of techniques to observe, analyse and invent new 3-Dimensional realities, while providing you with both sketchbook process drawings and a finished composition to include in your portfolio.  

Encaustic Painting 
Encaustic, or wax, is among the earliest known painting mediums currently in use. From its early associations with Greek and Egyptian funerary practices, to the Pop-inspired works of Jasper Johns, to the explosion of contemporary painters exploring and expanding its metaphorical possibilities, encaustic allows for a broad range of interpretations and applications. This workshop introduces you to the medium using a range of materials, tools and equipment. Wax is heated and mixed with oil paint, then applied in layers for a rich translucent finish. Changes can easily be made by reheating, manipulating, and scraping away areas to be revised. Because it dries so quickly you will be able to complete several paintings by the end of the day.

Experimental Photography
In this workshop, students will learn how to use a scanner from top to bottom (including software and Photoshop tips), while utilizing their new skills for some amazing artwork. Learn about macro style photography, experiment with various scanning techniques, and learn about digital retouching to make your work really shine. We will be working with various fabrics, textures, beads, twigs and any other materials we can cram under the scanner lid! Please bring any materials/objects that you would like to work with and be prepared to have a lot of fun!

Figure Drawing 
By exploring proportion, form, light and shadow, you will focus on drawing techniques and learn different approaches to observing and representing the human figure. The workshop will begin with short gesture poses and work towards longer sustained poses.

Hands On
Explore materials as a means to creative process and production. Drawing and painting media, materials and tools are supplied to you in this workshop. Colour glazing, hard-edge, optical mixing, texture and surface are explored. You’ll engage in direct and rapid exercises, such as mind mapping, designed to expand your working vocabulary and stretch your imagination. Practicing techniques in acrylics, pastels, charcoal and pencil will help to develop the skills you need to produce a variety of portfolio pieces as well as develop your journal/sketchbook.

Material Impact 
Combine your drawing, painting, photography and love for materials into a single stunning finished piece for your portfolio. Bring in a JPEG of your artwork, or a landscape, or portrait; print it onto cotton or silk to create a starting point for your collage. Draw on, paint, cut, or sew your image, then layer and combine it with handmade papers, plastic or metals to create an exciting reinterpretation. The day will be spent discussing and exploring how to combine a wide variety of disparate materials and techniques and how to merge these into a single cohesive piece that will showcase your artistic flexibility and get you ‘portfolio ready’.

Model Making
This workshop is intended for students who are interested in the process of design: from ideation to prototyping. Students will generate a scale model of a designed object of their choice (chair, flashlight, structure, etc.) using plastic, wood, foam and other specialized model making materials. Students will learn how to work in scale, model making techniques and the process of developing an idea.

Screen Printing
Andy Warhol brought screen printing from the commercial world into the realm of fine art with his compelling multiples of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy and Campbell's Soup cans. Try your hand at this versatile and punchy printmaking technique at a workshop during which we'll experiment with printing painterly, stencil, and photographic images on paper and textiles.

Sculpture to Go
Create a 3 dimensional work quickly and effectively using simple materials and techniques. Begin by exploring the world of sculpture and 3 dimensional design with an overview of form and surface development and 3 dimensional design processes. Then with your favourite 2D work of art as inspiration, you will design and create a 'sculpture to go.' All necessary materials are provided, however you may wish to bring your own materials (e.g. favourite artwork, found objects, photos) to be incorporated into your finished piece.

Words & Pictures
Taking the familiar and making it unfamiliar and taking the unfamiliar and making it familiar are common challenges for a designer. This workshop introduces students to problem recognition and solution through the arrangement and relating of components in two-dimensional space. Through a process of critical thinking and the application of visual hierarchies to words and pictures, students will create commanding, compelling communications. Discussion points include: the value of strong visual and oral presentation; introductory learning approaches to problem solving, abstract thought and creative thinking; the value of observation, research and process. Students will work on two/three in class exercises with the view to creating a stronger portfolio.

Writing Your Way into Art & Design School
This workshop will guide you through the process of writing an effective portfolio statement. Many artists and designers find it difficult to translate their visual ideas into words. This workshop will demystify the process of writing successful statements for curators, clients and admissions committees. You will learn techniques to help you write effectively and avoid common errors. We will read and discuss statements by professional artists and designers, and by successful university applicants. You will work on your statement and receive constructive, one-on-one feedback. Upon completion of the workshop, you will have a draft of your portfolio statement.

OCAD University reserves the right to make changes to this information. Inquire early as space is limited. This program may be canceled due to low enrollment.

Student Comments

"It was definitely a beneficial experience – especially the information session because it answered all the questions I had about preparing a portfolio.”

"Great opportunity to try new media, with personal assistance (small classes) and lots of hands on experience, not watching someone else make art half the time. Good value."

"It was such a great experience! I learned so much in such a short period of time. It was really fun, I would go again!"

"OCAD U provides a lot of hands-on experience, which will help you determine whether your chosen program is suitable for you or not."

“I learned what to put into my portfolio and I have a better understanding of what a university is expecting of me.”

Last Modified:1/3/2013 10:29:50 AM

Put Your Best Portfolio Forward


Ontario College of Art & Design 100 McCaul Street Toronto, Ontario M5T 1W1 Canada Tel. 416.977.6000 Fax. 416.977.6000 © OCAD 2007