The portfolio is your chance to show your skills and creative abilities.
We are looking for applicants who are able to showcase a broad understanding of the relevant skills and who have a mindset for learning new ways of expressing themselves throughout their years of study.
When working with the categories, remember, that individuality and originality is something to strive for.
We are interested in seeing the different stages of your process and encourage you to add sketches.
Please refrain from having any gratuitous violent or sexual material in your portfolio.
Portfolio requirements, Computer Graphic Arts 2024
1. Video introduction (max 3 minutes)
As a professional CG Artist, you will be working as part of a team communicating stories and emotions to an audience. In order to do that, it is essential that you are able to articulate intentions and to give and receive feedback in a constructive and professional manner.
In this category, we are asking you to record a video introduction of yourself – an application letter in video form. Here are some suggestions for topics to cover (please don’t feel obligated to include all of them or to limit yourself to these):
- How do you see your own strengths and weaknesses as a creative in terms of craft, vision, drive etc.? What are you especially hoping to improve in by studying at TAW?
- Why are you applying, what made you choose this specific programme, and how does that choice tie in with your ambitions for the future?
- What or who inspire(s) you as a creative person? Consider naming some favourite creators or works (comics, films, games, books …) and talking about how and why they inspire you.
- Tell us about any relevant experience you may have in the form of work or study or other. Anything from paid work to passion projects applies.
- Formative experiences: Things you have done or that have happened to you, good or bad, that you think shaped you in terms of who you are now.
When reviewing the video, we will look at your ability to communicate succinctly and clearly about who you are and how you see yourself profiting from the course.
We will not be judging the video based on image or sound quality, editing or other technical aspects – as long as you are in the frame, and we can hear what you are saying. Feel free to record the video with your phone, a web camera or whatever else is easily accessible to you.
The video should be uploaded to an external site like YouTube or Vimeo. Mark it as “hidden” if you don’t want anyone but us to see it. Dropbox, Google Drive and similar file sharing services that require sign up to view the files may not be used for the video. Please place the link on the first page of your portfolio.
Remember to test that it works before submitting your application!
2. Life drawings: Long studies (min. 2 and max 4 drawings) and croquis (min. 4 and max. 8 drawings)
Drawings in this category should include formal life drawing with models and can include drawings of people in real life situations – sketches.
It is important that drawings show proper anatomy, size proportions and an understanding of shape, body dynamics and weight of the figure. When possible, we recommend drawing from real life, not drawing from photographs.
3. Character designs (min.4 and max. 6 different characters)
The designs must show originally designed characters. We would like to see a range of variety in visual styles—graphic and 3-dimensional drawings. Please submit your final character design but also add some of your sketches displaying the process of your work from idea to final design.
We recommend you depict two characters relating to one another, like a duo/team/partners or a hero vs. villain. The designs can also be of individual character. Characters should vary in personality, form, shape, and colour.
Note: You can hand in designs that are either drawn or are 3D models and 3D sculpts of character work done in for example Autodesk Maya, Blender and ZBrush. If you submit 3D work, you also need to add a wireframe render or image of your work.
4. Background design (min. 3 and max. 6 indoor and min. 3 and max. 6 outdoor)
These drawings can range from concept sketches to finished background layouts representing a location where a scene of action or acting could take place. Consideration of the situation which would or could take place is recommended, such as the storytelling of the location, who is living there, who is using the space and how is that communicated through the design.
Please submit your final background and environment design but also add some of your sketches or thumbnails displaying the process of your work from idea to final design (a maximum of one page of thumbnails/sketches for each design).
The drawings should be coloured digitally in software such as, or similar to, Adobe Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, Procreate, Affinity Designer.
Note: Background designs can be either drawn or be 3D models and 3D sculpts of environment work done in for example Autodesk Maya, Blender and ZBrush. If you submit 3D work, you also need to add a wireframe render or image of your work.
5. Perspective (min. 4 and max. 6 drawings)
Drawings in this category include environments, buildings or landscapes that demonstrate an understanding of the principles of perspective. This may include classic studies of perspective, but at least one drawing should use perspective of an object within an environment. The drawings must be done without the use of 3D work as a tool (meaning not using 3D models to define the perspective) Please keep construction lines on the drawings. This includes horizon line, vanishing points and orthogonal lines.
6. Optional (maximum 5 pages excluding references)
You are welcome to include links or additional categories of work outside of our requirements, like 3D modelling and texturing, animations, illustrations, story ideas, pages from your sketchbook, creative projects you have been involved in or any graphical work you have produced. Also, should you have relevant recommendations or references and wish to include them in your portfolio, this is the place to put them.
The portfolio requirements were updated in November 2023, and apply for applications in 2024 and forward.