Portfolio requirements for Computer Graphic Arts (2026)

Your portfolio should represent you as an artist, and include your best work.

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

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 – a motivational 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.

Please upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo. If you wish to restrict access, you may set the video to “hidden,” “unlisted,” or password-protected. Before submitting your application, ensure that the link and video function correctly. It is essential that we can view the video without being required to sign in to YouTube or Vimeo.

Tip: On YouTube, select “Unlisted” when setting the visibility of your video. On Vimeo, you can choose “Hide from Vimeo” or use a password, as long as anyone with the link and password can view the video without logging in.

Important: Avoid settings such as “Private,” as these require the viewer to have an account and log in to access the video.

 

2. Life drawings: Long studies (min. 2 and max 4 drawings) and croquis (min. 8 and max. 10  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. 5 and max. 8 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/foreshortening 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.

FAQ and tips

  • No. You are not required to know how to create 3D models or work in a 3D software to be accepted. All students start from the beginning with learning the basics of 3D software and workflow.

  • No. However, as an alternative to drawing and painting digitally, you can include 3D work in the Character Design and Background Design sections. The applicants who choose to do so are all assessed equally together with the other applicants. This is only to allow for applicants with a different skillset which is also part of the Computer Graphics Arts education and profession. You are also welcome to add 3D work in the ‘Optional’ section, but it is not a requirement and will not give you an advantage in the overall assessment of the portfolio. However, it is encouraged to have tried out or practise working in 3D before admission, as this not only highlights what it means to do so, but also might minimise the learning curve as a potential new student.

  • We recommend that you do the drawings for the ‘Life Drawing’ section from real life croquis* sessions with naked models, and not from photographs.

    A lot of information and perception of depth and form is lost in photographs; therefore, it gives a better result to analyse the human form and draw the form correctly from a live, naked model where you can see bone structure, overlapping forms and how shadows are wrapping around the forms of the body. Life drawing is also an essential part of understanding the construction of humans.

  • No. You are required to create your own ideas and designs. Of course, you might have been inspired or influenced by the media you either consume or are exposed to. But direct fanfiction is not allowed. It can however be put in the ‘Optional’ category if you happen to be doing some fanfiction work.

  • No. There are no specific kind of drawings that will get you accepted. We look for a solid understanding of construction in drawings and digital paintings and understanding of volume and rendering. This can be done with both characters, backgrounds and perspective drawings.

  • No. All the categories serve a purpose. The categories are there for you as an applicant to demonstrate a certain skill level and understanding of the visual medium, which are all relevant to the education as a Computer Graphic Artist at The Animation Workshop.

  • Yes. We require you to demonstrate your ability and skill level in finishing a design piece and applying colours digitally. You must have done the final design piece in a digital drawing application. Ideally these drawings and paintings are done in a painting software on a computer, but a painting application on an iPad/tablet can suffice. These are all important aspects for a successful experience as a potential student.

  • Yes. Please demonstrate your creative process by including sketches and thumbnails. It is up to your judgement on how many per design. Not too few or too many. The important part is to give the admission board enough insight into the creative process and the approach to each design you made.

  • No. Please respect the requirements and restrictions. When assessing a portfolio, we do not only look at the drawings in each category, but also how well the applicant can follow directions and adhere to the specific requirements.

  • No. The professional bachelor’s degree programmes at The Animation Workshop are not art school programmes.

    The Animation Workshop is a university college and is a part of VIA University College. There is an emphasis on both theory and practice in the studies at university colleges, as students are prepared to work in professions.

    Furthermore, there is a mandatory internship of 30 ECTS credits as a part of the education.

    Learn more about university colleges in Denmark

    • Consider the personality of your character designs, as well as treat your background and environment design as a ‘character with personality’. What does your character do for a living? Who are they? What purpose do they have for a story and narrative? The same applies to your background design. Who lives or uses the location? Is it new and shiny or old and worn? Tell a story through your designs to make them engaging to look at. 
    • Inspiration – go to the source: Study real life rather than only getting inspiration and information from games, animated films or social media. 
    • Think about the presentation of your portfolio, and not only the content. Make sure that all drawings are clear and well presented on the pages in the portfolio. This, for example, means no pixelated drawings, decent sizes of the drawings on the pages and not too many drawings on one page.
    • Curate your portfolio - More is not better. Make sure to present your best and most recent work - quality over quantity (still fulfilling the requirements, of course)
    • Set deadlines and structure your process of making the portfolio. Do not wait until the very last minute with it.
  • Construction: All objects and characters can be simplified into different forms and shapes. Put together, and drawn with consideration to for example perspective, they create what is named construction of the character or object. 

    Rendering: The application of grey scale tone or colour, which imply the volume and surface of objects or characters. 

    *Rendering: Rendering might also relate to the digital process of generating digital images from a 3D software. But this does not relate to drawing or painting traditionally or in a digital painting software.  

    Croquis: Life drawing - usually with a naked model.

    Thumbnails: A thumbnail drawing is a sketch in small format, which acts as a test or protype of ideas. The name implies that the sketch is no bigger than the size of a human thumbnail. This means that these drawings are relatively small and without too many details making it quick to draw to test out ideas.