The Drawing Academy: Portfolio

Do you have great drawing skills and need the help to improve your portfolio? TDA Portfolio is the best preparation to apply for our Bachelor's degree programmes!

Made by Chiara Luber

Background Design - William bang

The Animation Workshop

Type and duration

Foundation course, (10 weeks)

Course dates

6th of January - 14th of March, 2025

Course fee

DKK 17,000 *(Former students of The Drawing Academy's semester courses and Visuel HF get a DKK 2000 discount)

Application deadline

21 October, 2024

ECTS

The course is not accredited with ECTS credits

What you will learn

The course comprises a series of workshops covering topics relevant for bachelor programmes at The Animation Workshop and similar institutions. Typically, we organize one class for each of the three bachelor lines (Character Animation, CG Arts, and Graphic Storytelling). However, if there are fewer applicants, we will devise flexible solutions to ensure that everyone can still concentrate on disciplines relevant to their own portfolio.

Each workshop includes lectures, assignments, and individual feedback sessions, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of portfolio requirements. This setup allows everyone the opportunity to create the drawings necessary for their portfolio. In the weeks leading up to the admission deadline, you will have dedicated time to focus solely on completing and optimizing your portfolio, with personalized feedback from your primary instructor.

While classical drawing is not part of the course curriculum, you will have access to all-TAW open life drawing sessions.

As a student of TDA Portfolio, you will have access to a workspace dedicated to this course 24/7, where you can work and relax with your fellow classmates.

Please be aware that for the CG Arts class, it is necessary to bring a computer capable of running Blender. Ideally, this should be a laptop that you can take home with you. For the Character Animation and Graphic Storytelling classes, it is recommended to bring a laptop, iPad, or a similar device for digital drawing. However, it is possible to take the course without these devices.

Ready to apply?

CV, letter of motivation and portfolio

When applying to the course, you will be asked to upload the following in the application system:

CV (school/education and, if relevant, work experience), Letter of motivation, max. a half A4 page. (Please write which BA-line you would like to apply for), Portfolio (show 10-20 observational drawings, of which a minimum of five should be of a live model. You can also upload sketchbook drawings. Please note: we would like to see drawings of observations from life, not drawings from photos. (Please upload a pdf or a link to an online portfolio)

Apply before October 21

You will receive the result of your application shortly after the application deadline.

Apply here

Need more information?

Housing

Student accommodation

In Denmark, on-campus student accommodation provided by universities and colleges is not available, as is the case in many other countries. This means that students are responsible for finding housing on their own.

Dorm rooms in Viborg typically cost between 2500-3500 DKK (250-470 EUR) per month depending on size and whether you are willing to share facilities. Utility expenses, like electricity, internet and heating, are often paid separately and cost around 600 DKK (80 EUR) per month.

For further information and great tips for finding student accommodation in Denmark and Viborg check out our student accommodation page
Practical Info

The school does not offer scholarships.
It is not possible to get SU (public education support).
The Animation Workshop/VIA University College (TAW) reserves the right to cancel the course should there not be enough participants

Materials

You will mainly be working with analogue drawing materials, but in some workshops, you will have the opportunity to work digitally, if you have your own computer equipment. While many students may want to create part of their portfolio digitally, except for a few computers for scanning etc. in the common areas, the school is not providing computers for the students in TDA Portfolio. Bringing a computer and a Wacom tablet is recommended but in no way mandatory.

The Animation Workshop/VIA University College (TAW) reserves the right to cancel the course should there not be enough participants.
About The Drawing Academy

The Drawing Academy (TDA) is the drawing department of The Animation Workshop/VIA University College. At The Drawing Academy, we approach drawing as a craft with reference to baroque and renaissance masters, as well as to more recent artists working with representing and interpreting reality.

During the courses at TDA, we train your ability to draw the human body and the world around it. We often draw a live model in a variation of both very short and longer poses depending on the purpose of the exercise. Many of the exercises aim at teaching you how to understand, draw and construct the actual shapes that objects, bodies, heads etc. consist of, so that you can work with values, tones and light. Other very important topics are movement and mood. In TDA Classical Drawing & Painting, we expand into the area of colours.

At TDA, we are interested in giving you a deep understanding of form, construction and movement rather than how to make a nice and glossy surface. This understanding is relevant, not only for animation, but for all kinds of artistic disciplines. Thus, the semester course is an excellent base for further visual studies. It is also relevant for visual professionals wishing to improve their drawing skills.

If your main area of interest is classical art, we encourage you to take a look at TDA Classical Drawing & Painting. For that course, some experience with classical drawing is an advantage. However, we also welcome students with limited classical drawing experience, if they are highly motivated to learn. For students of TDA Classical & Visual Storytelling Foundation, who wish to continue developing their classical drawing skills and learn how to paint, the course is well suited as a top-up course.

Studying at The Animation Workshop

You will study in a highly ambitious environment that cultivates an extensive international network of skilled professional guest teachers. You will also get access to many extracurricular activities such as inspirational talks by artists, illustrators and animators, evening life drawing, sports and social events.