Visual Arts Centre

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Art Portfolio Preparation – DSA, Diploma and Higher Education

Acrylic still life painting

Prepare a great art portfolio for DSA and apply to the art school of your dreams

Visual Arts Centre has trained and supported many students leading to their successful admission into art and design schools with the Portfolio Preparation Course (DSA) and Portfolio Preparation Course (Diploma & Higher Education). During the one year of intensive Art Portfolio Preparation Course, students undergo professional art training and develop professional art skills and techniques useful for their educational and professional endeavours. At the same time, students complete a full art portfolio as required for Direct School Admission – DSA-MOE / DSA-SOTA, which demonstrates the student’s artistic abilities and creativity. 

An art portfolio consists of a series of artworks done by a student over a period of time and is usually presented during the art school admission process. Many art schools have clear instructions and requirements for the art portfolio, such as a set number of artworks and the style or subject of the works presented. 

Visual Arts Centre has years of experience in helping students gain admission into art schools through DSA, and to art schools and universities locally and overseas. The Portfolio Preparation for DSA one year course prepares and coaches students in P5 to help them to get into their dream schools through the DSA-MOE or DSA-SOTA admission exercise. Those seeking a Diploma or Bachelor /Masters Degree in Fine Arts may enrol for the Portfolio Preparation for Diploma and Higher Education. 

Many students have been successfully admitted to SOTA, NAFA, LASALLE and overseas universities through our Portfolio Preparation course and have received a strong art foundation and training which benefit them for life.  

Find out more and embark on your art portfolio preparation journey today!

10 Reasons to prepare an Art Portfolio

1. Demonstrates and Displays Your Skills and Competency 

An art portfolio is required for admission into art schools. Whilst this sounds demanding, an art portfolio is usually prepared over a period of one to two years, and students with a keen interest in art would have completed many works during their art learning journey.

Commonly, a comprehensive art portfolio should include artworks of a range of art mediums and subject matter. Artworks demonstrating the students’ techniques in realism drawing and sketching, otherwise known as tonal drawing or 3D observational drawing is requested for the Talent Academy admission for DSA-SOTA. In addition, creative works, which may consist of works of painting, video, digital art mediums are also required for the portfolio submission. 

At a tertiary level, depending on the art school 

2. Helps you to visualise better

Before working on a sketch, one has to begin by mapping out what they want to draw. This process of composing your work through numerous thumbnail sketches can effectively present to you the general outlook of your artwork – how the elements are arranged and how they interact with one another. As such, drawing and sketching helps you visualise the images in your head better, enabling you to plan and map out concepts more effectively.

3. Polishes your coordination and fine motor skills

Polishing your hand-eye coordination skills are important since they are made use of in when engaging in most tasks during your daily lives. The more you practice drawing, the better you can get at observing what you see and presenting them as visuals.

4. Hones your analytical skills

Drawing and sketching takes much practice and patience. When you sketch, you have to concentrate and focus on your work to produce the best outcome. This is especially so, when you are working on a life drawing and sketching piece. When sketching from life, you want to capture all the details of the object and the form in one sitting. Hence, while learning drawing and sketching, you will find yourself being able to focus and work on tasks for longer periods of time.

6. Gives you a channel to communicate

Artwork done by Arinze Stanley @ arinzestanley.com

Drawing is a form of visual communication, represented by symbols and signs. Convey your thoughts and concepts through painting and drawing. As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words, why not draw something to put your point across effectively? After all, art is known as the way of expression, to show what does not translate well into words.

7. Acts as your stress reliever

For some people, drawing and sketching gives them a channel to relieve their stress. Through drawing and sketching, one can fully immerse themselves in the art and hence, temporarily forget the stress. This temporal relaxation is likened to a stroll in the park or a quiet meditation session.

That being said, drawing and sketching may not be a stress reliever if you are a beginner to it, but soon, after much practice, you will soon get the hang of it, and find the joy in sketching!

8. Makes you more aware of the things around you!

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Acrylic Painting

After learning drawing and sketching, you may find yourself becoming more observant, remembering the shapes and forms of the objects. As some people say, drawing and sketching makes you develop an “eye” – a keen “eye” for observation!

9. An Art Portfolio allows you to develop your creative vision and complete your own art project! 

Portfolio Preparation Sculpture

The process of preparing for an art portfolio requires you to brainstorm on the thought processes and ideas, and finally create an artwork. You will be embarking on various art projects and taking on an exploratory journey as you research into the topics of your interest, and use various inspirations to formulate a final artwork. This thought process is important in honing your project and time management skills, and trains your creative and critical thinking skills. Art Portfolio Preparation may be a challenging journey for younger students seeking a DSA route, and Visual Arts Centre will be able to support students by equipping them with skills and techniques, as well as guiding them on their artwork development process.

10. Demonstrate your passion for the arts

Acrylic Painting

Drawing and sketching is a skill. Picking it up and gradually honing your skills in it can allow you to become more acquainted with drawing and sketching, turning it into a hobby. After a long day of work, you can look forward to heading for art class, a quiet time for you to disconnect and fully immerse in drawing and sketching, draining all the tension from work into space…

Sign up for our art courses! We have a 24 session art immersion course that is suited for learners of all levels. You will get to try out drawing and sketching, oil painting, acrylic painting or watercolor painting during your course. Over a comfortable validity period of 10 months, look forward to kick start your artistic journey with our personalised art courses.

Click here to find out more about our 24 sessions art immersion course!

For more information, feel free to contact us at 6255 0711 / 6733 2155, or email us at info@visualartscentre.sg.

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