The student news site of Oak Park High School

Northmen News

The student news site of Oak Park High School

Northmen News

The student news site of Oak Park High School

Northmen News

Portfolios lead to futures

College is right around the corner for a lot of students. Art students were beginning to consider colleges and future careers, with loads of artwork done throughout high school, it can be important to have a good collection for a portfolio.

Emphasize the area you have the most passion for.

— student teacher Gage Rabideaux

Artwork has meaning and ties into an artist’s personal experience. It is important to tell a story and really show strengths in a creative way.

Art teacher Tuwana Williams shared the important factors that should be included.

“Your strengths, media you are really talented with,” Williams said. “A bit of versatility as far as subject matter. You should share pieces where you really had to push yourself. Colleges look for variety, a little portraiture and landscape.”

PJ Nixon

Williams teaches AP art and design, a class where students spend the year building a portfolio with a theme.

“A lot of the time I like for kids to touch into something near and dear to who they are, personal struggle and triumph are good themes. Being able to convey a story through your work is very important to us.”

An art portfolio shows colleges the variety of work an artist has done, strengths, and the progress made.

Student teacher Gage Rabideaux shared her experience making a portfolio and the important factors.

“Emphasize the area you have the most passion for,” Rabideaux said. “It is important to have a wide breadth of mediums. If you really want to be an art teacher, you’ll want to show these guys that you are really capable of working with multiple mediums, so if you’re an illustrator you want to work with clay, fibers, digital, charcoal, everything in between.”

So if you are an artist nearing the end of high school, consider creating a portfolio showing a variety of artworks based on what career or college you may be looking for.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributors
Sophy Marks, art staff
Sophy Marks is a junior. This is her first time doing journalism; and she can't wait to work on comics for the Log and interview peers about subjects like local art, music, and movies. She also has interest in things like improvisational comedy, painting, fashion, theatrical makeup, and special effects. She is hoping to be a good addition to the Log with her art and ideas; and she can't wait to learn more about journalism.
PJ Nixon, art staff
PJ Nixon is a junior at Oak Park High School. He is passionate about art and makes cartoons for The Northmen’s Log. Over the summer, he participated in a summer program at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he earned a scholarship and further strengthened his artistic skills. He hopes to attend KCAI and pursue a career in illustration once he graduates high school.

Comments (0)

All Northmen News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *