Portfolio Surgery

Welcome to the Portfolio Surgery, an online programme designed to help students who want to get into art and design courses at college or university. You can find out how to take advantage of the free portfolio assessment service on this page.

Most institutions will ask you to submit a portfolio of your practical work when applying for a course, and knowing how to create a portfolio - the range of work you should have, how to develop personal projects and sketchbooks, how to select and present your work - is probably the single most important factor in gaining entry to the course of your choice.

With over fifteen years experience of successfully preparing students for entry to art college and university courses, the Studio Art School team are uniquely placed to help you put together the best possible portfolio.
They will also help with you with every other aspect of applying to college or university – choosing the right course, completing the forms, writing a personal statement and preparing for interview.  If you are applying through UCAS, they can also guide you through the application process online.

How it works
Anyone who has access to the internet can enrol on the Portfolio Surgery. When you apply, you will be given access to a secure area of the Studio Art School website where you can upload images of your work and communicate with the team. This area, called 'My Studio' is accessible only to you and to staff from the Studio Art School.

The first stage of the Portfolio Surgery is to carry out an assessment of your work. You will be asked to upload images of your current work to the website. You can use a digital camera or a scanner to do this. If you are unsure how to go about uploading images to the web, don’t worry – it’s a simple process, and you will be given all the help you need. You will also be asked a little bit about yourself, your work, and what you want to do in the future. An assessment will be made of your work, and you will be given feedback on it, in the light of what you say about yourself and your ambitions.

Note: The initial assessment is entirely free - there is no obligation to pay anything.

As part of the feedback, an individual Development Programme will be created, designed to develop strengths and overcome weaknesses in your portfolio, both technical and creative.

The Development Programme will be a mixture of practical exercises and project work, designed for you to work through at your own pace and in your own time. In putting the programme together, your use of media and materials; the range of subject matter you are working with, and other elements including drawing and observational skills, use of colour and sketchbook development will be considered.

The programme will also contain valuable information on media and materials and on relevant artists and designers; together with suggestions for further study. The Studio Art School team will also identify other units of work from the catalogue which would be useful for the development of your portfolio.

You are under no obligation to enrol on the Development Programme, but if you decide to, you will be allocated an individual tutor who will guide you through the exercises and projects, comment on and assess the work you send in, and help you prepare your portfolio for submission. Your tutor can also advise you on course choices and help you complete applications and prepare for interviews. At any stage, you can contact your tutor to ask questions or seek advice.

What it costs
No charge is made for the initial assessment and feedback.

The fee for the Development Programme is £150.
Further units from our list are available at £150 each.

What do I do next?
You can apply online