Guidelines for applicants to Fine Art

Uploading Images
(electronic folio)

&
Supporting Text
(folio statement)

http://application.gsa.ac.uk/
 Stage One Application

How is my application assessed ?

In order to evaluate and establish how well you represent yourself visually
through the folio and in writing through the UCAS statement and folio
statement, Admissions staff will:

view the uploaded images (electronic folio)

read your Supporting Text (folio statement)
read your UCAS Personal Statement
What we look for in order to evaluate your stage one
application and where we would look for this (7 aspects)

How your e-folio demonstrates your interest in Fine Art

and the Specialist area applied for ?
Course awareness, why this course?
Your development process.
How you represent your sources and influences.
Range and application of practical skills.
Course work.
Independent / Personal work
 How your e-folio demonstrates your interest in
Fine Art and the specialist area you applied for :

You will be expected to include work that uses materials

and methods that demonstrates appropriateness to the
specialist area applied for. (e-folio)

Course awareness, why this course?

You will be expected to communicate why you consider

the course applied for is the appropriate one for you.
(folio statement)
 Your development process :

You will be expected to show how you progress your

ideas through experiment and visual enquiry. (e-folio)

How you represent your sources and influences :

You will be expected to show your source material,

references and influences through sketchbooks, or
through other supporting material. (e- folio and folio
statement
These can be represented by uploading selected pages
from your sketchbooks, preparatory sketches,
development sheets and final pieces.
Range and application of practical skills :

We expect the portfolio to represent your experience with

materials, methods and experimental work. (e-folio)

This can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including

drawing / painting / analytical / abstract / 3Dwork /
photography /CAD etc.
 Course work:
You will be expected to provide examples of work which
has been made as part of a prescribed course (e-folio)
Independent applicants (who may not have recent
course work) will be expected to represent appropriate
experience of practice through their folio and statement

Independent / Personal work:

You will be expected to include examples of work made
outwith a prescribed course, which builds on your
experiences and demonstrates a potential for
independent learning.
A Total of 25 images is
required by all Fine Art
Departments.
Some notes for guidance in preparing your e-
folio:
Preparatory/ Research work: This can be sketchbook pages, studies,
development sheets, preparatory drawings that demonstrates/tracks the
development of a finished piece of work. We are interested in the
concepts and ideas behind your work and how they progress and
develop; from the initial starting point / source of inspiration through to a
finished piece of work.

We are also interested in finding out more about your interest in Fine
Art, artists that you are looking at (for example exhibitions visits,
internet, books, magazines and newspapers). We want to know what or
who has motivated you or influenced you to apply for the specialist area.
Research/influences should be made clear in your statement. Also
whilst the work of other artists can be referenced within
sketchbook pages is should not solely occupy one of the
uploaded slides within your portfolio.

Finished work: We want to see work that is an outcome of your

development work and is more consolidated and resolved.

Time based work: (film / video work / sound pieces / slide shows
etc.)

If you are submitting a time based work it needs to be presented

as a story board with 5 - 10 images.
Supporting images

The 25 uploaded images should contain examples of different

work. If you wish to include different angles of the same piece of
work or detailed sections please do so within one image.

Before you finally submit your application, check each image to

ensure you are happy with the size and level of detail you can see
as this will be what Admissions staff will also see.

The image size should be no greater than 200kb ( ideal image

size is 1024 x 768 pixels if possible) with a resolution size no
more than 72dpi.
In order to show us the development of your ideas throughout a
project you may wish to show several drawings/pieces of work
together within one image: you could do this by photographing
several drawings/pieces of work together at once, or by
photographing several pieces individually and using Photoshop (or
a similar programme) to combine them into one image.

This can be particularly useful when trying to show work that

cannot be photographed at the same time for example a series of
pages in a sketchbook. However it is important not to make the
components of an image so small that the details cannot be seen.
The following slides show some of the ways in which
work could be presented. These are given as
guidelines only; we understand that each applicants
work is personal and this will influence the way in which
they choose to present the work.
 Painting and Printmaking
Of the 25 uploaded images, a breakdown might include:

Finished work: between 10 images 15 images.

Preparatory work/Research materials: 5 - 8 images

This could include: sketchbooks, studies, preparatory drawings,
development sheets. There should be no more than four images
used on any one page showing preparatory work from sketchbooks.

Observational studies: between 5 - 8 images.

 Sculpture and Environmental Art
Of the 25 uploaded images, a breakdown might include:

1. Preparatory / Research work: 5 - 15 images

This could include sketchbooks, documentation of 3D studies,
preparatory drawings, development sheets

Finished work: 5 - 15 images

This need not be all different work. If work is three dimensional
you may want to show different views. Also if you have Time-
Based work then you might want to use 5 - 10 images that story-
board the work.
 Fine Art Photography
Of the 25 uploaded images, a breakdown might include:

Finished work - 15 to 20 images

Preparatory/Research work : 5 to 10 images.

This could include pages from sketchbooks, contact
sheets, development of working prints.
 Stage two
Applicants selected for interview will be asked to bring their portfolio of
work to the interview.

The portfolio interview is a two-way process: for you to gain a better

understanding of the GSA and your chosen course and for us to view your
portfolio and ask you questions about it and your interest in your chosen
specialism.

The portfolio interview will last about 20 minutes and will normally be with
2 members of staff.
http://application.gsa.ac.uk