• The following prerequisite courses must be successfully completed OR currently enrolled in the semester when submitting portfolio. 
  • ARH 2051 History of Western Art II
  • ART 2201C Design Fundamentals 2D
  • ART 2203C Design Fundamentals 3D
  • ART 2300C Drawing Fundamentals I
  • ART 2301C Drawing Fundamentals II
  • DIG 2000 Introduction to Digital Media (requires a “B” or better)
  • DIG 2030 Digital Video Fundamentals
  • DIG 2109 Digital Imaging Fundamentals
  • DIG 2500 Fundamentals of Interactive Design
  • GRA 2101C Introduction to Computer Art
  • MAC 1105C College Algebra
    

  Starting Spring 2024: The following prerequisite courses can be completed after submitting portfolio:

  • ARH 2050 History of Western Art I
  • CGS 2100C Computer Fundamentals for Business

  A grade of “C” or better is required for each course listed above. These courses must be completed or enrolled in by the semester applying for portfolio.

  A GPA of 3.0 is required for major courses.

  Students seeking to transfer courses taken at other institutions should check tes.collegesource.com to confirm equivalency.

Applicants are asked to submit the following criteria below via a single PDF portfolio document. Carefully review the following requirements below. If submitted work does not meet these criteria, it will not be accepted for evaluation. All application materials and portfolios must be received by the deadline.

Section 1: Cover Letter (1-page maximum)

Each student must provide a single page, professionally formatted cover letter stating their interest in the track. The cover letter should contain an introduction and convey why the student is interested in entry to the Experimental Animation track while discussing the student's future professional aspirations. This cover letter should be no more than one page in the submitted portfolio.

Section 2 and 3: Presentation Requirements of 2D and 3D Visual Works in Experimental Animation Portfolio:

• Images of artwork may be arranged on the page as the user wishes but should not be pixelated. Images should be clearly labeled, oriented correctly, and professionally presented within the submitted PDF document.
• Students may choose to include multiple images of a single work. This practice is done if the applicant wishes to draw attention to detail in the submitted work of art. 
• Please clearly label each submitted portfolio artwork with the following:
  • Title of artwork
  • Year the presented artwork was created
  • If the artwork was produced for a class, what class was the submitted artwork produced?
  • If collaborative – what your involvement was in the project (what exactly did you do?)
  • Medium produced in (traditional, digital, hybrid, other)
  • Software used (if applicable)

Section 2: 2D Design, 3D Design, Sculpture, or Industrial Designs. Five artistic pieces must be included within this section to be considered for review. At least one piece must be a 2D work, and at least one must be a 3D work.) Digital or traditional pieces are acceptable.

Student portfolios should contain no more than five artistic pieces that illustrate the student's competency using design principles and elements. One of the five pieces must be 2D artwork, and one must be a 3D piece. It’s encouraged that students layout their work in a clear and professional arrangement over five individual pages. The student should convey thoughtfulness in cropping and clarity of presented imagery into consideration in the review process.

What we are looking for:

Students are asked to select design 2-D work that showcases their abilities and uses formal elements and principles: line, shape, value, visual texture, implied space, color theory, balance, contrast, dominance, harmony, proportion, repetition, scale, unity, and variety.

Students are asked to select design 3-D work that showcases their abilities and use of formal elements and principles: line, shape, value, applied texture, space, color theory, balance, contrast, weight, harmony, proportion, scale, unity, variety, form, space, time/movement, three-dimensionality, and round

3-D work must be photographed on a seamless, color-neutral background and lighted in a way that most clearly displays the artwork. Do not use crumpled material or distracting background. The image must be in focus and represent the quality of the actual work. The image should depict the entire work—do not crop edges! Students may choose to include an additional detail image. Students are encouraged to combine multiple views of the same 3-D sculptures into one image to showcase the work.

Section 3: Observational Drawing. Five artistic pieces must be included within this section to be considered for review. Digital or traditional pieces are acceptable.

Observational drawing is drawing something by looking at it, not drawing from a photo, and can be anything as long as the drawing is from observation of the real-life subject. An excellent portfolio example shows that the artist can recognize lines, curves, edges, perspective, proportion, hues, and values and translate them into the paper. Also, the drawings should show a firm grasp of craftsmanship. Submitted artwork may be initially executed in digital or traditional mediums.

What we are looking for:

Students are asked to select and present drawing work that showcases their abilities and uses formal elements and principles: measure and proportion, structure, line quality (contour and contrast), volume, one and two-point perspective, value, and figure (life drawing).

Section 4: Time-based Media (between 1 to 3 pieces)

The time-based media submission can be visual (for example, a video project or an animation) or a combination of both audio and visual art.

To properly present time-based work(s), applicants must submit a published or unpublished YouTube link to the artwork(s). Links set to Private links will not be accepted. Please put the correct URL address for your YouTube video in the space provided. Please do not password protect your videos and make sure your video is not set to Private. The URL links should be included on a single page within the PDF application, including the following information for each provided link.

• A YouTube link(s) to your clip
• Each time-based media presented must be 3 minutes or less in total running time (if a video, time limit includes the credits). Students may choose to submit edited pieces to fit this requirement. 
• Please include the following information for each video as the description:
  • Title of work
  • Year work was produced.
  • If for a class/what class created in
  • If collaborative – what the students part in the creation(what exactly did you do?)
  • Software used (if applicable)
  • Any copyrighted images or music should be properly cited in the enclosed video link description.

This specialization is for students specifically interested in a fast-paced and competitive career in the computer graphics industry. Experimental Animation students are expected to be informed, thoughtful, and creative problem solvers who are self-motivated and love to learn.

Written Requirement: (30%)

• Students must provide a cover letter expressing why they are interested in the Experimental Animation track and their intended area of research.

Academics: (20%)

A review of each applicant’s transcript or audit will be done as an indicator of the potential to succeed in the intense course of study found in the Experimental Animation track’s upper-division. The following four criteria must be met:

• A 3.0 GPA in the major is required.
• Students must have completed or be enrolled in all Prerequisites and Basic Core requirements at the time of application.
• A degree audit review will determine whether or not the student will have met the required prerequisite courses.
  • Acceptance is conditional until all criteria are met.
  • It is highly recommended that applicants contact SVAD advising before applying to ensure that all course requirements have been met.
• Applicants will also be evaluated in terms of how well the directions are followed in their application.

Experimental Animation Portfolio Artistic Content: (50%)

Student portfolios are submitted and evaluated as part of the review to enter the Emerging Media BFA, Experimental Animation track in. The review committee looks for professionalism, artistic skills, creativity, and presentation. The committee is especially interested in seeing life drawings, perspective drawings of environments, and observational drawings. A strong portfolio includes foundation and graphic skills, effective use of 2-D & 3-D form and composition, and additive and subtractive color theory. Also, portfolios should demonstrate an aesthetic awareness and effective use of mediums and tools.

In addition to the cover letter, the following three sections of artistic examples should be represented in your portfolio of 10-13 total pieces:

• 2D Design, 3D Design, Sculpture, or Industrial Designs (5 pieces): Traditional or digital visual art or design pieces may be executed in any medium, in black and white or color, and may include, but are not limited to the following media: non-observational drawing, illustration, painting, graphic design, printmaking, collage, or photography, ceramics, sculpture, digital art, furniture design, jewelry, fashion, fiber art, CG modeling, or CAD drawings. Portfolio pieces should represent classroom assignments and independent projects and should be completed, not works-in-progress or sketches.
• Observational Drawing (5 pieces): Traditional or Digital. Portfolios should include drawings from life: figure drawings, gesture drawings, still life, landscapes, and interior and exterior drawings of buildings. Portfolios should exhibit the ability to draw and attention to detail. Drawings from observation of real-life and not from photographs are required.
• Time-based Media (Between 1-3 pieces): A robust time-based portfolio piece includes an awareness of composition, effective narrative, and technical skills. Attention to camera angles, sound, or editing is favorably considered. This piece can be visual, audio, or both. The length should be less than 3 minutes per piece.

Students must adhere to the requirements above. Student portfolios with more than the maximum number of works or pages above will not be reviewed. 

Any copyrighted images or music should be properly cited in the enclosed description.

Your cover letter and portfolio of 10-13 total pieces, will be submitted online as a single PDF document. Only digital portfolios are acceptable and must be submitted online using the requirements described here. Digital work must be presented as a consolidated PDF (one PDF document containing multiple pages). 

If submitted work does not meet this criteria, it will not be accepted for evaluation. All application materials and portfolios must be received by the deadline.