Ask about a place

All notes · Admissions · 3 Dec 2025 · 6 min read

What goes in a portfolio

Fewer finished pieces than you think and many more sketchbook pages. A tutor on what we actually look at.

A visitor looking at large prints on a gallery wall

Every year we see portfolios that are beautiful and tell us nothing, and scruffy ones that tell us everything. We are looking for how you think, not for a finished artist.

Ten to twenty images

More than twenty and we start skimming. Pick work that shows a range, and include at least one thing you are not sure about.

Sketchbooks count

Photograph pages from your sketchbooks, mess and all. It is where we can see you working things out.

Tell us what is next

End with a few lines on what you would make if you had two years and a studio. There is no wrong answer, only a vague one.

Applications open

Pin your work up with us

Applications for September close on 30 April. Send a few images of what you make, then come in for a conversation.