Art HS Portfolio Work Sample: Color Pencil Drawing

This work is by our past student who was preparing for specialized art high school admission!

Similar to college admission criteria, specialized art high schools often have a set of elements that they look for in applicants. While we are constantly amazed by how talented young artists could be, please keep in mind that specialized art schools don’t look for technical geniuses who can draw hyper-realistic drawings at young ages.

It is important to think about canons in art academia, as they pertain to basic concepts like perspective, color, value, composition, etc.

This drawing has a lot of colors high in saturation, mostly close to primary colors. Showing some layers of buildings with imagination, it seems almost like a scene from a kaiju movie. There is a good amount of color mixing, as well.

When working with color pencils, it is really important to think about the marks you make, as color pencils are very grainy and tend to be very texture heavy. Of course, this would depend on how you specifically apply them, but using this to your advantage as part of your composition and visual effect would be very important.

With imagery that is interesting and fun to look at, the drawing shows an imaginative narrative of the student’s own, along with basic compositional skills and some sense of spatial distinguishment using mainly colors. Try to experiment with the medium of your choice and your narrative, and how they can be juxtaposed with each other.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Art Portfolio Tips & Info

Top Art Schools (Undergraduate) 2025

Discover the Top 10 U.S. Undergraduate Art Schools of 2025: Find Your Perfect Fit Have you ever wondered which art school tops the charts and which one aligns best with your unique artistic vision? At New York Art Studio, nestled in the heart of New York City, we’ve guided countless students through the exciting yet daunting process of selecting the right art school. We’ve celebrated as our students received acceptance

Read More »
Art Portfolio Tips & Info

Cooper Union Home Test: Accepted Architecture Home Test!

The Cooper Union Architecture Program: Conquering the Cooper Union Home Test Challenge The Cooper Union Architecture program is renowned for its highly competitive admissions process. With an outstanding reputation and rigorous standards, earning a spot in this prestigious program is no small feat. A key component of the application is the Cooper Union Architecture Home Test — a unique challenge designed to uncover the most creative and promising candidates. Unraveling

Read More »
Art Portfolio Tips & Info

Fantastical Sandwich Art Prompt: Create a Winning Portfolio Piece

Ace Your Art High School Portfolio: Fantastical Sandwich Drawing Tips The Fantastical Sandwich prompt for Art High School admissions is a tricky one — it’s designed to test just how creative you can be within a limited idea. The prompt reads: ‘Using pencil and paper, draw a FANTASTICAL SANDWICH! Use your imagination and creativity – depict your wildest ideas of what a Fantastical Sandwich looks like to you. Consider for

Read More »
error: Right click disabled
0