Can sketchbook work be submitted in a portfolio?

Answer 1

Yes, sketchwork can be a vital part of showing both professors and schools how you work. As well as showing your process, sketchwork is extremely useful for going back and showing potential alternates or early-revisions that were made to the work. They can display your initial creativity, as well as how you focus your idea as you get closer and closer to presenting the final project.

Answer 2

Absolutely. First of all, don’t let the name fool you. A lot more than sketches or doodles can happen in a sketchbook. 

Schools definitely want to see your final creative solutions, but they also like to see how you think. Sketchbook work can demonstrate the way in which you progress through a concept, where you’re physically located when you work, or that you are utilizing repetition to get better at something. Think of your sketchbook as a mobile art studio that goes everywhere you and your ideas go. It’s one thing for an admissions committee to see all of your best work from class. That tends to convey to a committee that you do well when an instructor is providing you with guidance and direction. However, sketchbook work can often communicate what you do independently, and that your ideas don’t stop when the school bell rings. Believe me, as both a professor and an admissions reviewer, committees like to see evidence that you are self-directed, accepting of mistakes, and that you can work through a problem. 

The paper in your sketchbook is not much different from the individual sheets of paper that you use to draw, paint, design, illustrate or print on. You can spend just as much time working on sketchbook pages as you could on large sheets of drawing paper. The only real differences are that your sketchbook is bound, easily portable, and sometimes smaller. From writing and poetry to collaging and printmaking, a sketchbook is another great outlet for exploring creativity, regardless of your intended major.