Can I include anime in my admissions portfolio?

Answer 1

This is a question that I address on a fairly regular basis. In fact, it likely ranks high amongst the most frequent questions fielded by admissions portfolio reviewers nationally. 

First and foremost, it depends on the program. Let’s focus on nationally accredited universities, colleges, and art schools that are part of NASAD. 

 

If you are copying known characters that already exist, then I would say no. 

Your portfolio is your opportunity to show a school how you think, conceptualize, problem solve, and depict the world around you. Copying characters from an animated television show, comic book, or graphic novel may tell the admissions committee that you’re good at accurately re-drawing someone else’s work, but it does not tell the committee what they really want to know. 

If you are inspired by animation or hope to become an animator or illustrator and want to include some of that type of work in your portfolio, I would encourage the following:

1. Explore your own unique style and do not copy the works or styles of others. 
2. Think outside the box and experiment with a variety of media. 
3. Draw from observation. Drawing the world around you over and over again will positively influence your illustrative works. 
4. Avoid focusing on drawing characters that are hovering or floating in the center of white pieces of paper with no background or sense of composition. Think of your sheet of paper as though it’s a window frame with a view outside. Doing so will encourage you to address the entire sheet of paper and not just a figure in the center.