Practical Painting and Portfolio Work
Practical Painting and Portfolio Work tests sustained work: a timed painting, a sketchbook or record, and the ability to explain choices. The examiner looks for observation, control of medium, composition and consistency, not copied photographs.
Portfolio
Include thumbnail studies, value sketches, colour trials, finished works and dated notes on what changed. Keep work original, label each sheet clearly and protect wet or fragile pieces. A record file should show process: first idea, revision, final decision.
Timed painting plan
Work broad to detail. Block the main shapes, establish light and dark, then refine. Keep darks for the final stage and check the painting from a distance.
Worked example
A three-hour still life. Reasoning: use 10 minutes for thumbnails and a value plan; 20 minutes for drawing; 30 minutes for block-in; 80 minutes for colour; 30 minutes for detail; 10 minutes for review. This order prevents early detail from locking a wrong proportion and leaves drying time before transport.
Traps
Copying a phone image instead of observing; starting detail too early; overworking wet layers into mud; overcrowding the format; ignoring the brief; failing to clean and pack materials safely.