BA (Hons) Fine Art

If you have applied to the BA (Hons) Fine Art course at Manchester Metropolitan University via UCAS, we will email you to request a web link to an online portfolio once we receive your application.

Organising your portfolio

Think about how you want to present your work. One approach is to organise it by projects. For each project, include the initial idea (or project brief), then detail the research and development phases (as described below), and conclude with the completed pieces.

If you haven’t worked through specific projects, consider arranging your work around themes or ideas you’ve explored. Alternatively, organise your work by mediums such as fashion, textiles, drawings, paintings, 3D objects, videos, and photographs. Please include a short summary description (annotation) for each piece, telling us about the work.

Research and development

When assembling your portfolio, we want to understand your creative process. This includes the initial research that informs your early development, as well as the processes, mediums, and materials you’ve experimented with. A great way to capture your working process effectively is to include scans of your sketchbooks and notebooks, accompanied by annotations explaining the work and what has inspired you, such as; artists, literature, film, politics, theory etc.

Portfolio content

Your portfolio should highlight your creative ideas, passions, and strengths in ways that align with your interest in fine art. It can include a variety of general art and design work, such as sketches, design concepts, paintings, drawings, and 3D creations. Alternatively, it may focus on a specific medium like photography or film. You can also opt for a combination of these approaches. Regardless of what you choose to showcase, we value your creative process just as much as the final pieces.

The portfolio can contain one or more of these components:

• Paintings and Drawings
• Photographs
• 3D, Models, Sculptures, Maquette, Textiles etc.
• Collage and/or Composite Images
• Sketchbooks, Notebooks: showing ideas, research and development
• Videos/Films
• Group Work: where you have made work as part of a group, please tell us what your role was within that group

Editing your portfolio

There is no minimum or maximum. As guide, aim for around 20 images plus sketchbook work. We encourage you to edit your work so that it reflects your strengths, and key aspects of your work. You don’t need to include everything.

How to create and submit your digital portfolio

Follow the instructions below and this should be a straight forward process. However, if you do have any queries you can contact our Admissions Team who will be happy to help.

Now your digital portfolio is complete, simply submit the web address with our online form at artportfolio.mmu.ac.uk.

We will then review your digital portfolio alongside the information you have provided in your UCAS application. We will contact you if we cannot view your portfolio.

We will make a decision once we receive your portfolio.  Please submit your portfolio before 1st March, or within 10 working days from the receipt of your portfolio request for later applications.