First-year students (IDEA Grad 2024) offer their advice and experiences applying to IDEA School of Design
James Neufeld
Applications for Fall 2021 at IDEA School of Design are open!
Entry to the Bachelor of Design is competitive, and applicants must submit a portfolio and other documents through the online portal SlideRoom.
First-year students (IDEA Grad 2024) offer their advice and experiences applying to the Bachelor of Design (BDes) program at Capilano University. We hope a first-hand student perspective will give you more insight and direction on the application process.
Shown above: “Self-portrait” by Kathleen Manuel (IDEA Grad 2024) using a photo reference of herself as part of her application to IDEA School of Design.
Portfolio submission: “Scrambled” by Tiffany Zhong (IDEA Grad 2024)
A frame-by-frame GIF animation depicting what anxiety feels like created in Photoshop.
Portfolio submission: “Life Is But A Dream” by Hannah Bontinen (IDEA Grad 2024)
This piece I was inspired to create after experiencing the architecture in Spain on a school trip last spring. To be across the world away from my family in this amazing country was unbelievable. That is exactly what I wanted to capture in this artwork. The background is of a street that we walked through in Toledo. I coloured the top half with 'Prisma' colours and sketched the bottom with pencil to portray how dreamlike it all seemed.
Portfolio submission: Oil Portrait (16''x 20'' Oil on panel) by Joanne C. (IDEA Grad 2024)
This portrait was my first time working with oil paint. With reference to a photograph of the model (Marina Nery) I captured her beauty by making her the main focus of the image. To accentuate her features, I chose to paint the model in grayscale. Although it may be seen as an ordinary photograph of a model pose, this painting exemplifies my ability to balance the background with the foreground. The subject is brought to the foreground as the white textured flowers are placed behind her. The gold stems and petals of the flowers contrast with the model and add dimension to the painting.
Portfolio submission: Bad Boy — Gouache on watercolour paper by Alison Koo (IDEA Grad 2024) (5.4” x 8.4”)
"Bad Boy" is a portrait of the singer, Seulgi from the Korean pop group, Red Velvet (shown below).
Portfolio submission: “Teeshirt Design” by Sarah H. (IDEA Grad 2024)
Apparel design and sticker design for local business in spring 2018.
Portfolio submission: Arturo Fuentes (14" x 11") by Clarice Mah (IDEA Grad 2024)
“Arturo Fuentes” is a led pencil portrait I drew of Sylvester Stallone. The title of this work is based on the name of Stallone's cigar, "Arturo Fuentes Opus X". This portrait is a practice on realism.
I used graphite pencil, white charcoal, a fine tip white pen, a fine tip eraser, and acrylic paint to draw this portrait. Sylvester Stallone is the subject of my piece because I found the smoke, the hand, and the eyes striking features. I was intent on recreating this level of detail. I freehanded Stallone's head and hand with the pencil, then I used the white charcoal to create the smoke. The white pen was used for highlights. Finally, I roughly painted the background in burgundy for contrast and tone.
Important Note: Candidates must first apply to Capilano University at capilanou.ca/admissions before applying to the Bachelor of Design.
Late Admission:SlideRoom opens Jan 25, 2021 and closes April 14, 2021. No submissions for Fall 2021 (IDEA Grad 2025) will be accepted after Wednesday, April 14, 2021.