2024 REGISTRATION CLOSES SOON!

Once registration caps are reached those interested will have the ability to get onto our waitlist.

The Art & Design Portfolio Course is an intensive, credit-bearing study experience designed for students entering their junior or senior year of high school. In this course, students will live and breathe art, graphic design, and digital technology.

This pre-college summer program includes a rigorous college-level studio curriculum that is serious, challenging, and fun at the same time. Students will gain hands-on experience with a variety of art mediums and software programs, experience what it is be like to study art and design on a college level, and have the opportunity to confirm that it’s a good fit for them, all while earning 3 transferable college credits. Students can choose to specialize in graphic design, game art, or creative media and will ​spend much of each ​day developing new skills and creating or preparing their work for presentation. They are also encouraged to bring their existing work for review and will receive personalized and constructive advice on how to refine their portfolio for college admittance.

The enrollment will be kept small—no more than 23 students in a class, and usually less than that—to allow for individualized attention. All students receive personal coaching and work closely with Champlain College professors who have extensive expertise, teaching experience, and professional connections in the field of art and design. On all projects, students will be encouraged to think and work in ways that are highly original and involve taking creative risks. By the end of the course, you will have the tools to create and present a professional-level design portfolio of your creative works. 

Students will have the opportunity to:

• Express detailed observational skills through hand drawing
• Reproduce traditional media creations in digital media 
• Create compositions from photographic or scanned images by creating and modifying pixel-based imagery (Photoshop)
• Create and modify vector-based imagery (Adobe Illustrator)
• Create and manipulate multiple design elements for effective composition (InDesign)
• Use industry-specific software to create new works of visual design, game art, other creative media
• Present work to others in a clear and professional manner
• Participate in group critiques to demonstrate effective listening skills and the ability to deliver honest and constructive criticism 

This program is designed for:

• Students entering grades 11 or 12 who want to build or improve their personal portfolio of artwork to strengthen their college applications
• Students who are passionate about art and design with a keen interest in Game Art, Graphic Design, Creative Media, and Illustration
• Students who want to earn transferable college credits this summer

Vermont high school students: You may be eligible for reduced tuition through the Vermont Dual Enrollment Flexible Pathways program. For more information, please contact us at registrar@champlain.edu.