A portfolio is like an audition for a performer. A singer would have to sing a song; an artist brings his or her best recent drawings. We collectively looked at each drawing and critiqued it. I always ask questions, "Did you follow the directions?" "Did you draw the object life-size?". Life-size was not a requirement, but it is a good thing for learning artists to be critical of. "Did you draw this pear bigger or smaller than the real pear you had?"
Having the real object to observe made a true difference in the quality of the students drawings. It was clear from the drawings which students had a real vegetable or fruit to draw.
