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If you want more support with your application, the Art School Admissions Bundle is the right next step. Upgrade for as little as $1200.

1:1 Mentoring

Portfolio Critique

Statement Editing

Portfolio Guide Workbook

Art School Admissions Bundle

Everything You Need To Build A BFA Portfolio Colleges Can’t Wait To Say “Yes” To

For BFA Students & Parents

I help you build a portfolio that combines your unique artistic perspective with the criteria art schools are actually judging you on, so you can head into admissions seasons prepared and confident.

GET THE BUNDLE

Learn what admissions teams want to see

Catch the gaps in your work before it’s too late

Submit an application that gets noticed

Testimonials

“Prof Lieu comes with an amazing depth, domain knowledge, as well as rich professional experience to understand a student’s need quickly, follow the student’s style and idea, and guide with encouragement and keen points to inspire the student tremendously.”

“Prof Lieu’s instruction has been remarkable — enriched with concrete detail, actionable advice, and encouragement for a budding artist.”

“We feel super lucky to have found Prof Lieu to help us in a critical time and were really appreciative to receive her coaching and achieve great improvement in such a short time.”

I’ve Watched Talented Students Get Rejected Over Things They Never Knew Mattered

You can spend months building a portfolio you’re genuinely proud of and never realize that what you see isn’t what an admissions panel sees. When you don’t know what colleges are reviewing your application for, you’re putting together a document that decides your next chapter without any sense of what makes it successful. Which means your frame of reference might be completely off:

You think you’re nailing a skill you’ve mastered

They see a lack of willingness to experiment and take risks

You think your portfolio looks diverse and complete

They see an entire skill area you missed

You think certain pieces are “supposed to” be included

They see a weak piece you should have left out

You think you’re impressing them with technically perfect work

They see a lack of personal perspective and narrative

The Gap Between A Good Portfolio And An Accepted Portfolio Is Small

With hundreds of applicants competing for spots, the chance of landing on a perfect portfolio out of intuition or luck is pretty limited.

You can have amazing work and be an excellent candidate but still be missing the variety, story, or technical details an admissions team needs to say “yes”.

I Built The Art School Admissions Bundle So Talented Students Don’t Miss Out On Opportunities Because Of A Lack Of Information

There are two major things that hold most portfolios back from being great:

Informed direction (to tell you what admissions teams want)

01

Educated feedback (to encourage and challenge your work)

02

Both of those come from the same place: someone who’s actually sat on the other side of the review table.

Inside the Art School Admissions Bundle, you’ll get my direct mentorship on both fronts while you still have time to course-correct.

Join The Art School Admissions Bundle &

Walk Into Admissions Season Ahead Of The Curve

The Art School Admissions Bundle brings 1:1 mentoring, a full portfolio critique, and expert statement editing into one place. You’ll get my experienced second set of eyes on your work so nothing falls through the cracks before your deadline.

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Here’s How We’ll Build Your Portfolio
Together Inside The Bundle

When you join the Art School Admissions Bundle, I’ll take you through three progressive stages to build a winning BFA portfolio and give you access to an on-demand resource you can reference any time you’re stuck or have questions.

1:1 Mentoring Session

A one-hour, live session where we deep dive into your goals, intended major, and where your work is at right now. This is where a lot of applicants find out they’ve made the wrong assumptions about their intended field or degree and end up making a shift.

A Full Portfolio Critique

A thorough walkthrough of your portfolio where I tell you exactly what to cut, keep, improve, and add. You’ll leave knowing exactly what to work on to create the best possible portfolio, even if the advice on a piece is as simple as “this has promise – keep going!”.

Expert Statement Editing

Most statements are treated like an afterthought and it shows. I’ll teach you how to avoid generic, confusing language and how to document your process as you go so you have solid notes to pull from when you’re writing instead of trying to remember months of decisions from scratch.

The BFA Portfolio Guide Workbook

A comprehensive, 165-page guide covering everything from how to research art programs to building your own portfolio plan and photographing your work correctly. This is a great resource to skim early and come back to throughout the process.

Your Step-By-Step Timeline From
Purchase To Submission

No matter when you join, the timeline is built around two things: your mentoring session and your materials review, everything else flexes around getting you to your deadline prepared.

STEP 1

Book Your Mentoring Call Within 2 Weeks:
Once you join, you’ll schedule your one-on-one mentoring session within the first two weeks. Getting your direction locked in early and teaching you what to think about as you build means everything you create after the mentoring call is actually aimed at the right target.

STEP 2

Send Your Materials At Least 4 Weeks Before Your Deadline:
Once you’ve finished a working first draft of your portfolio, you’ll send your materials at least 4 weeks before your admissions deadline so I can give you a full portfolio critique with plenty of time to make adjustments. Keep in mind, not every piece has to be 100% complete, but it should be a good representation of where your final portfolio is headed.

STEP 3

Finalize Your Statement:
Once your portfolio is locked in, we’ll finish with statement editing so your written narrative matches the strength of the work you’re submitting.

This Admissions Season, You’ll Either Be Guessing Or You’ll Know Exactly What To Submit

The difference between “accepted” and “rejected” can be as simple as having someone in your corner that’s done this before.

WITHOUT THE BUNDLE

Guess what pieces you should include

Hope the pieces you selected are good enoug

Stress about whether your work shows enough range

Write a vague statement last minute just to get it done

Photograph your work and hope it does the piece justice

Submit your application and cross your fingers

WITH THE BUNDLE

Get insight from someone who’s reviewed thousands of applications

Know your portfolio is only showing your strongest work

Have the right balance of technical skill and creative risk

Submit a statement that describes your work in a meaningful way

Know the DOs and DONTs of photographing your pieces

Submit your application knowing you gave it everything you had

Hi, I’m Clara Lieu (aka Prof Lieu) –

And I’ve Been On The Other Side Of The Review Table Thousands Of Times.

I spent 16 years as a professor at RISD and other top art schools, so I know what it takes to get into the art program of  your dreams. But before any of that, I was an applicant myself. Here’s something I don’t usually admit: I wrote my own artist statement last minute. Full disclosure, I would not advise that.

I didn’t have anyone to guide me through the process, and I got lucky. But not every applicant does. The right feedback – from someone who actually knows what to look for – means more chances to create your best work and access the opportunities that make a future in art possible. 

I built the Art School Admissions Bundle so no applicant has to get lucky to get in.

Wondering If The Art School Admissions Bundle Is Right For You?

THE BUNDLE IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF..

You’re applying to a BFA program and want expert eyes on your work before you submit

You’d rather get critical feedback now than find out what went wrong after a rejection

You’re willing to make changes to your portfolio or statement based on constructive, supportive evaluation

You have at least 4-6 weeks before your deadline to actually act on what you learn

You want to know your application reflects your full potential as an artist

THE BUNDLE IS NOT FOR YOU IF..

Your deadline is not at least 4 weeks out – there isn’t enough time left to meaningfully act on feedback

You’re looking for someone who validates you instead of looking at your work with a critical eye

You’re not open to changing existing work

You want unlimited, ongoing feedback rather than a structured, one-time critique and mentoring session

Build A Better Portfolio In 3 Simple Steps

STEP 1

Reserve Your Spot

Join the bundle and book your mentoring call within your first two weeks so you have plenty of time to discuss goals, nail down your direction, and get to work on a healthy first draft of your portfolio.

STEP 2

Reserve Your Spot

Send in your materials and get my thoughts on every piece (whether it’s finished or not) so you can tweak accordingly and write an artist statement that beautifully summarizes your work.

STEP 3

Submit With Confidence

Make your final adjustments and submit an application that reflects your full potential so no matter what happens, you know you pushed yourself and your art to the limit.

The Investment

Join The Art School Admissions Bundle

Everything you need to build a portfolio from a place of knowing instead of guessing.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

1:1 Mentoring Session — a one-hour live session to get your direction right from the start so you don’t spend months building around the wrong assumptions ($799 Value)

A Full Portfolio Critique — a 30-minute video (asynchronous) where I do a complete walkthrough of your portfolio telling you exactly what you need to work on ($1199 Value)

Expert Statement Editing — a thorough edit to make your statement compelling and clear, plus guidance on creating statement notes for each piece as you build ($999 Value)

The BFA Portfolio Guide Workbook — a comprehensive guide you can reference at any point of the process ($25 Value)

Total Value: $3022

You Pay: $1999 $1200

GET THE BUNDLE

Admissions Season Won’t Wait For You To Figure This Out On Your Own

Most applicants don’t create the best portfolio they’re capable of. They go into the process without guidance and by the time they realize what they should have done differently, the deadline has already passed.

I know how much energy goes into building a portfolio, but working hard isn’t the same as working in the right direction, and you deserve to know how your efforts are landing while you still have time to adjust. 

I built this program so you have both the information and the direction to create your best work.

If you want getting in to come down to your talent – and not the information you were missing – join me inside the Art Admissions Bundle and build a portfolio that actually showcases your potential.

GET THE BUNDLE

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You’ll get a 1:1 mentoring session, a full portfolio critique, expert statement editing, and the BFA Portfolio Guide workbook, everything you need to build and submit a complete, polished application.

  • The mentoring session is one hour, held live, one time.

  • Within 2 weeks of joining the bundle. We want to get your direction locked in early to give you as much runway as possible before your deadline.

  • At least 4 weeks before your admissions deadline, so there’s enough time for a full critique, your revisions, and statement editing before you submit.

  • Not as part of the Admissions Bundle. However, if there's enough time left before your deadline after you've made your initial changes, you can add a second Portfolio Critique (or Mentoring Session) at a discounted rate using the code in your confirmation email. Most portfolios genuinely benefit from more than one round of feedback.

  • Yes. Many parents purchase the bundle on behalf of their student. I would recommend talking to your student before purchase so they know what to expect regarding the timeline and commitment so you can make the most out of your investment.

  • That’s okay. Mentoring is designed to help you get direction and figure out where to focus, even if you’re just getting started.

  • Yes. Each admissions season has a capped number of spots so every applicant gets sufficient individual attention. Once a round is full, it’s closed until the next admissions season.

  • Because materials are due 4 weeks before your admissions deadline to leave time for critique, revisions, and statement editing, missing that window may limit how much can realistically be adjusted before you submit. Reach out as soon as possible if your timeline is tight.

  • No, all sales for the Art School Admissions Bundle are final. Because spots are limited each season and set aside specifically for the students who join, we're not able to offer refunds once you've enrolled.

  • Email me at clara@claralieu.com. I do my best to respond to every inquiry.