I’ve never put together a real portfolio. Even during my time at art school, I never actually needed a finished portfolio. So when I realized I would need one for an upcoming children’s book conference I had my work cut out for me.
Here’s the thing, I only had three weeks to prepare my portfolio for this event. I wasn’t entering it into any of the competitions and I didn’t have the budget to do the add-on portfolio review, but I would have to show my work while I networked and attended different sessions. So I got to work.
As a free portfolio review, I learned a handful of tips about putting together my portfolio:
There should be a character in each painting
To balance full-bleed images with spot graphics
Include a character sheet that showcases a single character in different poses and emotions
Show a sequence of events
Have a strong beginning and ending
While this portfolio (Shown in the video above) isn’t what I want it to be, it worked great for this weekend. But during the breakout sessions I learned a lot about what I want in my portfolio for next year, so here is everything else I learned that should be included in a portfolio:
A scene with a group of children in it (actually have a few of these in there!)
You can show off more than one medium, as long as there is an equal number of examples. I’d like to show my traditional gouache work and more digital art.
Give examples of composition that have power to them (Ants eye view, etc.)-or images that tell a strong story in general.
You can include the words that go with the image (you can also choose to leave these out).
Show you skill of environments with character images and a full detailed background.
Publishers, editors and agents are looking to see your wide range of skill and that you can consistently draw a storyline. In the end, it doesn’t matter as much about the specifics as long as those skills are shown in your portfolio. I have a few new pieces I’ll work on before I start submitting for agents and I’m sure that as I submit I’ll get personalized feedback I can apply to continue to enhance my portfolio.
As with all things in art, a portfolio is never finished. It’s a living thing–always growing, always adding to, and hopefully, always getting better!
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