Types of portfolios ...

The Traditional Portfolio: Texas art supply has great portfolios to choose from (that's where I purchased mine). Tell your family that it makes a great graduation gift, as they can sometimes be pricey. You're not a painter, so make sure the book you choose is no larger than 18" x 24". It should have a binder inside that clamps closed with insertable clear sheets with black filler paper.

Online Portfolios: You're expected to to be a young, fresh, brand new mind in the business. It's getting to the point now where you're expected to have an online portfolio. It's ideal that you create your own Web site in your honor. (Direct your clients and potential interviewers to your site if you're not yet able to meet with them.) (I happen to do a lot of work with people I've never met before.)

If not, there are hundreds of online options to getting exposure. Check out the industry links on the side panel. These organizations sometimes offer portfolio posting options for their members. Of course, you can pay premiums for doing this at other sites. Create samples using Photoshop, then do a Web page generator in Photoshop to batch process your files and create HTML files for your portfolio -- in just minutes!

Cheaper, better, get your own site. Put links in all your e-mails to your site. Do what you gotta do, get the word out that you're a phenomenal artist!

Hard thing about juggling portfolios, is you gotta maintain them both!


What has worked best for you -using an online portfolio or a real portfolio? What are some things you've learned? Select the "comments" link below to post your response.