Top 10 Portfolio tips.pdf
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Te n
Te n
TOP
PORTFOLIO TIPS
O
O
O
OP
It’s a jungle out there, so heed
Philip Straub’s
sagely advice and make your portfolio the best
1
WOW FACTOR
Anyportfolioshouldhaveatleastafewillustrationsorconceptpaintingsthat
havethatspecialsomethingaboutthem,thatthingthatcreatesa‘wow!’factor
whenviewed.Thiscanbeanintangiblething,butit’salwaystheseimagesthat
peopletendtogravitateto.Anotherwaytoestablishwhichofyourimagesthese
areistoregularlyenterpaintingsintojuriedcompetitionssuchasTheSocietyof
Illustrators,SpectrumandExpos.Theimagesthatconsistentlygetinthose
competitionsshouldbetheanchorpointsinyourportfolio–themorethebetter.
2
LESS IS MORE
3
ANATOMY
This is something I talk about with all the art
directors and artists at the studio where I
work. We see a lot of portfolios that have a large
selection of mediocre pieces that are watering down
the solid ones. You’ll want to really go through your
portfolio and be constantly editing out the weaker
works. A potential employer would much rather see
eight solid pieces than 40 pieces of which only eight
are exemplary. Ask your friends and colleagues what
their favourite images are from your collection and
apply that feedback to your final selection. So, in
short, think quality not quantity!
An artist’s portfolio should have a solid
selection of images that showcase the human
form. While learning, many students are told to
include their life drawings in their portfolio to show
their abilities. I suggest that professional portfolios
keep the academic-looking anatomy images to a
minimum. A good approach is to focus on finished
illustrations that showcase the human figure in a
variety of poses and settings, including: full figure
illustrations, multiple figure illustrations, male and
female subjects, and portraits of many age groups
and ethnic types. Again, only show your best work.
4
VARIETY OF SUBJECT MATTER
Thelargerthevarietyofsubjectmatteryoudepictintheillustrationsthat
makeupyourportfolio,themoreconfidencepotentialemployerswillhave
thatyoucanhandleanyassignment.Sincepotentialemployerstendtobe
lookingforaspecificimage(freelance)orsubjectmatter(conceptart)whenhiring,
avarietyofsubjectmatterwithinyourfoliowillincreasetheoddsthatyou
will
get
thatjob.Ican’ttellyouhowmanytimesI’vebeenhiredbasedonasingleimagein
myportfoliowhich,interestinglyenough,tendstoleadtoevenmoreassignments.
Lookingatthisfromtheconceptdesignemployers’perspective:includingavariety
ofsubjectmatterproves,onceagain,youhaveasolidvisuallibrarytodrawfrom.
5
MASTERY OF TWO OR MORE DISCIPLINES
Agoodportfolioshouldshowcaseavarietyofsubjectmatter,butitalso
showsastrongunderstandingofthekeyskillsneededtosucceedasan
illustrator/conceptdesigner.Thekeyskillsnecessaryforacommercialartist
toexcelare:characterdesign,environmentdesign/staging,storyboarding,matte
painting,graphicdesign,andindustrialdesign.Ofcourse,it’sunrealisticforanartist
tobeperfectinallofthesedisciplines.Therefore,Isuggesttobuddingcommercial
artiststhattheyfocusonamasteryoftwo.Focusonreallyblowingyourpotential
clientsawaywithamazingcharacterandindustrialdesignsifthey’reyourstrong
points,butdoincludeyourbestexamplesoftheotherskills,too.
6
KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET
7
STORYTELLING
When you begin putting together your
professional portfolio, it’s important that you
research the markets you’d like to work in. Before,
during, and after the initial creation of your portfolio,
continuously look at what’s successful in the markets
and genres you’re interested in. The more you
research the competition and trends specific to your
goals, the better prepared you will be. For example, if
science fiction and fantasy are your genres, go to the
bookstore and look at what’s being produced.
In this modern age of concept design and digital illustration, one of the things I see missing from so
many of the student and professional portfolios out there is the ability to tell a story with their images.
It’s important to be able to render a variety of subject matter in a range of styles but, if your images lack soul
and rich content, solid technique will only get you so far. Make sure you think about what you want your
audience to feel when they view your paintings and you’ll have an edge against the competition.
8
KNOW YOUR COMPETITION
It’s important you’re constantly looking at
what artists are producing in the markets
you’re interested in. If you have favourite artists out
there you admire, look at the type of subject matter
they’re focusing on. These are the people you need
to compete with. You need to be, at least, as good as
the artists working… so stack your folio against the
pros’ and do an honest assessment.
10
INCLUDE YOUR
PUBLISHED WORK!
Themoresolidportfolio
samplesyouhaveof
actualillustrationsusedforgames,
films,bookcovers,magazinecovers
andsoon,thebetterchanceyou’llhave
ofgettinghired.Byincluding
somethingtheclientrecognises,this
createsadirectconnectionbetween
youandthem,andcanpushyouupthe
list.Justmakesuretheworkyoudoget
publishedisyourbest.Youwouldn’t
wantapotentialclienttoremember
youforabadimageafterall.
9
MAKE SURE YOUR
FUNDAMENTALS ARE
WELL REPRESENTED
Your folio should include a variety of composition
approaches: images utilising one, two and three-
point perspective, images applying different colour
theory methods, images applying solid value
structure, and a good helping of depth, atmosphere
and scale. Showing a command of illustration
fundamentals in your portfolio is, obviously, one of
the most important factors to acquiring a job in the
illustration and entertainment fields. Keep practising,
studying, and challenging yourself every day.
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