Do you have an interview with an art school or gallery or do you have to apply for an art competition, and you have to bring your portfolio of your work and you still don't have it? What to do? You will have to sort all your works, organize them consistently, photograph them and create an album. Fortunately, all of this is fairly simple to accomplish, and with these steps, you'll have an amazing portfolio in no time!
Steps
Step 1. Include only completed works in your portfolio
You can include unfinished works later and present them on future occasions.
Step 2. Limit the number of submissions to a maximum of 20
Most people cannot objectively judge their work. Better to show them to a friend or impartial person to help you in the final selection.
Step 3. Refine your works
They need to be free of any imprint and framed to make a good impression on the people who will review your portfolio.
Step 4. Organize your work by theme or style
Viewing your work must be an enjoyable experience for gallery staff or other examiners, so your work must be presented consistently and sorted by theme.
Group photos by color range or thematic series
Step 5. Show your best work at the beginning
This will make a good impression on the people who examine your portfolio, who will know they see your best works because they are located at the beginning.
Step 6. Have your work photographed by a good photographer
It does not necessarily have to be a professional, but it must be able to photograph your works with the right light, clearly and respecting the original colors.
- Regardless of whether you or someone else will be photographing your work, tilt the camera to reach the same corner of your painting; this will help you avoid distorted images.
- Slightly cropping the photograph may be necessary to remove further distortion.
Step 7. Add articles or publications about your work to your portfolio
Step 8. Create a photo album of your works
- The best thing for presenting your work is a simple black album. Many art shops sell specific albums to create an art portfolio.
- Start putting together photos, postcards from your exhibitions, press reviews, articles that mention your name, a short description of your job and your resume.
- You must also include the awards and accolades you have earned.
Step 9. Create a virtual portfolio
Scan all your works that will go into the portfolio and save them in a folder on your computer called "Portfolio". This is also a good way to back it up in case it gets damaged or lost.
Advice
- Always update your portfolio. As soon as you finish an exhibition, include the corresponding postcard in your portfolio and edit your resume. So your work will always be interesting and your portfolio can demonstrate your personal skills at the same time.
- The main goal of your portfolio is to present yourself. It may take several visits for the gallery to accept your works and start exhibiting them.
- Place your most impressive work at the top of your portfolio that best represents your artistic skills. This way you will immediately grab the attention of the people who will review your portfolio.
- Organize your work in a logical sequence. This way you will create a flow, a natural sequence of your portfolio that will help better understand what you want to communicate with your work.
