How to Create a Successful Makeup Portfolio

Team up with other aspiring artists to build your portfolio.

When you are breaking into the professional makeup artistry business, having talent isn't enough -- you have to be able to prove that you have talent. This means developing and perfecting a portfolio of your work. Your portfolio is a collection of your best work, photographed by professionals. With it, you can demonstrate for potential clients and agencies what capabilities you have with a brush -- once they see for themselves how talented you are, they can confidently make the decision to hire you.

Things You'll Need

• 9-by-12-inch or 11-by-14-inch portfolio
• Extra plastic or acetate pages
• Photos and tear sheets

Instructions

1. Buy a portfolio for your work at an art supply store. The two most popular sizes are 9-by-12-inch and 11-by-14-inch portfolios. It should have plastic or acetate pages for your photos, as well as pockets for business cards and for CDs -- some clients prefer digital portfolios.

2. Team up with an aspiring photographer who can take photographs for you -- this way, he has professional-looking portraits for his portfolio, as well. If you do not know someone, advertise your services near local art and photography schools.

3. Contact local modeling agencies to ask about doing makeup for testing -- this is when beauty professionals like hairdressers, models and makeup artists work together on a shoot, the payment for which is a set of professional-looking photographs.

4. Pick and choose the best photographs of your work. Choose about 15, and make sure that they are diverse -- show that you are capable of doing different styles of makeup and of working with different skin types.

5. Add tear sheets to your portfolio as it expands. Tear sheets are examples of published work taken directly from magazines or other print media -- they show your work in its published form, and demonstrate your experience. Once your portfolio contains 10 to 15 tear sheets, you are ready to seek agency representation.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep at least one CD of your work in your portfolio for clients interested in digital copies.

References

• "Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual"; Bobbi Brown; 2008
• Face FX for Beginners: Build a Makeup Effects Portfolio You Can Be Proud Of
• Model Business: Glossary of Modeling Terms