How to Build an Art Portfolio

A stunning leather portfolio makes a great statement

As an artist or an aspiring artist, the most important piece of work to have in your arsenal when you are starting out is an art portfolio. Whether photography, lithographs or even 3- or 4-D work is your element, the art portfolio is the place to start, to build your work and to succeed in the arts.

Things You'll Need

• Binder, leather or other material, sizes can vary to match your needs
• Digital camera, if your work is 3- or 4-D

Instructions

1. Assess your work completed thus far and take an inventory of your pieces. Even go so far as to create a short resume of your work to keep at the beginning of your portfolio. The resume sums up the work you have created, and you can easily hand it out to someone instead of giving him your entire portfolio, which you will not want to do.

2. Choose your portfolio. Leather bound lasts for a long time, but as an artist, your portfolio can also make a statement about you. Make sure that you allow enough pages in between to show a selection of work. Also, decide whether your art would best be mounted on paper or shown between laminated sheets to prevent wear and tear. An art supply store will have several aisles of options at a wide variety of price ranges to select from.

3. Choose your top 10 to 15 pieces to showcase in the portfolio. This prevents the portfolio from becoming too bulky and to stay neat and easy to handle.

4. Take pictures of your work if it is in a medium such as sculpture or even canvas. The most popular presentation size would be 5 by 7 or 8 by 10 to show off the work as much as possible. If your art is three dimensional, be sure pictures of all sides are taken as well.

5. Choose whether to place your top pieces at the beginning or to have the portfolio divided by art medium or even chronologically to showcase growth as an artist over time.

6. Update your portfolio regularly with your favorite work. Many times having several full color photocopies of pictures or pieces in the portfolio is handy in case a prospective agent or buyer wants a memento to remember the work. This way, you don't have to give the portfolio to anyone and risk not getting it back.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't spend too much money on the actual portfolio. It is important to have a nice presentation (so no pictures thrown in folders). The most important part is what is inside -- the work will speak for itself.