We have recently had a talk at university from the very successful AOI portfolio advisor, Fig Taylor. This was a very truthful and eye-opening talk on how to present your work and portfolio to potential clients. She was a woman who didn’t mess around and was straight to the point, and also very passionate about the illustration industry and wanting to help people hoping to get into it.
She told us all the main things to avoid doing and to use to create the strongest portfolio possible. Pieces of work should always be finished and of a same style as the rest of work in the portfolio. If you have more than one distinctive style then you should create more than one portfolio. Keep one portfolio for one style. The portfolio size shouldn’t be too large, so avoid A1 and A0. You should never put work you personally don’t like in your portfolio, if they like it you might have to continue doing something you hate. Work should be presented to a professional standard and never on a Pc screen. The portfolio should be suitable and relevant to the client you are going to see. Show what makes you different from everyone else. Life drawings and sketches aren’t necessary, they know that you can draw already; however don’t hesitate to take sketchbooks, they may be interested to see how you work. If you have any 3D pieces such as packaging you should always get it photographed professionally, rubbish photos don’t do your work any justice.
Fig Taylor had many, many useful tips and valid points, which I probably wouldn’t have considered. Her talk has made me think more about what work to use and how to structure my portfolio. I will definitely be thinking of her talk when creating any future portfolio.
Word Count: 305
No comments:
Post a Comment