Why it’s important for an artist to have a portfolio

"Cellist" study, 2012

Although I have been prolific through the years when it comes to drawing and painting; one thing I never seemed to take the time to do..until recently that is, is to organize my work into some semblance of order of genres, medium, etc. I have found it to be rather time-consuming, although rewarding. It helps me see whether or not I have progressed in my craft as well as giving my potential clients a feel for my work.

For someone who works as a freelancer, a portfolio is vital in order to show their best artwork and hopefully showcases their particular style or method of work. A portfolio can also be used by artists to show employers their versatility and creativity by showing samples of their current projects or work.

In the past, portfolios were typically on hard copy and placed into books but now with so many web-based and internet programs, many are digitally based, which can be quickly sent by email or uploaded to potential clients. There are many, many websites offering formatting and other tools to help you create your portfolio; or of course for a fee, do it for you.

While I have opted for the do-it-yourself method, I am listing a few of the websites I visited that I found may be helpful.

I liked artistportofolio.net because it has an easy way to create a portfolio that works with Google docs as well as having a huge list of artists around the world. You can create a bio and photos of your work on the site.  

If you’re looking for cases to put your work in for a hardcopy version, the site called Portfolios and art cases had quite a few to choose from.


One of the best sites I found for listing where to find portfolio-making sites with templates as well as sites where you can promote your art is Artpromotivate.


While I had hoped to announce a new stand-alone website for my own little blog this week, unfortunately this will still in the planning stage, and has been put on hold indefinitely. Ah well.

I leave you with a really cool quote from William Blake that I feel epitomizes what I want for this blog….”No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” Namaste-Mariehelena