Creating a Digital Art Portfolio
This playbook outlines the sequential steps to curate and present a professional digital art portfolio. It is designed to help artists showcase their work effectively to potential clients or employers through an organized and persuasive digital format.
Step 1: Work Selection
Carefully select a diverse range of your best artworks that showcase your skills, style, and range of subjects. Aim for variety to demonstrate your versatility, but also maintain a coherent theme or style that represents your artistic identity.
Step 2: Digitization
Digitize your artworks using a scanner or camera ensuring high resolution and accurate color representation. Clean up the images using photo editing software if necessary, but keep alterations minimal to maintain the integrity of the original work.
Step 3: Portfolio Platform
Choose an online platform to host your portfolio. This can be a personal website, a professional gallery-oriented site, or a portfolio service. Ensure the platform you choose is reliable, easy to navigate, and capable of displaying high-quality images.
Step 4: Organize & Design
Organize your portfolio by grouping similar works or by chronological development. Design the layout of your portfolio to be visually pleasing and easy to navigate. Take into account the use of white space, text descriptions, and thematic continuity.
Step 5: Describe Artworks
Write descriptive text for each piece including the title, medium, size, date of creation, and a brief statement about the piece. This contextual information should enhance the viewer's understanding of your work and your artistic process.
Step 6: About Section
Include an 'About' section that provides information about you as an artist. Share your artistic philosophy, background, influences, and any notable achievements or exhibitions. Keep this section concise and engaging.
Step 7: Contact Information
Make your contact information clearly visible for potential clients or employers. Include your professional email address, phone number, and links to your social media or professional networking profiles.
Step 8: Test & Feedback
Before finalizing, test your digital portfolio on different devices to ensure compatibility and ease of use. Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or professionals to make improvements where necessary.
Step 9: Share & Update
Once your portfolio is complete, share it through your network, on social media, and with potential clients or employers. Regularly update your portfolio with new works and remove older pieces to keep it fresh and relevant.
General Notes
Consistency
Maintain a consistent visual style throughout the portfolio to present a cohesive brand or artist identity.
Online Security
Consider watermarking your images or using low-resolution versions to protect your artwork from unauthorized use when displaying it online.
Accessibility
Ensure that your online portfolio is accessible by checking that it complies with web accessibility guidelines.
SEO
Optimize your portfolio for search engines (SEO) by including relevant keywords in the text descriptions and website metadata.