A very strong portfolio is the one most important asset you have that can help you break into the industry. Getting the first one is always the hardest! It gets easier from there.
And first impression matters! It s very important you take it very seriously and understand what to include and more importantly what not to. Most company will judge your artistic value base on you best piece as well as the worst piece. In this case, less is more. A strong and short portfolio have more value than a big and moderate portfolio. You want to leave them wanting more!
So lately, I 've been getting a lot of email interest for portfolio reviews. So if anyone is looking for portfolio feedback, please leave your name, a brief intro, a link to your work. I wont have time to get everyone, so the first 10 will be the ones I will review.
Read more here.
And first impression matters! It s very important you take it very seriously and understand what to include and more importantly what not to. Most company will judge your artistic value base on you best piece as well as the worst piece. In this case, less is more. A strong and short portfolio have more value than a big and moderate portfolio. You want to leave them wanting more!
So lately, I 've been getting a lot of email interest for portfolio reviews. So if anyone is looking for portfolio feedback, please leave your name, a brief intro, a link to your work. I wont have time to get everyone, so the first 10 will be the ones I will review.
Read more here.
Hello there =)
ReplyDeleteMy name is Levente Rückert, I'm a self taught artist. I'm working on getting to the next level and into the gaming/film industry. I'm not yet on a proffessional level (in my opinion).
I've put together a portfolio and it would be nice if you could take a look. I could use some tips and ideas what to bring in and take out. And alltogether, what should be in a portfolio =)
Link:
http://tanathiel.deviantart.com/gallery/34223528
Thanks in advance :)
Hello, I am an international student that has studied art for around 1 year and 3,4 months. I was a candidate for Mica on the early decission and got accepted but the problem was that I received a low scholarship. I still have time to improve my work and I really want to know your opinion on what I should add for illustration. Also I would like to point out that some drawings here were in deed made in a whip as I am a slow worker I fast forwarded the process a bit since I was in need of more works.Here are most of my works:
ReplyDeletehttp://imgur.com/v4Zjo,Svp9N,UPgCd,k0Kda,ms5d2,rpLj2,3iVhM,dJnbd,GfmPk
I would also like to know your opinion on comic/manga pages are they acceptable in portofolios. Because my main interest lies there but after MICA's decission and reading everywhere that people don't like them I am thinking of not putting them in. I am looking forward to hearing your opinion.
Hey Aleksandar, what art program are you applying for?
ReplyDeleteIllustration but I am open to other programs as long as they are more situated towards drawing (not Graphic Design for instance).
ReplyDeleteYour portfolio is very strong for a entrance portfolio. I really like your B&W still life drawings. Keep doing those, but take out the manga and the dog. Those pieces aren't nearly as strong as the life drawing and it will affect the over value of you portfolio. Show only your best work.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you have the time, try to include some figure drawings, and animals and plants sketches... You want to demonstrate your range.
I got a half scholarship to Art Center, and I think it was because I have couple of sketch books that was fill with sketches of ideas. So include your sketch books if you have them. Hope this helps!
Goodluck!
Hi, Aaron!
ReplyDeleteI found your topic at ca.org and I thought it`d be cool to have a feedback =)
My name is Rodrigo and I`ve been working at Voltz Studio on mobile games. I basically do 2d art. But my focus is character design either for film, games or toys. I enjoy doing characters, illustration and even portraits/fine art.
here are my pages:
http://www.artofquasar.com
http://quasar.carbonmade.com
hope you like it!
Hey Rodrigo, you have very nice character illustration on your site. You have a good sense of lighting, color, composition and characterization. If you want to elevate and evolve your work, try picking up some Z brush, its an amazing tool for organic design. I use it for hard surface stuff too. Our industry is evolving in a very fast pace, you really need some 3d knowledge to get to the next level. Nowadays, it s expected by many studios. Here's a good place to start: http://eat3d.com/zbrush_hardsurface.
ReplyDeleteYour portfolio is heading in the right direction, it just need more work. Keep pushing it, look at what other great artists have in their portfolio and fill in the gaps. Hope this helps!
Goodluck!
Hello Aaron,
ReplyDeleteI'm about a month late, but I just discovered your blog and am reading it from beginning to end right now :) Thanks for putting together all this information, it is really helpful for everybody interested to get to work in the field one day.
I know that I am still far away from creating professional work, but I'm working towards that goal continually. It would be very nice if you could point me to the right direction, what areas should I put my focus on to get better, or any other advice you might have! It can be hard not to get lost when trying to teach oneself.
http://lyraina.cleanfolio.com/
Thank you in advance,
Lyraina
HI ^^
ReplyDeleteI'm late I've just discovered your blog toot ^^ but since you said 10 comments i guess not that late if i need a portfolio review!^^
So my name is Oussama, I draw since I was a kid i'm 23 now.. I spent a year in a fine art school then a training and internship in ubisoft casablanca but this was mostly about 3d modeling ..at this stage i started thinking about a career as a concept art/ illustration ..after that I was mostly freelancing until now( small freelances) for some periods or doing nothing for some periods .. now i'm looking for something more stable a full time job or at least serious long term freelance opportunity ..the thing is that there are no full time job opportunities here in Morocco and I'm not sure if i'm good enough to work with big companies outside ...
Anyway, I guess my portfolio is a mess right now..i really didnt know what to choose for it .. I'll let you see it then you can tell me what you think ^^ a-oussama.daportfolio.com
Thank you in advance ^_^
ReplyDeleteHi Lyraina,
Thanks for the kind words, and I m glad the information is helping.
Your work is great, you have a lot of potential. The fact that you have a biology degree is a plus.
That is a valuable asset and I see you are using your knowledge of biology as inspiration and I m glad you are incorporating them into your work.
You have a good quantity of work, let s now focus on bringing your work to a higher quality of finish. Here are some suggestions.
First pick two of your favorite pieces of work you have. You are going to bring these pieces to the highest quality you can bring it and work on it until its the best you can get them to. You may be wondering how do I bring them to a higher level finish..and I m going to show you the steps. These are the same step I used.
Now, Spend a day searching the web and download all the concept art that inspires you. And use them as a quality bench mark to shoot for. When you are done with a piece of your work, put your work in the folder with all the professional concept art and see how it measure up. You have to be honest with yourself. If it doesn't meet the bench mark, go back to your piece and continue refining it. When you get tired of working on one piece, switch to working in the other piece.
It doesn't matter if you spend a week or even a month on a piece, because at this stage of learning, you have to focus on quality, once you know what the quality bar is and understand how to get there, then you can do the same for your other pieces.
And when you feel lost, go look at other artists work and try to study and analyze it. Try to break it down and get into the artist s thought process when you are looking at others art. Look at tutorial videos that are available on the web and study how other artists work.
Things to focus on in your work: color, composition, perspective, painting technique, texture, lighting and design. I know this is a lot to take in...in one sitting. But be patience and keep working hard and smart..and feel free to shoot me a message if you have other questions n the future.
Aaron,
ReplyDeletethanks so much for your response and advice. The instruction how to push myself and my work to the limits is really helpful, I did wonder how to learn doing that! Especially since I normally just focus on quantity, lots of studies etc. I will definitely follow your advice and see how far I can get.
Oh, and it really makes me happy that you see my biology degree as a plus, maybe those countless hours of dissecting insects instead of drawing are not completely wasted on my creative career :)
Thanks a lot for your help, I wish you all the best!
Lyraina
Thanks a lot for the in-depth critique and ideas ^^
ReplyDeleteThat helps a lot :3
Personally I feel I lack a bit on the field on making proper compositions + the choice of colors and contrast is not accurate or off ^^;
As for the things you mentioned, I agree, I do need some variety ^^; I have a hard time with environment most of the time, since thats a field I havent really poked too much :P I focused mostly on character art, but I do wish to excel in full blown illustrations ^^
Oh... this may sound silly but I havent tought about the films xD I think I'll do a bit searching in the matter =) A fellow artist suggested that I should do quickies (1h max sketches) based on screenshots from movies and the like, so that way I can practise color and composition ^^
What would you suggest as a good method to gain good sense of color and composition? :) Ah... another thing. Creativity. Since I havent born with the inherent ability to create great ideas from the top off my head (I mostly clubber together ideas I pick up from here and there from other artworks and whatnot, but thats not real creativity in my opinion... is it ?), is there a good way to make it grow ? ^^
Hehhe, sorry for the lot of questions =)
I'll be sure to get back here from time to time to check whats up + recommend it to other people I know of =)
Thanks and keep up the good work :3
Cheers ^^
Lev
Hi Aaron!
ReplyDeleteI'm a lost artist in the digital world. My passion is illustrating and painting but I do graphic design as a means to an end (went in as a painter and graduated in broadcast design). I know having professional review and opinion is priceless and it's quite fantastic that you are offering it. You must be busy with daily life and other things; whether you can get to me or not is no biggie, I'm trying anyways :) Maybe one day someone will find your blog and post as I have and reach out to me for some advice.
Anywho - this blog has inspired me to re-track my life into the proper direction and start drawing again. Thank you for that. Thank you for your time. Thank you for reaching out to a lost demographic of people, young an old, trying to find their way.
Crystal Cederstrom
www.keepingitcrystal.com