How do I make a physical portfolio?

Griffin McPherson

Hello!

I’m heading off to the New England SCBWI conference next Friday which means I gotta have a physical portfolio to show. I’ve realized I have no idea how to do that!

I’ve never really needed to have a presentable physical portfolio. All I can think to do is print out my pieces and slip them into a portfolio I pick up at the art store. What are some do’s and dont’s? I haven’t found anything very helpful online, everything just talks about how to make the pieces for the portfolio and what to include or the show extremely over the top, intensely designed portfolios which I’ve heard is really not necessary or helpful but that is the extent of my knowledge.

AngelinaKizz

You could print a photobook. Walmart has same day photobook printing. I don't know where you live so I don't know other options. Apparently CVS also has same day photo book printing. It'll probably be less than buying a nice portfolio.

Another option would be a higher quality binder and the protective inserts.

I really like Arc notebooks, where you'd need a special punch and you can make them as as you'd like, and easily remove. They look really nice as well. The punch isn't cheap, but the rings are and I use them to make sketch books out of varieties of papers and they don't feel as precious because I can just pull out the crappy stuff and insert new paper where I please haha.

Griffin McPherson

@AngelinaKizz oooh I hadn’t thought about photo books. I do have Walmart and cvs near me so that could be an option. I do worry about print quality/ color correcting with them though. I was going to get my stuff printed at my usual printer and then just slip those in one of those portfolios with plastic sleeves. I’m not sure what other options there are.

willicreate

I respectfully disagree with having a photo book as a portfolio for the following reasons:

It’s inflexible. When it comes time to update the portfolio you would need to print an entirely new book. You should also consider swapping out images based on the company you’re meeting.
By extension, you look inflexible. You may project the idea that your images cannot be reorganized, seldom growth in abilities, subject matter, or style between new photo books, etc.
Paper pages are delicate. You or the reviewer can accidentally crease, tear, grease one page and the whole book is then damaged.

The most practical option is purchasing the higher quality Itoya portfolio book.

Whether you choose the presentation book or binder, the thicker plastic sheets are a good investment.
Some would argue a binder is better: you can reuse the binder for different purposes, not worry about damaged sleeves, and can take out loose pages to spread over a table.
The downside of binders is loose pages can get lost and the hoops get damaged over time.
Sizes between 8x10 to 11x14 are easy for both you and the viewer to manage.
Have 8 to 12 unique prints made, plus duplicates for replacement. If you think about it, flipping through 10 images is a lot of time spent on one person. If getting a presentation book, buy one with close to the exact pages needed. It’ll look more organized than a book with empty sheets.
There’s a pocket for a business card or postcard. Only put one card in the book and replace when needed (however, handing the card to the person with both hands is nice etiquette).

Don’t print at stores whose normally handle orders for office docs or family photos. Trust in a business who has experience working with fine art prints.

I would recommend bringing a tablet with a pdf version of your portfolio, website, and Instagram page ready to view. Ask if they prefer to see the digital copy.

Griffin McPherson

@willicreate aaah, I see what the portfolio books might be the better option then. I have a pretty simple one with the plastic sleeves that are bound into the folio itself so I can’t remove pages which is unfortunate because then I have all of these extra sleeves with nothing in them and I feel like that looks a bit sloppy but I don’t have anywhere I can I get the binder variety

I’m also wondering about little things like: should the prints have a border or fill the page as much as possible, should I have info on each image noting the medium, original size, and date it was made? Again maybe the fact that I can’t find information about this stuff on lines means that it really isn’t that important

willicreate

@Griffin-McPherson It's reasonable to say there isn't any written advice about portfolios because no one can claim they know the rules to a successful interview. Each reviewer will have different preferences that you have to navigate around.

I recall some artists incorporated graphic design to make their portfolios look like a magazine. It was snazzy to some, overly designed and amateurish to others. Some people used their book binding skills to give their boring black portfolios a luxurious textile cloth cover. A nice technique to be rememberable or a cheap trick?

For the borders... To compare it to video, some people like letterbox while others prefer widescreen. Go with your preference.

Having the art info is old school, but if you need to communicate to the employer that you work traditionally, this is a good way to go about it. Dimensions makes sense for a physical piece, but not for digital. I would exclude the date, cause then it'll date your artwork. If you don't have a piece from 2022 or gaps between years, it begs to question why is that.

StudioLooong

@Griffin-McPherson here's a great video from SCBWI MidSouth that walks through the very basics of putting together a printed portfolio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iExVZ7uF-kM

If you're crunched on time and can't wait to order in a portfolio book meant for displaying artwork, I recommend going to a craft store near you and looking for a scrapbook that uses post binding. This will allow you to take out all those extra plastic sleeves at the end which will look a little nicer. For example, the Michael's near me has this one in stock: https://www.michaels.com/product/12-x-12-cloth-scrapbook-album-by-recollections-10110610?michaelsStore=9543&inv=3

In terms of what I've seen at the portfolio showcase I've participated in, do not bother with medium/original size/date/ page #/ etc. - if you want to put anything on the page, just create a simple footer at the bottom with your name so if someone were to snap a picture of any page in your book it would include your name.

The first page of your book should be your name, your contact info (email and website is fine) - I also add "currently seeking representation" or "represented by:"

When I print out my art, I always leave a small white border because I think it looks nice but my book is quite large. If your book is 8.5x11, you may want the art to go full bleed just so that everything is a bit larger.

Here are a few pictures of my book, I found it really helpful when I was doing my first book to see what other illustrator's books looked like (the post it notes were added by the judges during the portfolio showcase):

These two are of a paper book dummy I tied in to the back (this is an extra and you totally don't need it but if you have a dummy, use a string to attach it to your book)

Here you can see the slight white border I left, I did not add any info to the page other than the images.

Sometimes I show a bunch of spots all on the same page to make it look less empty (these are all from the same project too, which helped)

This image went full spread over the gutter of two pages

Title page with my name

And the front cover of the book - I think this one is 12x15in.

carlianne

@Griffin-McPherson I agree with Will about getting a presentation booklet. Because I can GUARANTEE the second you see an art book you'll suddenly wish you could have done something different or find a typo and you can't make any changes after you put it together.

I would get something like [this](Dunwell Landscape Binder with Sleeves - (8.5x11, Aqua), 24-Pocket Presentation Book with Clear Sleeves, Displays 48 Pages 8.5 x 11 Letter Size Papers, Horizontal Sheet Protector Portfolio Folder https://a.co/d/1CIfYVW) so that you can put an image on the cover to get people excited to open it but can swap any of the images out as needed. I wouldn't worry about the being extra pages that's normal from what I've seen of physical portfolios. If you want to give the additional info about the piece I think I'd just do it on the back but I don't think it's necessary. And borderless or bordered I think it's up to you for what you think looks best. Do make sure to bring business cards or bookmarks with your contact information or whatever.

Griffin McPherson

@StudioLooong this was so helpful, thank you! I didn’t even think about looking for scrap books but the michaels near me has the one you linked to so I think I’ll get that! I love that it lays flat so I can easily show spreads, that will be great.

Griffin McPherson

@StudioLooong oh I was also wondering how many pieces you have in yours. I have 19 pieces in my portfolio on my website but for sake of having a portfolio to show at a conference I think that might be a bit much so I was thinking maybe 12 at the most?

StudioLooong

@Griffin-McPherson My last go-around was 16 pages, ~24 pieces (a lot of those were spots arranged on a single page). It was the first in-person event I went to after COVID so I had a lot of new work I was excited to show. That was the biggest my book had ever been, normally I try to keep it to 10-12 pages. Sometimes if you pay for a critique they'll even say in the guidelines that they're not going to look at any more than 12-15 pieces.

Griffin McPherson

@StudioLooong oh, interesting. Maybe I should cap it at 15 pieces then? There won’t be any portfolio competitions or anything at this conference like they do at the winter and summer conferences. Maybe I’ll get the chance to show my portfolio to an art director but there isn’t anything specifically set up at this event for something like that

Edit: actually it turns out there is a portfolio showcase. I’ll definitely want to sign up for that and be as ready as possible but I have no idea how I should prepare other than having my regular portfolio. If you know anything about it please let me know!

StudioLooong

@Griffin-McPherson Just have a stack of postcards (50-80 depending on the size of the event) in addition to your book and be sure to read the guidelines for your particular portfolio showcase and follow them. For the MidSouth one, there was a maximum size in inches for your book when open and you needed to have your contact info somewhere on the cover of the book (I opted to tape a business card on the inside back cover).

Griffin McPherson

@StudioLooong I don’t have any postcards so hopefully that isn’t a requirement. Don’t know how to meet their requirements because they don’t have any information about it on the SCBWI page for it. I just emailed them about it but it’s really strange that they don’t give info on how to prepare for it before the conference

StudioLooong

@Griffin-McPherson no, postcards aren't a requirement, they're an extra take-away that people can use to remember the artists they liked after the event. You can also use business cards.

Usually all the books are displayed on a table and people can walk around and look at them at their leisure over the course of a couple hours. They allow you to put a stack of postcards next to your book so if someone likes your work, they can pick up your postcard to remember you. Having a postcard with your book will increase the amount of other author/illustrators who connect with you on social media after the event and can also help remind the editors/art directors/agents in attendance of your work after the event. I'd highly recommend putting one together if you have time!

Places like Walgreens or Walmart often have a 24 hour photo center that could turn around a small order of 4x6in cards fairly quickly and inexpensively. You can use their photo print option to save on cost - just make a one-sided design with your name and URL in a solid colored bar along the bottom of the image.

Griffin McPherson

@StudioLooong I’ll look into printing up some postcards at Walmart. You’ve you been so helpful, thank you!

Kristen Lango

@Griffin-McPherson I just printed mine on Blurb which I know someone mentioned isn't a good idea, but I personally think it's what looks most professional.

I don't think it shows inflexibility, and I think that's what volume 2, 3, 4, and 5 are for right? Isn't it the whole point of a portfolio to showcase your work from a particular moment in time.

I.e. the portfolio of Griffin McPherson Vol. 1 showcases work from 2020-2023 and Vol. 2 showcases art from 2023-2025, etc.

I don't know, but that's my two cents and how I understand things, but perhaps I'm wrong.

I'm also going to an SCBWI local conference this weekend in Austin, TX - I can't wait to hear how yours goes in New England. Can I ask where you're located? I used to be in the DC, Maryland, Virginia chapter with Cyndi Cliff and other great illustrators, maybe you'll run into them there - if you do, say hi from me!

Griffin McPherson

@Kristen-Lango I’m located in Saratoga Springs, New York so I’m not actually within this chapter so from that area will be new to me!