Portfolio - two questions

Hi all,

I'd like to start a thread about portfolios. It's something that was brought up in the recent SVS podcast (it was the Roadblocks to Success discussion which was brilliant!) The guys discussed updating your portfolio every three to six months. I was wondering how many of you do this and how often do you update the selection of your work online. Do you work on stuff and slowly release it or just do clean update?

Also, I'd like to ask you if you could take a look through my portfolio here: www.behance.net/lovetherobot

I'm reviewing everything at the moment (my style, my online presence) and I'm wondering if I should keep this work or just start all over again from scratch entirely.

I've been putting work online that's well over 10 years old and I fell like it's time for change. I also feel like my work is stylistically all over the place (!) and sometimes certain illustrations don't gel well with others.

Do you have any other ideas or tips or feedback on portfolios in general?

Any advice or feedback you guys could give would be greatly appreciated.

nkdrawings

@lovetherobot Your work is so cool! I am by no means a portfolio expert (er...I'm still trying to put together a first-ever one), but I'd say it depends -

I'd go ahead and cut anything that you don't feel is relevant to you/your work any more (if that's all of it, hell, start over). If there are any that you feel are really strong and/or really represent your work, I don't see why you couldn't keep them. But if you feel it's all outdated or doesn't really show what you do, that might create a problem when people go to hire you.

I agree that your style seems a little inconsistent in the portfolio other than a gorgeous use of color. You also seem to have several cases of there being a couple of similar-looking pieces. Maybe narrow it down a bit and show your style, but show the versatility of that style?

Like I said, I'm far from being knowledgeable, so feel free to disregard all of that (ha!). But I hope some of that is helpful anyway! Great work, I'd love to see it again when you've updated it!

Thanks so much for the feedback! I agree things are looking a little inconsistent but I'm going to work on new art and start updating things.

@lovetherobot Hey
Your work is really cool, i love all the colours you use and your style is so unique!
If i was you, if there are pieces in your current portfolio that you think look old or that you dont like anymore then cut them out. You should like each piece in your portfolio and it should show off your strengths, so if your style has changed since these pieces then maybe you should think about a completely new portfolio However, you have some strong illustrations on your website so if there are some that you like or are proud of then definitely keep them, but your portfolio should show off who you are as an artist today
I've recently decided to start afresh as i was a traditional illustrator but now prefer working digital and my style has changed completely, so i didnt want any pieces of work in my portfolio that i wasn't 100% happy with or what kind of illustration work i wanted to get.
What sort of area of illustration are you looking to get into? That's also something to consider when compiling a portfolio. If it's childrens books then obviously you want stories, characters etc in there, but for editorial or advertising it will be completely different, so takes some research.
I don't think your work looks inconsistent as such, but I prefer some pieces over others and would like to see more pieces in the same style rather than one of each style that you work in - that will show how consistent you are as an artist. Too many styles kinda makes you look like you can't make up your mind, whereas having a few of each style can make you look like you're able to work in different ways

Sorry for rambling on there haha! Good luck with it

@hannahmccaffery Thank you for the feedback Hannah. I agree with a lot of the points you made. My style has progressed over the years a lot but when speaking to my non arty friends and family some of have said not to just dump the last ten years of work as it's a massive journey and my Instagram shows my artistic journey. While over friends have said a clean slate would be one of the best things I could ever do.

I'm looking to get into comics and make my own comics. I'm learning a lot about visual storytelling and learning how to piece together a comic. I'm not so much concerned about style but more interested in mastering storytelling.

I plan to start making new pieces and then start to share them online. It will probably take a few months to complete. I totally agree with the mix of styles - that's something I've touched on social media this week. Definitely agree a selection of styles - not loads however! Going to narrow down the ones I love working in. Thank you and you too!!!!