Hi Bee!
Went through all the pages and I have 2 recommendations

First: I understand that inked works are traditional artwork too, but it's kind of repetitive to look at them twice once finished watching their cathegory and then finding them again on the traditional cathegory. I believe that an online portfolio works as a normal one, where you go like inked first and then "OMG! I saw this one in b/w and now it's colored, good job!". I don't know if this sounds logic for you o_O

And my second. Well, I think that the vector piggie you included on digital it's wrong for 2 main reasons. It says "Practice" somewhere in the title, and second, because an art portfolio must never include a work that could be easily beaten by the rest of the works there, like the goth girl in vectors you did, Piggie vs Goth girl... I put my 2 cents on the goth ^^

And well, a recommendation about customs. You could consider adding just the best pic of all your customs instead of including the whole display page that in the online portfolio is not noticeable at first sight (you need to click on the image to enlarge) believe me, there are lazy people who will pass them by >.<

Otherwise, all your works really reflect your unique style, so I believe that it's thumbs up from me ^^ I wish you lots of success with it!!!

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"In the kingdom of desire, instincts and emotions throw away any conventional knowledge..." -Saito Kanae - Yatteraneeze!

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It still amazes me how talented you are, but I have to tell you the pieces I liked the best in your portfolio were the inks I believe came from a comic book you inked a while back. It's a shame that there aren't more of them since they really do show how versatile you can be rather then staying in your own design style.

I agree with Diana that some of the pictures are repetitive but I also liked seeing the before and after of some of inks vs the colors. I also agree that some of the multi views of the ponies are hard to see at first glance. Is there a way you could chose one image as like a thumb nail then either give a link to the multiple views on a different page with out it cluttering up the whole page?

I think this would be a good idea to use with some of the finished traditional pieces to show some of your pencil work. I really like seeing how your work evolves from pencil to color. It also will let your prospective clients see how detailed you give in even some of the early stages.

Other then that, the only other thing I notice was your about me seemed broken a bit, It could have just been my browser though. It cut off at the client list and didn't let me scroll down.

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~Nefidean

Hi!
Just thought I'd add my thoughts, also. I'm currently in art school and just took a portfolio class, so I can pass on some useful info I learned there.

First, it apparently sounds more professional when you talk in third-person. Instead of "about me," you may want to think about "about the artist" and write that page as if you're writing a biography (vs autobiography). Either way, your full name should be listed somewhere.

Is there a reason for having two separate client lists? It's good that the companies are in link format, but also listing exactly what your job was for those clients would be useful (like you did for JKOR Studios).

We were advised to have a separate "contact" page because "art directors are stupid." Your full name, email and phone number should be there. It may be a good idea to list where you are located. They also advised giving your personal mailing address, but I dunno, that feels a little uncomfortable for me. All this could also be repeated on your "about me" page, because you've gotta be in-your-face about having them contact you.

A short mission statement on your home page would help the viewer understand exactly what the purpose of your website is. Along with stating your full name and the fact that you illustration work, maybe also mention you do those sculpture customizations (since that's not something you'd normally see in an illustrator's portfolio).

I agree with the earlier statements about some of the images being repetitive. You have more than enough for each category, so cutting out some a few of the ones that aren't as strong may be beneficial.

I have to say, the gallery function for displaying the thumbnails and full work is impressive. It works well and looks very professional. Overall, I think you did a great job so far. Good luck with your self-promotion!

Well, the first thing I would say is... if you want this to be a standard artist's portfolio, you are going to have to majorly trim it (10 to 20 pieces, right?) Unless a potential employer or someone asks for more, I think this is a bit of an overload. I understand you have a lot of great work and you want them to see it all, but the point isn't to show them a range, but a couple glances at your best work. If they are interested they will ask for more, if not they stop there.

The way you've laid it out here, separated into 3 sections, I would think any potential employer or person reviewing would choose one of the 3 categories, browse it and then if they don't like it, not bother to look at the rest.

I think some pieces could be cut, I don't know if you want my opinion on which, but I would drastically trim it down. And I would combine the 3 categories. Unless you are applying for a job as an inker and want to only show them that section... if you want a general portfolio, I'd mix up the different styles and have one solid main portfolio.

As for the custom sculpting, personally I feel it's a little irrelevant. I mean, people viewing this can see that you are mainly a drawer, and though you can say in your bio that you also sculpt, I wouldn't really add the images of those models in there.

You don't want any kind of overload. So you would want to have them focus on your best drawings and see you as a strong artist. Again, unless you want to only show the custom section to people who might hire you as a sculptor, I don't think it works with the rest of the pieces.

Show them you are a great artist, and like I said, mention in your bio that you also do things like sculpt. Just the way I would use it.

It also really depends how you plan to use the portfolio though.

Even if, say, you are applying for a digital coloring position, I would not only show them your digital section. I would pull a broad range of pieces from all sections that best represents you. Because learning to color digitally is not hard. What is really hard is just having the knowledge of color, tones, shadows and lighting, and all that stuff, which will come across in all of your drawings, whether traditional or digital. So don't separate them, but take the best from all of them. Just my two cents.

I'm actually using DeviantART beta portfolio now, so I'm limited to the amount of space I have to work with, especially when it comes to anything in text. You're given a basic pre-fab layout, limited amount of space to work with, and a pre-set amount of areas you can type in. It's better than what the first DA portfolios offered, but still pretty sucky.

That's pretty much the reason why I ended up doing two Client Lists. They only allow a certain amount of characters in each box, so I REALLY had to cut it down. Originally, I had the name of each company, a link to their pages, and exactly what I did for each company, but character constraints didn't allow for it.

So what I THINK I may end up doing is just end up re-creating my portfolio in a separate area over on Bee-Hive Studios, where I have complete freedom. I just kind of wanted to see what DA had to offer, and it still seems to not be enough. All the advice I've been getting from everyone has been fantastic, DA just doesn't seem to allow for some of it. ;~;

But for the time being, I CAN edit those mini galleries. I do still want to keep a separate inkers gallery in the portfolio, for when I do inking submissions to companies as an inker, but combining the digital and traditional medium galleries, I can do.

Hm, may have to create a separate portfolio for the customs and sculpture, though. It's something I do need to keep in there, as I have been itching to possibly show in galleries.

~~Bee

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Sadly, using DA's portfolio ( which is what I'm using for this portfolio, at the moment ), you don't have many options, and adding ANY links in descriptions is almost impossible, especially when you also want to add the materials you've used on said piece. You're only allowed 200 characters in the description box, which includes characters used for creating links and the such.

I think what I may just end up doing is re-creating this portfolio over on Bee-Hive Studios in a separate area, take everyone's advice and clean it up more, so I have more freedom to add more information. DA limits it, even in the beta portfolio. ;~;

YEAH! I noticed that too! There is NO scrolling at all! So you either have a BIG screen and a resolution set higher that 1024 x 768, or you're screwed. I'm not liking that at all, and I know for a matter of fact that MANY companies do only use a 1024 setting. Me thinks it something DA needs to work on even further.

Beh, as much as I can't stand building websites, I think I may just have to break down a bit and create my own online portfolio from scratch, taking into consideration all of the awesome feedback I've been getting from everyone. Grrrr... I have Bee-Hive Studios, but it's not a portfolio.

~~Bee

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I'm sure there has to be some sort of online portfolio to be used for budding artists, or some sort of program you can use D: or maybe you could find some one who knows flash and everything to help you out.

Despite the fancy look to the DA portfolio, each image is actually a new page, I'm not quite sure how they do it like that, but it shouldn't be that hard to figure out.


I'm really glad your getting a lot of good responses, and wish you the best of luck. Let's see the new one if you do choose to go down that road.

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~Nefidean