I'm Kiri, an illustrator, who has been making a living of my artwork for 15+ years. If you're a new illustrator looking for ideas on how to build your portfolio, here are some tips.

Please note, that this will take time to do but it'll be worthwhile.

When no one is hiring you, it's a great time to hire yourself. As an emerging artist, I recommend you spend this time building your portfolio. When you’re first starting out, it can be hard to know exactly how to go about that, so here’s a practical guide.

Step 1. Pick 2 of your favorite fairy tales. Fairy tales are public domain, so there are no copyright issues and an added benefit is everybody knows the stories. Illustrate 4-5 scenes from each fairy tale in your art style. Remember, you don't have to set it in 'ye-olden-days'. You can make it modern, make it sci-fi, make it editorial, whatever you like.

Step 2. Pick two themes you enjoy (quick ideas: ocean, forest, space, city, flowers, and so on), and challenge yourself to make a 3-piece postcard series based on this theme. This can focus on items, landscapes, or characters after your preference.

Step 3. Pick 4 historical (or imaginary - your choice) figures you enjoy and illustrate portraits of them in your style.

Step 4. Now you have a bunch of artwork in your style on various subjects that show your abilities. Now you're going to select the 8 BEST pieces. Remember your portfolio is only as strong as your weakest piece, so this is about curating. Be honest with yourself and take time to explore how the art looks together. Lay it all out together and see which pieces stand out. A portfolio is a collection that shows off your skills.

Step 5. To put the portfolio together you use the "post" system. (it's called post because it's like building a fence) Lay out your 8 pieces the following way:

1. This should be your strongest piece. This is the eyecatcher that shows off what you can do.
2. This should be your THIRD strongest piece.
3. This should be your SIXTH strongest.
4. This should be your FOURTH strongest.
5. This should be your EIGHT strongest.
6. This should be your FIFTH strongest.
7. This should be the strongest SEVENTH.
8. We're closing with your SECOND strongest piece.

The strong pieces will "carry" the others, like a fence. To finish up: Remember the first page of your portfolio should have your contact information. This portfolio arrangement works for both online portfolios, as well as in print.

Bonus tip: Shutterfly Photo Books are a great way to do a printed portfolio, they send out coupons for free books now and then if you join their newsletter.

With your portfolio complete, now it's time to build a client list and submit it. (Don’t know how to do that? We’ll dive into it in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned.) Now, as another bonus, all that artwork you made, you can use it to self-publish two illustrated fairy tales, a postcard series, a calendar, and more.

Thank you for reading, I hope this was helpful to some emerging artists out there. Join our newsletter to stay in the loop on upcoming articles.

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