Changing the Portfolio, Having a Style and Projects Moving Forward

I did something drastic last week…I changed the art portfolio on my web site. When I first set it up, I had three sections: Illustrator, Artist, and Designer. My favorite magazine, Computer Arts Projects, recently did an issue on portfolios. One of the major themes I saw was only showcasing the best work. So, I did some major editing. At first, I thought it would be difficult. At one point or another, I had worked on all of these pieces, so I definitely have an attachment to them. And, since I have been making a lot of art over the past years, I obviously wanted to display it. In the end, though, it was not all that bad. Certain pieces definitely stood out as the best, and I wanted to have around 15 to 20 pieces. I guess the tough thing was deciding whether or not I had made the right decision. A couple pieces made me think. A lot of it had to do with portraying the right “image” for myself. Not that I’m trying to be image conscious, but it would be nice to eventually be known for doing a certain style.

Which leads me to my next point…is it important to pick a style? I have really struggled with this over the past year or so. It seems like most illustrators have a certain style. It is almost like something that people can rely on if they are asked to produce work. For me, that seems so counter-intuitive to art-making. I have tried experimenting with a number of styles, and I like many of them. I’m thinking, though, that might not be the most professional approach. If I expect to be recognized, it might be worth my time to develop something that I can call my own. Although, if I have the ability to do mutliple types of artwork, it might make me more marketable. In some ways, that shows a certain type of confidence in your talents instead of relying on a go-to style.

Now, as I move forward, I have some projects I hope to get done over the summer. I have two t-shirt lines I want to create. I’m going to start each line out with 3 different ideas and see if I can build upon the line as time moves on. I also plan on publishing a book which seems daunting as a I write it down. It is not so much that I need an idea, but each page will require an illustration. That just seems like a lot of work right now. I am also going to try my hand at making some artwork that is suitable to be made into prints. Actually, one style I will be using a lot for these prints is mixing photographs with cartoon images. I still need to figure out how to do get quality prints made, so I still have some research to do…