Make an Art Portfolio that gets you Noticed - Step by Step Guide

How do I know the importance of a good art portfolio?

I am what many would call a ‘self-taught’ artist, having left my 9 to 5 job in international Human Resources, to become a full-time artist in my late 50s. One thing I have learnt is to be ready at any time (before the opportunity presents itself) to give a summary of my art journey and my ‘why’. Read how I transitioned from HR to full-time art here.

An artist portfolio, to the latent Human Resource manager in me, is akin to a well-written and structured cv or resumé. For so many years, I’d been on the receiving side of ill-constructed cvs, sometimes very evidently written for another job opportunity in another organisation, but carelessly sent off once another vacancy was sighted. I won’t bore you with details of cvs that were forwarded from one email application to another organisation, with the previous application and company name in the body of the email!! No thought was given to the requirements of the new job role, the industry requirements, nor the specific information required. The same diligence is required in the making of an art portfolio.

Creating an art portfolio doesn’t have to be overwhelming or time-consuming. With the right structure, tools, and a little creative thinking, you can build a professional-looking art portfolio that reflects your style, conveys your message, and helps you stand out from the crowd, without falling into the presentation faux-pas mentioned above. In this post, we’ll walk you through step-by-step how to create an art portfolio that gets you noticed, whether you're a hobbyist, a student, or a professional artist. We'll also include tips on digital templates and layout ideas that save time without compromising quality.

In today’s digital world, having an art portfolio is more important than ever. It’s not just a collection of your work—it’s your visual resume, brand identity, and sales tool all rolled into one.

Here’s why you need a great portfolio:

•  It showcases your skills and style; oftentimes it shows your progress over the years
•  It helps you apply to galleries, art schools, residencies or exhibitions. Having one on-hand that requires minor tweaks to suit specific requirements saves you time and ensures you meet set deadlines, without compromising on quality
•  It gives potential art schools, buyers or clients a clear idea of your work
•  It builds credibility and professionalism online (and in person if and when you present a hard copy brochure to a prospective client or gallery)

Before diving into design or uploading images of your work, take a step back and ask yourself:

• Is this portfolio for an art school application?
• Am I tailoring this portfolio for a specific audience and culture? Imagine a situation where you are applying to a gallery in the Middle East, are there cultural considerations you need to take note of? Will my portfolio be going to an international audience? Do I need to consider this in the language and pricing information?
• Do I want to attract gallery interest , collectors or clients for commissions?
• Am I applying for residency opportunities? Most residency applications will require, in addition to your portfolio, a project proposal or a letter of motivation, list of required material, agreed dates and references, if you are mid-career. Just be sure to tailor your application to what is specified in the advert.
• Am I using this for selling online on Etsy, FaceBook, Tiktok shop or Instagram for instance?
• Do I need to create a personal website or a downloadable PDF?
• Will I be printing this out in the form of a brochure?

Knowing your purpose will help you:

• Choose the right format and personal branding (physical vs. digital; ornate flowery fonts vs. formal fonts for instance)
• Decide which works of art to include and what not to include. You might reconsider nudity for instance, if you are applying to the Middle East.
• Tailor your artist statement, bio and general layout to the specific situation and purpose. If you have a digital portfolio, it will be easy to have different versions ready to be sent off or presented to various scenarios.

Step 2: Select Your Best Work

Quality beats quantity and this is a case of putting your best foot forward. Your portfolio should only include your strongest, most cohesive pieces. This is not the time to be sentimental—curate carefully. I would prefer you have only 5 strong pieces than have all of your 30 pieces that are not strong and that provide no value to the way you want to present yourself.

Tips for Choosing the Right Pieces:

• Focus on consistency in style, technique, or theme
• Highlight a range of skills if you have them (drawing, painting, digital, sculpture, etc.)
• If you work in different mediums, group them into sections
• Show progress: include newer, more polished pieces
• Include 5 to 20 pieces, depending on the purpose
• Ensure you photograph your work in clear light and crop out all unnecessary information around the actual painting. If you are unable to photograph your work in high resolution, hire a professional photographer. Remember, your portfolio might be viewed by the recipients on a large screen. It will harm your brand immensely if your portfolio shows pixelated images when blown up.

Think of your portfolio like a story. You’re guiding the viewer through your artistic journey, so structure matters.

Suggested Layout Order:

1. Introduction/Artist Statement/bio
2. Your strongest piece first. Going back to my HR days, I remember being put off by application letters or letters of intent where the candidate did not even bother to spell the recruiting organisation’s name correctly. It was difficult reading past the errors of negligence, no matter how good the candidate’s work experience (and suitability) may have been.
3. Group similar works by theme or medium
4. Show your most recent work
5. Contact information or link to your site/social media pages. 

This flow makes your portfolio easier to browse, more professional, and leaves a lasting impression.

Pro Tip: Ensure you have not carried out a tirade on social media on the ‘uselessness’ of galleries when you are going to direct the same galleries you are now applying to, to your socials.

Step 4: Write a Short, Strong Artist Statement – Introduce yourself

Many artists dread this part—but don’t overthink it. A great artist statement is short, honest, and gives a peek into your creative process.

What to include:

• Who you are and what inspires your work – introduce yourself. You may wish to include a good photograph of yourself, maybe with your artwork in the background.
• How you got to where you are now in your artistic journey
• What themes or ideas you explore
• Your techniques or materials you use
• Your goals as an artist

Example: “I’m a mixed-media artist inspired by nature, emotion, and everyday life. My work explores the balance between structure and spontaneity using layers of acrylic, paper, and charcoal. I aim to evoke a sense of movement and curiosity in each piece.”

There are three main formats for art portfolios. Choose the one that fits your goals and technical comfort level.

1. PDF Portfolio

• Great for email applications, printouts, and gallery submissions
• Easy to customize using Canva, InDesign, or PowerPoint
• Pro tip: Use a portfolio template to save time and ensure clean design; save as a PDF to prevent inadvertent erasure before downloading. You can always go back to your template to make additional versions

2. Website Portfolio

• Best for ongoing exposure and building a brand
• Platforms like Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress make this easy
• Ideal for SEO and selling artwork online if you incorporate an e-commerce shop into it (like Shopify)

3. Social Portfolio (Instagram, Tiktok, Behance, etc.)

• Good for hobbyists or artists on a budget
• Use carousel posts or highlights for easy access
• Still pair with a PDF or website for formal applications

If design isn’t your thing—or you just want to save time—use a pre-designed art portfolio template.

Benefits of Using Templates:

• Professional layout with drag-and-drop ease
• Save hours on formatting and structure
• Customize your own colours, fonts, and branding
• Ideal for artists, illustrators, photographers, and designers

Where to find great templates:

• Canva – free and paid options
• Creative Market
• Etsy 
• Adobe Express or InDesign templates

If you're interested, here’s one of our recommended artist portfolio templates 

Each artwork should include:

• Title (the name of the artwork)
• Medium (what is it made on and with what materials)
• Size (in inches or cms)
• Date of production
• A short description (optional but helpful)

Descriptions help the viewer understand your intention and process, especially if you’re applying to schools or competitions.

How many images should be an art portfolio? It depends on the number of works you want to show. 10 to 15 of your best work should be sufficient. Ensure you show the range of works you are able to make and collate them in a coherent series where possible. Most artist portfolio templates give you the opportunity to duplicate art showcase pages that fit your narrative, increasing the size of your portfolio.

Before publishing your portfolio, ask for constructive feedback from:

• Other artists
• Mentors or teachers
• Art collectors or buyers (if available)

Pro tip: A second pair of eyes can catch small issues you might miss, like typos, awkward layouts, or low-quality images. This is not the time to ask feedback from family members.

Once your portfolio is polished, it’s time to get it out into the world.

Where to share:

• Attach to school or residency applications or grant submissions
• Add it to your website or Linktree
• Send it to gallery owners or curators when responding to open calls or when cold-calling
• Promote it on social media or your artist’s newsletter
• Upload it to platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, Behance or ArtStation
• You may choose to print it out as a brochure once you are certain you will not be updating it soon and have a few copies to hand to curators and potential collectors at events, if this is required and acceptable.

Pro tip: Keep your portfolio updated every few months as you create new work.

Final Thoughts: Build It Once, Use It Everywhere

Creating an art portfolio might feel like a big task, but once it’s done, you’ll have a powerful tool that works across platforms. You can use the same core layout for:

• Open or Cold Call Gallery applications
• Artist grants and residency applications
• Social media promotions
• Custom client presentations
• Your online shop or website

The most important thing? Start with what you have, and build as you grow. I update my own artist portfolio whenever I make a new artwork that I am proud of.

We offer beautifully designed, easy-to-edit Canva art portfolio templates made just for artists and creatives. They come with:

• Pre-made layout pages that can be duplicated to create more pages as required
• Drag-and-drop image slots. These slots or frames can be modified to suit the size and or aspect ratio of your artwork images
• Fully editable fonts and colours

Check out our artist portfolio templates for online PDF portfolios here.

Summary Checklist: How to Make an Art Portfolio

Know your purpose
Select your best, most cohesive work
Structure your layout with a clear flow
Write a short, strong artist statement
Choose the right format (PDF, website, or social)
Use a template to save time
Add artwork details and short captions
Get feedback and refine
Share your portfolio confidently

Ready to make an art portfolio that gets you noticed? Start with our easy-to-use artist portfolio templates and create something you’ll be proud to share—without the stress.

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