I finally joined Dribble.com and uploaded my first few samples. There’s a limit of five uploads per day so I’ll have to wait to upload more. But if you dribble, give ‘em a looksee.
Download My Updated PDF Portfolios
Along with posting new work on my website and on this here blog, I also make samples of my work available as a free PDF download for clients to print and keep on file. The last time I updated the PDF was in January 2008. A lot has changed since then and an update was long overdue.
Instead of one portfolio there are now three portfolios to choose from: Character Design, Illustration, and Toy Design. Collect all three!
Portfolio Tips
Tim Hodge (former Disney artist and an Executive Producer on 3-2-1 Penguins!) recently posted some great tips on assembling your portfolio:
If you are an art student, job hunting, or just trying to break into commercial art or animation, this is some great stuff to know when interviewing for a position. Since Hodge’s background is in the animation industry, his advice is geared towards landing a job in that field. However, much of what he says can also apply to the fields of illustration or graphic design.
Yes, even if you freelance.
The internet is the new and improved way for a freelancer to show off his/her work, but that doesn’t mean the old-school physical portfolio is entirely obsolete. While a website will do the lion’s share of your self-promotion, there will still be times when you have to present your portfolio to potential clients face-to-face. Especially local clients. In the last month I’ve actually shown my book twice: Once at the Hasbro freelance fair where it was thumbed through by several dozen people, and just last week when an art director at a local ad agency asked me to come in and show my work to his creative team as a sort of pseudo-interview.
And of course, if you are interviewing for a full-time position you will almost certainly need to carry a portfolio with you to interviews. If so, be sure to heed Hodge’s advice.
Shameless Self-Promotion: Download My New Portfolio
To any art directors/art buyers out there:
As a freelancer I’m always looking for new clients and fresh projects. So this blog is as good a place as any to announce that a new, updated PDF version of my character design and illustration portfolio is available online. You can download it for free here or on my website. Feel free to print it out and keep it on file for your records.
I’ve also posted an updated version of my resume here.
Finally, you can join my mailing list here. I send out a promotional email 3-4 times a year, and a “snail mail” postcard once or twice a year.
To the rest of you, thanks for indulging me. Regular blog posts will resume tomorrow. (If you like animation, you’ll enjoy tomorrow’s post.)