Whether you’re looking to make it as a creative entrepreneur, or just want to share your work online, you’ll need a quality art portfolio that demonstrates your best work.

Your online portfolio not only showcases your work, but also verifies your credibility as an artist. So it’s important to make sure that your art portfolio is carefully crafted to give collectors, gallerists, or potential buyers the information they are looking for. 

There are plenty of ways to maximise your portfolio to help you stand out. In this article, we’ll explore these methods and help you make a better online art portfolio. Plus, additional tips on top portfolio platforms and ways to promote your art.

Online art portfolio platforms

In today’s digital world, it’s common for artists to use online portfolios. Traditionally, artists used physical portfolios to document their work, and some use a combination of both online and traditional art portfolio techniques. 

Some of the most common ways to create online art portfolios are:

• Adobe portfolio
• Building a bespoke website
• Using free portfolio platforms

Adobe Portfolio

Adobe is a staple name in art, design and media industries, offering professional creative software for a range of needs - from digital design to video editing.

Many artists also make use of Adobe Portfolio, which allows creatives to build a website showcasing their work. It requires minimal effort, with a range of ready-made themes available to help you get started. This is a great choice for anyone looking for an easy way to present their work online, with options to create multi-page and one-page sites.

All you’ll need to get started is a Creative Cloud membership.

Build a bespoke website

Creating your online art portfolio using a bespoke website is one of the best ways to curate your art collection. This gives you complete control over your portfolio’s theme, domain name, and can improve your credibility as an artist. It’s also a great way to segment your portfolio into different categories using separate pages, and include a dedicated ‘about’ page.

Some website builders offer basic functionality, whereas others will allow you to customise your portfolio in more detail. This means that building a bespoke website is often the most flexible way to make your online art portfolio, with options to design the experience exactly how you want it.

It’s also important to consider that you’ll need to purchase and host a domain if you’d prefer to have a more officially titled domain name. This is usually relatively affordable. 

Popular portfolio website builders:

• Squarespace
• Wix
• Webflow
• WordPress
• Duda
• Zyro
• Weebly
• Jimdo

Free portfolio platforms

Another way to create your online art portfolio is to use a free platform. There are plenty of free options out there, offering great choices for those looking for a more cost-effective way to create their portfolio.

Free portfolio platforms can offer a surprisingly good range of features, though you’ll usually get more customisability with paid platforms and bespoke websites. For example, some free portfolio platforms limit their functionality to a capped number of pages or portfolio items. Some free options will also show ads, so it’s important to consider whether the functionality of a free platform is right for your needs. 

Popular free portfolio platforms include:

• Journo Portfolio
• Much Rack
• Behance
• Dribbble
• Coroflot
• Portfoliobox
• Portfolio

What to include in your art portfolio

1. An about section

It can be easy to feel inspired by piecing together your artwork, but don’t forget to include some practical information about yourself. Include an about section in your portfolio that explains who you are as an artist and more about your work. 

This is a great way to help anyone who is looking to contact you understand more about your artistic direction and work, and will encourage them to get in touch with you. You can also include any qualifications you have gained from arts courses.

This section should include links to your other profiles, such as your social media. Not only will this help promote your art, it’ll help those who are interested find out more about you on other platforms. 

2. Your best work

Your online art portfolio should be a collection of your proudest achievements. The goal of your portfolio is to demonstrate not only your artistic vision, but also your technical skills, range, and experience. So while it’s important to consider your favourite pieces when curating your portfolio, you should also consider which pieces demonstrate your abilities and range as an artist. 

Reach out to peers or other artists for feedback to get a second opinion on your curation.

3. Tell your story

Making the perfect art portfolio is no easy task. But, one thing that will help you make sense of your collection is to piece your artwork together into a story. Your story is yours to express, so this will look different for every portfolio. 

Your portfolio might tell a story through storylines, colours, textures, skill progression, shifting concepts, or even more abstract ideas. In either case, storytelling is a great way to immerse your audience in your portfolio. 

4. Working links

When using an online art portfolio, chances are you’ll include links to other pages or external sites, such as your social media profiles. These links help users navigate through your portfolio and find out more about you elsewhere. If the links don’t work, this can prevent them from completing their goal and essentially stop them from finding the information they are looking for. 

Broken links are extremely common online. They can occur due to a number of reasons, for example, if your social media name and URL change, you’ll need to update the link to reflect the changes and take users to the live page. 

Ensuring your links work correctly will improve your credibility as an artist and demonstrate your ability to organise projects and information professionally, which is a key skill for anyone looking to work with you.

5. Update it frequently

The beauty of making an online art portfolio is that it is an ongoing process. You can easily switch out older art pieces for newer artwork and keep your digital portfolio up to date. 

It’s important to update your art portfolio regularly, ensuring that it reflects your current abilities as they improve. 

The ability to update your portfolio is particularly useful when you are curating your artwork towards a specific audience or individual. Updating your work will keep your portfolio up to date, relevant and targeted. 

6. A user-friendly experience

No matter how you choose to present your online art portfolio, one thing it must always provide is a user-friendly experience. Art is more than just visuals, it’s a feeling and experience. If your artwork is let down by a poor portfolio setup, chances are that your audience will miss out on that experience.

To create a user-friendly experience, make sure that your portfolio provides the following:

• An easy to navigate structure - does your portfolio have multiple pages? Your portfolio will need a main menu to help users actually find these pages. 
• Keep your portfolio to a limited number - it’s important to find the right balance between too much and too little. Be careful not to overload your portfolio with too much work, this can make it become less focused. Equally, make sure to provide enough work to provide a full picture of who you are as an artist. 
• Informational content - including descriptions or blogs that supplement your artwork and help tell the story could help improve the overall experience your art portfolio offers. Do you think your audience will have questions about your art and creative processes? They might be interested in finding out more about this in an article, for example.
• Speed - choosing a fast loading portfolio platform will help improve the user experience. Make sure to do your research into different platforms and portfolio themes before making your choice.

Improve your art and portfolio skills with an online course

Being an artist is all about being able to express your creative freedom, whilst refining your technical skills and artistic abilities. 

Studying an online course is a perfect way to improve your art and portfolio preparation skills. Here at the Online College of Art and Design, we offer a huge range of online art courses, as well as our specialised portfolio preparation course to help students learn to develop the perfect art portfolio.

Plus, many of our courses are accredited, providing you with additional qualifications to add to your portfolio! 

Ways to promote your art portfolio

1. An artist blog

Being a successful artist means being present. One of the simplest ways to promote your art portfolio is through an artist blog. There are plenty of reasons to get started with an artist blog, this will:

• Help you stay present with regular updates and posts
• Provide answers and information about your art
• Demonstrate your expertise as an artist and ability to articulate your skills
• Solidify your artist credibility
• Provide an additional resource for acquiring online traffic
• Help you improve your art skills through reflecting on your work, putting this into words, and researching art-related topics

2. Social media

Social media is a great way to connect with specific audiences and individuals. Through posting regularly, you can update your followers on what you’re up to and provide behind the scenes content for your art portfolio. 

Be sure to include a link to your art portfolio. This way, you can encourage users to engage not only with your social content, but visit your portfolio too. Using a social media strategy to promote your portfolio can even help generate sales. 

3. Email newsletters

Many artists keep their audiences up to date using email newsletters. The great thing about email newsletters is that your subscribers have actively decided to opt into email communications from you.

Each time you update your portfolio, write a blog post, or have something interesting to say, you can share this information directly with your subscribers.  Your subscribers can be acquired through your social media, blog, or other promotion activities, so it often ties in very well with your other efforts.

4. Arts events

Arts events have helped artists promote their portfolios for many many years. Events such as exhibitions, galleries, and festivals have long been used to celebrate collections of art, attracting some of the most passionate art connoisseurs and buyers.

A simple online search will help you find arts events planned in your area. It is also increasingly common for arts events to take place online - which is a perfect way to promote your online art portfolio and integrate this with the digital exhibition.

We recommend compiling a list of arts events, galleries, curators and websites that you intend to reach out to with your portfolio. This way, you can keep track of which organisations and events you have got in touch with, and can carefully craft your outreach message to each prospect.

Final thoughts

As an artist, your online art portfolio is your holy grail of achievements. It tells your story, expresses your vision, and demonstrates your abilities. You’ll have several different audiences that your portfolio will aim to reach; those interested in your art, those looking to work with you, and those interested in buying your art. It’s key to consider how your portfolio will address the needs of these audiences and provide an impressive experience.

From considering what to include in your portfolio, to how to promote it, and which platform might be best for you. We hope the tips in this article will help you learn how to make the perfect online art portfolio.

Study art and portfolio preparation online

We offer a range of online arts courses here at the Online College of Art and Design, alongside a specialised portfolio preparation course to help students learn to develop the perfect art portfolio.

Find out more about the courses we offer in many different areas of art and design, or get in touch with our friendly team to learn more.