For art students and art school applicants
A site built around your artwork: organized by series, labeled properly, and quiet enough that the work does the talking.
What a art portfolio has to do
An art portfolio is judged on the work, but also on how the work is read. Reviewers look for a personal voice, range across materials, and evidence of how you develop an idea, not only finished pieces. A folder of photos can't show any of that. A well-organized site can.
Many art schools and programs ask for a set number of pieces, uploaded through their own portal. Follow those rules first. A portfolio website sits alongside them: the place where someone can see the complete body of work, the sketchbooks, and the context behind each piece.
01What your site can hold
Built around your art work.
Series and bodies of work
Pieces grouped the way you made them, so a viewer sees an idea develop across several works.
Title, medium, size, and year
Every piece labeled with the details reviewers expect, in one consistent format that never competes with the image.
Process and sketchbooks
Studies, thumbnails, and sketchbook spreads placed next to the finished work they led to.
Artist statement
A short, plain-language statement in your own voice. We edit it with you; we never write it for you.
Details and scale
Close-ups of surface and texture, and installation views that show size, for work one photo can't capture.
Exhibitions and awards
Shows, competitions, and commissions listed clearly with dates.
02 · Why custom design matters
How we present art work
A template decides the layout before it has seen your work. We design the other way round.
- Color-safe backgrounds
- Neutral page tones chosen so your work's color isn't shifted by what surrounds it.
- Large, fast images
- Full-screen viewing, with image sizes matched to each screen so pages load quickly on a phone.
- Selection before design
- We help you decide the order and what to leave out. A tighter edit usually reads stronger.
- One caption system
- The same caption format everywhere, so reviewers always know where to look.
03 · Before we start
What to prepare
- Well-lit, straight-on photos of each piece, cropped to its edges
- Title, medium, dimensions, and year for every work
- Sketchbook pages or process shots for the pieces you want to explain
- Notes or a draft statement about what you make and why
- A list of exhibitions, awards, or a CV, if you have them
Always follow each program's own submission requirements first. Your website complements them.
04 · How it works
Five steps, each approved by you
- Portfolio review
- Direction and structure
- Design
- Build and revisions
- Launch
Examples
All portfolio examples
Questions about art portfolios
If it shows how you think, usually yes. Many reviewers value process. We tend to place it alongside the finished piece it led to rather than in a separate pile of pages. If a program gives specific instructions about sketchbooks, follow them.
Yes, but photos are the foundation. Before design starts, we'll share a guide to re-photographing work with a phone and tell you which pieces need it most.
Yes. Many students work across mediums. Each gets its own section, so neither dilutes the other.