Type your name, website, online gallery and contact information into a word processing document. Choose a font and color. Scan your logo or signature. Copy the scanned picture into the document. Combine these to create a letterhead which will be used throughout the portfolio. Save the document.
Compose a cover letter, especially if you are sending the portfolio. Maintain a conversational tone, yet remain professional by staying on the topic. Introduce yourself, state why you are sending the portfolio, summarize your resume, and thank the reviewer for looking at your work. Use a business letter format. Copy and paste the letterhead. Save and print.
Confine your artist's statement to two to three paragraphs. Summarize what the artwork is about, from your perspective. Use as few words as possible, but keep it authentic and easy to understand. Copy and paste the letterhead. Save and print.
Keep your biography brief, preferably half a page or less. Show how serious you are about an art career. Outline your most important artistic achievements. Make it short and clear, with no mistakes. Copy and paste the letterhead. Save and print.
Type up a current resume or list of publishers/collectors/agents/galleries, exhibits, and awards. If you are an emerging artist, include a neat presentation of postcards from recent exhibits and any newspaper clippings or media attention for your art. Copy and paste the letterhead. Save and print.
Choose 10 to 20 of your newest and best artworks. Choose pieces which are consistent with your artist's statement. Eliminate artwork which does not represent your current skill level.
Photograph the artwork with a digital camera on a tripod, under very good lighting. Use a neutral background. Fill the frame with the image. If your work is dimensional, take pictures from several angles. Upload the images and crop them or enhance the lighting as necessary. Save them in a file. Print them at a high resolution on photo paper.
If this is not your strength, consider hiring a professional art photographer.
Choose a commercially designed portfolio case or a simple scrapbook to display the type of portfolio which the reviewer is expecting. A three-ring binder can be used in a pinch, but falls short of professional appeal. The goal is to impress the reviewer, so short cuts are not recommended.
Organize the printed pieces for easy and impressive viewing. Group similar pieces together, organizing the artwork according to theme, size, orientation or style.
Print out labels with the title, dimensions, date, media and price information of each piece. Stick them on the plastic sleeves or beneath the prints.
Unless you are extremely proficient with the camera, have an art photographer take the slides of your artwork. An added advantage is that you will only have to pay for the slides which turn out well.
Print out small labels with all the artwork and price information onto an adhesive sheet and stick the labels in place. Put the slides into slide protector sleeves. Organize the slides in the same manner as the prints. Type a cover list of the slides with all of the artwork and price information. Organize the list to match the portfolio.
Save a digital portfolio (identical to the hard copy) to a DVD as a movie or slide show, or to a CD as documents and albums. Label the DVD or CD with a small-print version of the letterhead. Glue a CD sleeve or envelope to the inside back cover of the portfolio. Stick another letterhead label on the sleeve or envelope. Place the DVD or CD inside.
Assemble the entire portfolio in the order it was presented here. The cover letter will be the first thing the reviewer sees, followed by the artist's statement, the artist's biography, the resume, the prints, the slides, and then the DVD or CD.