For an illustration student or new illustrator, it can be tempting to try to show off and throw all of your illustrations from the last few years into the portfolio. However, people who review portfolios often receive way too many to look at each one critically, which requires them to quickly flip through the illustrations and make an assessment. Instead of putting all of the illustrations you’ve done into the portfolio, pick the best pieces for the portfolio and leave out the rest. Though this can be subjective, the best illustration pieces are usually the ones you’ve worked on the longest and spent the most effort on.
An illustration portfolio is designed to represent the depth of your talent and skill, so it’s important to pick out illustrations for the portfolio that cover a diverse range of subjects. This shows the prospective client or employer that you have a diverse array of illustrative talents and can work in a variety of styles, depending on the needs of the client. The illustrations in your portfolio should reflect the breadth of your technical, composition and color skills in a variety of areas. For example, if your speciality is portraits, a portfolio that only showcases portraits of people in a particular pose would be repetitive. A diverse illustration portfolio would include illustrations of people of all ages and sizes in a variety of poses and styles. Portfolios should also include illustrations in both color and gray scale.
The finished illustration is only one part of an illustrator's work. Many clients and employers want to see how an illustrator works on a project, from concept to finished product. If you have experience working with clients on illustration projects, include a few of these projects in your portfolio. Remember that the portfolio is supposed to show what you can offer the client. Show how the work progressed from initial design concepts, to revisions and the incremental stages of the finished product so that the client or employer knows what to expect when working with you.
Sometimes trying to edit a portfolio yourself can be an exercise in futility, as illustrators often become too close to their work to look at it critically. In this case, it can be helpful to have a close friend or fellow illustrator review the portfolio and make suggestions. This can include suggestions on how to improve certain pieces, remove a piece that isn’t representative of your highest level of quality, or to get rid of a piece that doesn’t fit.