[...] Your Portfolio Blog: Now What? [...]

[...] site link yesterday and I thought his drawing style was cool. His site is a pretty good use of a Blogger blog as a portfolio site [...]

[...] Then some online portfolio stuff with why you have that blog to begin with and what to do with that portfolio blog you already have and some other free website options you have [...]

Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Especially one as useful as that.

I haven’t heard of this service before, so thanks for bringing it to my attention. I will talk about other options for sites in future posts and will definitely include this one in the mix.

I just started with Blogger because so many animation artists use it. I don’t think it’s necessarily the *best* way to show a portfolio either.

And I agree that Vimeo and Viddler are probably better options than YouTube for video.

Thanks again! (Go take a peek at her site everybody)
K

I really enjoy reading your posts! I am an animator and upon reading your suggestions to people (with no money) on how to create a professional looking blog, I simply need to post a comment.

My suggestion for a free way to set up a portfolio static site is http://www.weebly.com. I’m currently using this service and it is so simple to create a webpage out of it. You can click on my URL to take a look. I think that this might be a good alternative to blogs. I upload my videos to Vimeo as I feel its more presentable than a Youtube video =P.

- Maureen

By all means, YES, protect your work! This is really important for you illustrator-types. Ugh, it must suck seeing your stuff all over the place without your permission.

Did you hear about that artist who got sued by a stock image company for his OWN work? Someone snatched his stuff, then reported HIM for stealing it because the company offers moola for ratting people out.

Now he has to hire a lawyer and everything. What a nightmare.

Start watermarking, buddy!
K

Dang it! I knew my lax blogging would bite me in the hind-quarters! I could have been an example (said in his best Brando voice…)

But I appreciate your thoughts ’cause it’s actually renewed my thinking on what I want to accomplish with my blog and how to keep it interesting.

One thing I do heartily agree on is your copyright/watermark suggestion. I check of my sight traffic and I find my work adorning people’s sites all over the place, from MySpace to bulletin boards. I now make a point to include copyright and webite info on all my posted pieces. It’s also a good idea to explicitly state (discreetly) that should anyone wish to use your work in a comp or even on their personal site, they should ask permission first. Since placing that statement on my site pages, I’ve actually had an up-tick in people asking permission.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now…

-G

But you know what’s funny? (or not) I almost linked to you in my last post along with David, but the only thing that stopped me was that you hadn’t updated the blog in a very long time. It looked a little ‘abandoned’, so I didn’t use it as an example. (But everyone go check out his fabulous illustrations!!)

I’m certainly no expert at this. But for the pro like you, I would say a blog is a *good thing* to have with your site. It just depends on what you do with it. If you don’t update for months on end, it can look like you don’t care. Even once a month update would be fine because when you go, at least you see a ‘March’ and an ‘April’ on there.

It think it’s fine to put up fun, loose sketches on the blog as long as you have your static, professional site along with it. People love to see that stuff. Just be clear on just what kind of off-topic crazy ramblings you really want to put up there. On-topic ramblings can still be OK, I think.

And I also think links to other resources and artists can be OK too on a pro’s site. If you’re established, it can be good Karma. As a beginner, it can work against you.

Just rethink what your blog can do for you. I think going in a slightly educational direction or ‘behind the scenes’ once in a while could really work in your favor. Along with the sketches. (Then again, who am I to tell you what to do??)

@ T – No, I said “TWICE!”

I don’t think there’s any money in BEING a social networker. But people are trying to make money teaching other people how to *use* social networking.

Yeah, pay them money to learn how to use a free service. Kinda odd, huh?

If I do write a post about Twitter, it would be just to inform the newbies. Not declare it as the ’second coming’!

And it’s always nice to see a little tweet from the breakfast face.
K

(That’s a lie. I love creating things too much to be limited to 140 characters.)

I really love this series of posts. Really makes a person think about what he/she/it wants to accomplish with he/she/it’s site.

My blog (of which I have been woefully negligent these last several months due to work) is part of my portfolio site and I’ve often wondered about whether its a good thing to have a blog at all. And its for the exact reasons you cite: is it wise to let a potential client see my inane ramblings and off the cuff sketches just a click away from my finished work? Since it’s part of my portfolio site, I’ve also struggled with the idea of cross-linking with other fellow artists I know. I want to see them succeed as well but the self-serving cut-throat capitalist in me also doesn’t like the idea of giving potential clients other avenues to get their illustrations.

But I do have to say that I have received a few jobs from someone just browsing past blog posts and a random sketch or experimental piece catches the person’s eye. And the cross-linking has resulted in a few gigs as well.

I’m so confused… (crawls into corner and assumes fetal position)