I think those Deviant Art portfolios look just fine actually. They are professional looking and easy to navigate, so I think they can work great.

If it comes down to having a site like that that’s easy for you to create and get on the web and between trying to do it on your own and it’s hard and time consuming and driving you nuts…then by all means use a service like that!

My only caution is to read the fine print with sites like that to make sure you retain all ownership and copyright of your work (which I assume Deviant Art does).

Thanks for the links. Your site looks great and I really like your character designs!

K

I just came across your blog and am loving these articles, very helpful! I use Blogger just for sketches/inspiration updates. I mainly use it to keep track of other blogs I like, most of which tend to be on Blogger too.

I haven’t really focused on making a professional portfolio yet as I’m still studying, but I was wondering if you’ve seen the new portfolio system Deviant Art has released? Users can create quite a nice portfolio space that is disconnected from their DevArt account, with a personalised domain add on as well. You can make several seperate galleries too. I made one just to play around with it (http://rebeccakhayes.daportfolio.com/). There is a small ad in the bottom left corner, but paid accounts are ad-free and have more control over the design. For example, one I really like is http://loish-animation.daportfolio.com/ .

Just wondering what you thought about the layout and if it would be suitable for professional applications. Thanks again for all the insight!

[...] If you can do a filmography, that’s great. This can be on a separate page. As you gain more experience, the more relevant this will become. This is where a website can also be of benefit. [...]

You’d be surprised what domains you can still find available. You just have to be a little inventive. I’ve discovered quite a few just by grouping unrelated words together.

But I would never pay that kind of money to get a domain! Gaa, I’d pick something else. And a .ca still works just fine.

It’s kind of your own little Molson “I’m A Canadian” ad.
K

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso .COM?

I would consider one extremely lucky if a particular .COM domain name of your choosing is not yet registered. I’m stuck with .CA (not that it’s bad) until I come up with $2,440 , to bid on a .COM of the same domain name. AIYA!

Yes, the hard-spelling name could be a conundrum, couldn’t it? You could still register your name. Then maybe get a simpler domain for your site and point the harder name at it too (or vise versa). Then people could use both to find it.

A good rule of thumb could be that if people are ‘clicking’ the name to get to your site, you’re OK with harder spelling one. But if you have to ‘say’ it to them or for marketing purposes, you could use the easier one.

My blog address is ‘karenjlloyd.com/blog’ but I also use ‘storyboardblog.com’ for marketing purposes. Easier to remember and spell. (It seems a LOT of people can’t spell Lloyd. Just ask my past students).

And I hate to say this, but…Flash sites. Eeesh. Pain. In. The. Ass.

I have little patience for them myself. There was one famous animator that has one and his site irritates the crap out of me. It’s ALL Flash and I can barely navigate the thing. So I don’t go back.

Just be careful with that stuff.

Here’s a great link about that very subject.
Do I Need A Flash Intro? Enjoy.

K

So what happens when your name might be as easily misspelled as a made-up domain?? Mine is totally phonetic but I’m constantly entertained with variations of my last name addressed in the mail~

though, that being said… I’ll still likely register it and just learn to pronounce my name slowly and loudly when introducing myself

I have a flashsite almost ready to launch, but want make sure it doesn’t take too long to load. I found myself sighing waiting for a restaurant’s fancy flash to load the other day, simply wanting to get directions…
i may just opt for using an iweb template (even after all the time time i’ve put in~).

I think you made the right choice and your buddy probably feels he made the right one too. As long as it works and you get it out there.

(And opinions are always welcome here. Keep ‘em coming.)
K

So, what am I looking at here? Oh, whoops, I thought this was a creative writing forum. Did I just post an opinion on something?