Useful Articles · For artists
How an Artist Can Put Together a Portfolio. A Concrete Example
Tatiana Knyazhitskaya · 2026
Imagine that Leonardo da Vinci is about to send a portfolio to a prospective client. Into one folder he puts the Mona Lisa, anatomical drawings, bridge designs, sketches of flying machines, studies of plants and drawings of war engines. Everything most significant, most cherished and most successful — to display the full range of his abilities.
But the wealthy townsman merely wanted to commission a portrait of his wife. Designs for flying machines lie outside his interests and may even alarm him. A portfolio like this does not reveal the artist; it blurs the picture of who he is.
What a portfolio is for
A gallery wants to grasp the author’s artistic language and see a coherent series. A client cares about technique, quality of execution and experience of producing similar work. A competition or residency judges how well the work fits a given theme.
That is why one artist may need several different portfolios. In each case the selection of works, their sequence and the accompanying text will change.
What goes into an artist’s portfolio
At the beginning there should be a short text: who you are, what field you work in and what distinguishes your art. Not a full biography — just a few precise sentences.
The main body consists of works grouped by series, theme or project. Each work carries a caption: title, year, medium, technique, dimensions. Where needed, add a brief note on the idea behind it.
At the end come a short biographical note, details of your principal exhibitions, publications and awards, and your contact information. A CV can be attached as a separate file.
Leonardo’s portfolio for a portrait commission
“The Art of the Portrait”
“I create portraits in which outward likeness is joined to the observation of a person’s character. I am drawn to the expression of the face, the gaze, the position of the hands and the barely perceptible movement that makes an image seem alive.”
This portfolio would contain portraits of women and men, drawings of faces and hands, studies of hairstyles, fabrics and gestures. The client would see not all of Leonardo’s abilities, but precisely what matters for the portrait to come.
Leonardo’s portfolio for a duke
“Machines, Fortifications and Court Spectacles”
“I design structures and machines for the defence of the city, the management of water, construction and festivities. In my work I combine the observation of nature, calculation, drawing and the building of models.”
This portfolio would contain designs for fortifications, bridges, canals, war machines and stage machinery.
Before us stands one man, but two different professional stories. In the first, Leonardo is a portraitist who can be trusted with a family likeness. In the second, an engineer and court master capable of fortifying a city, staging a festival and giving form to a ruler’s ambitions.
What gets in the way of a good portfolio
The chief mistake is the urge to show everything. When there are too many works, the strong pieces are lost among the incidental and the unremarkable.
The second mistake is a lack of logic. If portraits, jewellery, abstract painting and design projects come jumbled together, the recipient is left to guess what unites them. That is tiring, and interest fades.
Poor photographs, imprecise captions and long-winded explanations do no less harm.
It is hard for an artist to select their own works: too much is bound up with each one — effort, memories, personal history. A view from outside helps to see not individual pieces but the structure of a body of work.
I can help you define the purpose of your portfolio, select the works, arrange their sequence and prepare the texts. The result will be not a storehouse of works but a clear, professional presentation of the artist for a specific purpose. Write to me.