Artists’ portfolios - how to choose a portfolio case for your artwork
Whether you’re a traditional artist producing drawings or paintings, a graphic designer, illustrator or photographer, you may want a case for transporting your masterpieces and exhibiting them.
Here is a general guide for choosing an artist’s portfolio to meet your needs:
- Consider the size of your pictures or images. Most artists’ portfolios are either A1, A2, A3 or A4
- Are you looking for a traditional portfolio with a zip? Usually these are made of leather-look vinyl stretched over a metal frame and have a zip running along the sides and the top. To access the contents, you lay them flat on a table. Look out for comfortable handles and quality of materials. Ideally, they should be lightweight and sturdy. Often, they have little feet or metal corners to stand on.
- Expandable artists’ portfolios are an option that allows you to carry pieces of a substantial depth, such as images on foamboard. Check the depth and the ease of inserting and removing art work
- Some artists’ portfolios have pages (they can be described as presentation portfolios or portfolio books) and are ideal to present related exhibits in the correct order. The pages flip over and the work is displayed in transparent sleeves attached to a binder system.
- Easel presenters or display easel binders stand up on the table and can be used like flip charts- they are particularly useful for business presentations.