How To Build A Comic Portfolio
By: Caitlin Rogers
This is something I am sure that all comic creators have had to face when putting together their portfolio: How do I make one? What should I put versus what shouldn’t I put? Does anyone care if I put the process of my pages versus seeing the final page? What if the part I am best at in comics isn’t the final part per say?
Hello again, and welcome back to Curiosity’s Corner. As always, we are here to help you at least think to get started. And this time do we need it!
Curating and publishing a portfolio can be the most daunting thing any creative has to do; it’s the piece of your creative journey where it quite possibly will never end. No matter your field the sayings tend to all say something similar.
o “Only put your best pieces online!”
o “Make sure you only have original artwork.”
o “Only post the finals of your work.”
o “Make sure you have all of your pieces online and in one place for ease browsing!”
It would just be nice to hear from someone who has a comic’s portfolio in the industry. Well lucky for you (and me), we were able to grab someone just for this conversation. In future Curiosity’s Corner discussions, we would love to also have these talks with people outside of the WildStar Orbit. While Akira and I do have industry experience that we can speak from, we also want to show readers that other industry professionals’ perspectives to help and encourage those with a curious mindset.
So now, we are chatting with O’Neill Jones! You might have seen some of their work in IDW/Marvel, or maybe the DC special Harley Quinn - The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham? I know I’m looking forward to the two Harper Collins titles coming out this year in 2024 and in 2025. (Wires Crossed and a DC Pride comic coming in June of 2024.) And in between living the dream, playing with the kids, and enjoying their spouse, I was able to snag some time with them and ask questions for those who are looking to put together a comic portfolio.
Blue & Bold: Caitlin Regular: O’Neill Jones
As always, we thank O’Neill for taking the time to chat with us at WildStar Press. We love seeing new work from you and always cheer you on the adventures you navigate. We love you senseless.
Let’s dive into common portfolio questions that creatives can get stuck on overthinking for too long:
1) When it comes to putting together a comic portfolio, is recent work or best work the better focus?
Publishing my favorite work has given me the best results. My portfolio shows off my strengths, but mostly it shows art directors and editors what kinds of stories I want to draw in the future.
I have a lot of really clean technical drawings I did for a sci-fi project years ago that I’m proud of, BUT they didn’t make the cut because I have no desire to pursue those sorts of stories right now.
2) When creating pages for your portfolio, should you show the role you contributed (inks, colors, etc.), or also show the team contributions?
I tend to only post what I’ve personally contributed, but that’s more because I’m trying to move away from coloring my own art for large projects. Having my inks on display shows editors (and future collaborators) what they can expect to receive from me.
You can absolutely post the finished pages, just make sure it’s clear what you did and credit your team!
3) Should you ever consider showing page process? (Thumbnails, layouts, sketch, inks, etc.?)
I love it when people show off their process, and it actually can be useful for acquiring editors of graphic novels or other long form comics. It’s a nice to have, but not a necessity.
4) How do you go about crediting other team members?
I got into the habit of collecting all of my collaborators’ social media handles and portfolios as I’m working on a project. I keep it in the project file so I can copy and paste everyone’s info when the book finally comes out and it’s time to do promo.
Once I realized how much of my new work was coming from peer referrals, I started including links to my collaborators’ work in my portfolio to make it easy for an editor putting together a new team to find people I work well with.
5) What is best to put in your ‘about’ on your ‘about’ page?
(This just reminded me that I need to update my bio lol.)
Lots of people have given great advice for how to write a bio, but the key thing is to keep it short (3 sentences) and make it easy to copy and paste. Journalists will thank you for it.
My about page also has a short statement about what sort of work I’m available for and how to contact me (along with my agent’s info). This isn’t required, but I’ve found that it cuts down the number of work inquiries I have to turn down.
These are some of my favorite ways I’ve been shown to write a bio on X:
6) What is your favorite part of your portfolio and also a mutual's portfolio?
My favorite part of my portfolio is …that it’s up and running. Sorry, I don’t really like this current iteration of my site, but it is functional and that’s literally all that matters.
As for my peers…
https://www.aishwaryatandon.com
I like Aishwarya’s portfolio because it shows her range, but it’s organized so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. She’s broken it down by what a hiring art director might be looking for (covers, black and white illus, comic pages, etc.), and also provides context where it’s needed. Contact information is easy to find.
Joamette does SO much, but her portfolio is perfect to me because it makes it easy to get the info you need. Editors and AD’s can see what she’s about, what she’s done, and how to hire her. Even her about page makes life easier for journalists who might be covering one of her projects. It really reflects what it’s like to work with her.
7) Any other final thoughts and advice for young / entering the comic industry seekers
Make it easy for people to find your portfolio and hire you.
Hiring editors spend an ungodly amount of time hunting down talent who don’t have contact info listed anywhere or have zero samples of sequential art in their portfolio. That fan comic you slapped up on social media drove them to seek you out; reward them with samples of your work and an easy way to contact you.
I hope this was insightful and gave you a window into a creative that you enjoy hearing from and seeing their work in the world.
As always, I have attached Catch Sheets where you will be able to do further reflection on building your own portfolio. In these Sheets, you will find steps towards selecting your own pages to put online and then how to wireframe your website accordingly. I am rooting for you and the portfolio you created.
Until another day,
~Caitlin