Amping Up Your Art Portfolio for Less!

Sometimes the most dreaded part of preparing your Artists Portfolio isn't the endless hours you will spend perfecting it, but the cost it will take to do it right! Here are a few ideas on how to lessen the blow and still present yourself professionally:

Business Cards- Kodakgallery.com is currently doing a promotion of new "Mommy Cards." Ignore the first part. Marketed toward moms as a way to ID their kids by putting their kids photo and info on it, these cards are PERFECT for artists, as they allow for a full color image covering nearly the entire front of the card! The back is open for adding website and address information. The current promotion is an offer of 50 free (pay shipping and handling), so it comes to maybe $5.00 with shipping. Stock up!

Everyday Portfolio- Bigger is not always better. Snapfish.com has a small 4x6" everyday spiral photo album. Upload your works and keep the album on you, available at anytime for someone who is interested in your work. Costs approx $4.99 and shipping.

Full Size Portfolio- For your larger, full-size portfolio, purchase a plain black portfolio with sleeves, approx 11x14" or so. Replace works as piece change, or based on the audience viewing it. Prepare well in advance and use photo sites like artscow.comdollar store to save even more. that offer free and discounted photo promotions, where you could get five 8x10s for as low as $0.99. Keep in mind they ship from Asia; it will take a few weeks. Keep labels handy with titles and dimensions, and use smaller labels to get more out of a sheet. Use no-name labels from the

Stocking Up- Buy blank CDs, resume paper, and large manila envelopes in bulk. Split the cost with a friend, and keep them on hand. It cuts the cost tremendously. For even more savings? Go for a thinner, high-grade paper. It presents the same visually and costs slightly less than heavier paper.