Before going into job researching, update CV and build portfolio is curial for every artist. Based on the goal of searching animator & character designer position, I’m going to record the process of my portfolio development here.
Showreel probably is the first thing hr went to after reading students’ CV. People always said “put your best works and keep it simply”. Consider that people who hire you might need to go through hundreds of portfolio per day, I want to keep my show reel simply and clear, with contact information, animation works, character design and life drawings.
The last version of mine portfolio was made in 2022. I put some works from school in last year, and updated the life drawing part with my most recent works.
For references, I searched some portfolios made by professional character artist. The first one I want to analysis is Character design artist, Marta Andreeva’s portfolio.
The first thing when we open her site, is a bright, high contrast front page. Name, title, and url, we can see all the information at one glance.
For the layout, she is using clear gray as background color. Showing professional works first and personal practice last. She also use layout to highlight character lineup, put ficial expressions sketches smaller.
I use last years character design practice to update my portfolio. Gray tone, simply and easy to read. I tried to make the character turn around as the focus, and build expression sheet, movement and color design around this.
The next thing i want to improve is my CV. Since I have got more group work experience from LIAF film, I want to briefly mention that and updated my CV a bit. Since Marta Andreeva’s includes her resume in the personal site, I will keep using her CV as a case study.
From references, her resume is super clear and easy to read. Basic info, personal skill and educational background in one page, professional experiences as another whole page.
For practical use, I build both Chinese and English version of my CV; Contact information, name and personal info at the top, followed with education info and professional experience. Software skill at the last.