Illustration portfolios are important for any type of creative person. They’re the first place people look when deciding whether to hire someone, and they can be used to show off your skills and create a strong impression.
The Best Illustrator Portfolio Websites To Get Inspired
At Format, we’ve seen some of the most inspiring illustrator portfolio sites on the internet from some of the most respected artists. They’re visually appealing, creatively displayed, easy to navigate, and compatible with all devices.
Scroll through the below 20 best illustrators’ portfolios for some inspiration: it’s time to kickstart your own portfolio or update the one you haven’t checked in a while.
Beyond hosting your illustration work on Behance, your portfolio website will be able to host all your creative work in one place with the addition of other pages and features. From traditional ink and pencil illustrations to new media and animation, we’ve collected 20 examples of the best illustrator portfolio websites which all use Format. If you are wondering how to build an illustration portfolio, check out these killer portfolios to get inspired.
1. Michael Molfetas’s Portfolio
Designer, illustrator, and graphic designer Michael Molfetas uses the sleek Ora theme to create a clean homepage grid. All of his illustration work is neatly organized by project names, which makes it easy to explore.
2. Dena Cooper’s Portfolio
Dena Cooper creates a lookbook of her own using Format’s Horizon Left theme, giving the viewer an intimate look at her streamlined fashion and lifestyle illustrations.
3. Tim Eggert’s Portfolio
Tim Eggert is an illustrator based in Orlando, Florida. His digital style is inspired by the minimalism and bright colors of Art Deco. While inspired by vintage artwork, Tim fuses the past with pop culture and modern style. Whether it is an editorial illustration, book cover, or a colorful poster, Tim uses his work to tell a story. Past collaborations include the Orlando Magic, the Portland Trailblazers, and Nike.
Using Format’s Slate theme, Tim’s portfolio uses a carousel layout to highlight some of his most recent work. His site menu is categorized into different types of illustration, allowing you to click through to various projects in his portfolios.
4. Zach Meyer’s Portfolio
Illustrator Zach Meyer uses Format’s Order theme to give his illustration artist website the same look as the graphic novels he illustrates a crisp storyboard. A quick click allows the viewer to zoom in on each image, complete with a side scroll.
5. Alvaro Tapia’s Portfolio
Alvaro Tapia’s portfolio opens with a single, poignant image. Click through, and you’ll find more of his portrait-style abstract illustration work, laid out in a clean grid style. The square shapes make it easy to organize his works into different categories and types. His vivid use of color and line work is displayed using Format’s Order theme.
6. Michael C. Hsiung’s Portfolio
Created using the Grace theme, artist Michael C. Hsiung’s drawings, videos, and tattoo art can be navigated through at the top right with every section clearly labeled in drop-down menus. It’s easy to explore the LA-based artist’s extensive portfolio without having to click back to the home page.
7. Iveta Karpathyova’s Portfolio
Iveta Karpathyova’s online portfolio captures her feminine style and dual passions: fashion and wildlife. A left-hand sidebar makes it easy to explore a specific project, including campaigns for Holt Renfrew, Variety Magazine (pictured here), branding for products, and custom wedding invitations. Karpathyova uses Format’s Peak theme to display her work in a grid format.
8. Nayeon Lee’s Portfolio
Illustrator Nayeon Lee mixes still and animated images in her homepage grid, though all are united through a shared pastel color palette. The large header menu enabled by her use of the Sierra theme separates branding work from editorial and personal illustration projects, allowing the viewer to experience both sides of her work individually.
9. Nick Alston Portfolio
Illustrator Nayeon Lee mixes still and animated images in her homepage grid, though all are united through a shared pastel color palette. The large header menu is enabled by her use of the Amazon theme branding work from editorial and personal illustration projects, allowing the viewer to experience both sides of her work individually.
10. Deshi Deng Portfolio
Deshi Deng’s portfolio is a mix of illustration and animation. Using the Slate theme, Deng shows each type of work in a separate grid-based gallery. The header menu moves down the page as you scroll, allowing for quick access to other pages of the Canadian illustrator’s website.
11. Paul Pateman’s Portfolio
Graphic artist Paul Pateman, aka Pâté, uses Format’s Horizon Left theme to let viewers scroll through his images one at a time, taking in the full scale of his work, which includes clients like BuzzFeed, Financial Times, and Fast Company. Vibrant colors and text work create the illusion of posters on a virtual wall, a nod to his background in advertising.
Check out the InFrame episode featuring Paul Pateman here.
12. Cressida Djambov’s Portfolio
London illustrator Cressida Djambov has a distinctive graphic style. Her painting, drawing, molding, and animation works are appropriately displayed using the Horizon theme that keeps you scrolling until you disappointingly get to the end.
13. Maria Källström’s Portfolio
Stockholm-based illustrator Maria Källström uses the grid-based Peak theme to give visitors to her online portfolio a quick overview of her work and artistic style. Källström’s illustrations are vividly colorful and modern, especially when it comes to her children’s bookwork, which is full of playful characters.
14. Genevieve Godbout’s Portfolio
Based in Montreal, Genevieve Godbout works as a children’s book and fashion illustrator. She’s worked for clients like Disney and Random House, and she also creates beautifully detailed pattern designs. Godbout uses the Amazon theme to showcase her illustration and design work in separate grid-based galleries.
15. Jan Bowman’s Portfolio
Jan Bowman’s training as an architect is visible in her illustration work, as her images tell the stories of people in places. She uses the Peak theme to display her work on the main page grid, providing an easy click to zoom on images and view descriptions.
16. Marne Grahlman’s Portfolio
Format’s Amazon theme provides structure to Marne Grahlman’s whimsical, nature-inspired illustrations. Check out all the details in the single image view.
17. Nick Grant’s Portfolio
English illustrator Nick Grant uses the horizontally-scrolling Sierra theme to showcase his work, which ranges from linocut designs to more pop art-inspired graphics.
18. Gizem Vural’s Portfolio
Gizem Vural uses a neatly organized sidebar menu and grid-based galleries to showcase her portfolio with the Order theme. With galleries for editorial and personal illustration work, as well as paintings, patterns, and comics, Vural makes viewing her large portfolio easy. Her work has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and many more.
19. Lily Qian’s Portfolio
Looking at Lily Qian’s portfolio is akin to opening up an issue of Vogue. Clean and stylized, her watercolor, ink, and charcoal designs focus on people, places, and fashion. Format’s Peak theme provides the perfect backdrop and easy scroll for personal work as well as projects for the likes of La Prairie and L’Oreal.
20. Vickey Leta’s Portfolio
Brooklyn illustrator Vicky Leta uses gestural lines and easy humour in her comic-style illustrations. Her main page reads as a graphic novel, inviting the viewer into her colorful world. The Ora theme’s side bar allows for easy navigation between projects.
Learn more about Format’s portfolio website templates here.
Why Artists Need Illustrator Portfolios
If you’re an illustrator, you want your illustration portfolio to be a space where people will immediately get an idea of your work, have any questions answered, and dissuade the need for additional references or work samples. It should also let them know the type of services or products you are offering as well.
Fashion Illustration Portfolio
If you are lucky enough to be working in the fashion industry, a fashion illustration portfolio is a must-have asset to display your previous work and reach new clients. While fashion illustration can be a competitive business, a well-conceived portfolio will demonstrate your skills and give potential clients the confidence they need to enlist in your services. See our list portfolio examples below, which include successful fashion illustrators who have used Format’s portfolio builder to propel their careers.
Freelance Illustrator Portfolio
Freelance illustrator portfolios are the best way to get the word out about your illustration services. If you are a freelance illustrator, you want your freelance illustrator portfolio to be a space where people will immediately get an idea of your work, have any questions answered, and dissuade the need for additional references or work samples. It should also let them know the type of services or products you are offering as well.
How To Make a Compelling Illustration Portfolio Website
Now that you have seen some of the best portfolios out there, you might be wondering how to make an illustration portfolio. We’ve collected some illustration portfolio tips for a fast-track journey to setting up your online portfolio.
Use a Good Platform for Your Illustrator Portfolio Website
The first step to building a creative illustration portfolio is to choose a reputable website builder. While there are many websites ‘for illustrators’ out there, Format’s online portfolio builder is the only website designed with creatives in mind. With many templates with varying styles and illustration portfolio layouts to choose from, we’ve been voted among the best websites for illustrators. Some of the best illustration websites and portfolios use Format to express their work and individual style in a compelling and original manner.
Choose an Illustrator Portfolio Site Template That Matches Your Work
There are many ways to convey your illustration capabilities and experiences online. While some artists might opt for an illustration portfolio book website, graphic designers often prefer an Adobe illustrator portfolio to demonstrate their work. Whether you are a digital or pen-to-paper illustrator.
If you are just getting started in the illustration industry, see our guide to illustration jobs; We cover who pays illustrators and how much you can expect to earn as illustrators in various sectors.
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