Makeup Portfolio: What should it consist of?

So you are ready to get into the industry as a makeup artist, and you are ready to start filling up your portfolio. What should be in there?

In the beginning you will probably put all of your work in there just to fill up the blank pages. As your work gets better and the photographers you work with get better, you will want to replace the old photos. For example, if you want to see my old portfolio compared to my new one, click here.

And not every photo should make it into your book. A photographer can give you 8 retouched photos from a shoot, but that does not mean all 8 will make it into your book. Out of the 8 photos, you probably have only 3 to 4 different makeup looks. You should never pick more than 2 photos of a model with the same makeup from a specific photo shoot.

Also, you are going to need a lot of clean makeup! If you want to know what clean makeup is, click here. Miami and California are all about clean makeup. New York is where you can get a little creative, but even New York is now moving towards clean makeup. :::sigh::: It makes me a little sad because I love getting creative with makeup, but if you think about it, open up a magazine, and look at the ads. You will notice it's very basic, clean makeup!

Your portfolio should be 9x12. I print my photos at Costco, size 8x12. You should have 8-10 photos before you show your work, and most agencies like to see tear sheets (6 & up tear sheets is good). What are tear sheets? They are the work (your work) you will tear out of a magazine or pamphlet. MAKE SURE AFTER TEARING OUT YOU CUT THE EDGES TO BE STRAIGHT!

The best thing to do is to go on different artist agencies' websites and look at the work of their artists. See what kind of work they have in their books. If you want more information, you definitely want to get Crystal Wright's book.

Here is a helpful video I found on YouTube. Notice how she talks about clean makeup?