Which Free Online Portfolio Websites is right for you?

Having an online portfolio is a necessity these days to be an artist. An online presence is as important as the artwork you display on it. Artists must promote their work in as many places as possible to gain exposure and attract as many clients as possible. If you don’t have a portfolio up on the internet yet here are several free options to choose from so you can get your artwork up and getting viewers.

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Behance
Launched in 2006, the Behance network is not only a portfolio site but also a social network where you can follow and connect with other creatives. It’s like LinkedIn with a portfolio element and strictly for creatives. The site is now owned by Adobe, so if you use any of their tools they are integrated into the Behance site. To me it seems like Adobe has put in a lot of work into the site because it is beautifully designed and easy to use. They have made It easy to keep up with other artists and the projects they’re working on. It’s as simple as finding an artist you like, clicking the follow button, and now you’re seeing other artists work. Likewise they can follow you.

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Carbonmade
Carbonmade started in December 2005 by a frustrated illustrator who wanted a cheaper and easier way to share his artwork with the world. He teamed up with his friend and created Carbonmade. Now Carbonmade has nearly 500,000 portfolios. It’s not as social as some of the newer portfolio sites but it is very easy to use. The free option allows for 5 projects and 35 images, while the premium package offers 50 projects, 500 images, and 10 videos for $12 per month. This site definitely has the most character out of all the portfolios sites on this list. There’s a unicorn and an octopus on the homepage… enough said.

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DeviantART
DeviantArt is one of the largest art communities on the Internet. You can find anything from photography to illustration on this portfolio site. The range of users varies from novice to professional. Sign up is free but if you upgrade to their paid model it removes the ads and unlocks additional features. To me the user interface isn’t as easy as it should be but once you figure it out you can create a profile and upload your art to 24 million members. Personally, I use DeviantArt more for inspiration then sharing my work. I found that the user base tends to skew a bit younger, so it’s been hard to find potential work leads on DeviantART. With that said I know of several artists that use it as their main portfolio site.

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Krop
Krop might be the most like having your own portfolio site when you’re a premium member but as a free site it’s fairly limited. Krop’s portfolio templates are probably the best looking on this list but all the options are hidden behind a pay wall leaving you with one starter template. Krop’s basic package is free with 10 images but the premium account allows you to upload unlimited images, and videos plus they have a large amount of templates to choose from including your own custom URL. The premium membership is $10 per month. You might be asking yourself why did you include Krop on this list if it’s really not free. My thought behind that is upload 10 of your best images and you’ve now got another site that you can share your work on.

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Coroflot
Since its inception in 1997, Coroflot has grown to host over 2 million images and boasts that 150,000 new projects are published every month on their site. Coroflot is essentially a job networking site for all kinds of design disciplines. The community is still small but they let you share your work by creating your own online portfolio. Once you upload your images to the site you can share your work with potential clients in the Coroflot user base.

This is just a handful of a lot of different portfolio sites you can choose from. I can’t really give a recommendation on which Service is best because it really comes down to the user and what you’re looking for. If you have some other sites that you used and would like to share your experience with them please leave them in the comments.

Growing up on the shores of Maui, Hawaii, Norm has always loved drawing. Since leaving the islands’ beautiful beaches and landing in Oregon, he went to college and received a degree in graphic design as well as an additional degree in digital prepress technology. After graduating, he worked for an interactive media firm in Corvallis, Oregon. While there, he was the company’s lead illustrator/designer and was responsible for creating illustrations, animations, and interactive products like video games. Now living in Beaverton, Oregon, Norm worked as an in-house illustrator for 10 years at a large education company in downtown Portland, Oregon. While at this position, he was the creative mind behind nationally marketed campaigns, numerous brand identities, toy and product designs, children’s books, as well as Web and interactive designs for the company’s design team. After leaving this position to raise his son, he now spends countless hours perfecting his craft as a freelance illustrator. He has worked with companies like Highlights Magazine, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Reading A to Z, Kaiser Permanente, KinderCare, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). He has created projects such as marketing illustrations, children’s books, coloring and activity books, video games, and educational products for these companies and others. Norm’s ability to draw has given him the chance to do the thing he truly loves: Create.

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