Procreate for Freelance Artists: How to Create a Portfolio That Sells

A post focused on building an impressive digital portfolio using Procreate and tips for attracting clients.

If you’re a freelance artist looking to land more gigs, your portfolio is everything. It’s your digital business card, your sales pitch, and your chance to make a great first impression. The good news? Procreate makes it easier than ever to create stunning, professional pieces right on your iPad. In this post, we’ll explore how to use Procreate’s features to build a portfolio that wows potential clients—and ultimately helps you land paid work.

1. Define Your Target Audience

Before you even start curating your best artwork, ask yourself: Who am I trying to impress? Different clients look for different styles and specialties.

  • Children’s Book Illustrators might show soft, whimsical pieces.
  • Concept Artists might showcase character designs, environments, and dynamic poses.
  • Graphic Designers might emphasize sleek logos, branding materials, and typography-focused designs.

By clarifying who your dream clients are, you can tailor your portfolio to showcase the styles and pieces most relevant to them.

2. Create Standout Pieces in Procreate

Procreate is loaded with brushes, layer options, and blending modes—perfect for bringing your creative vision to life. To build an eye-catching portfolio:

  1. Experiment with Brushes: Download or create custom brush sets that match your artistic style. For instance, a gritty, textured brush set is excellent for concept art, while a clean inking set suits comic or illustrative work.
  2. Use Layered Compositions: Keep your sketches, inks, and colors on separate layers. This not only makes editing easier but also lets you show “behind-the-scenes” process shots.
  3. Leverage QuickShape: For clean geometric elements (like logos or precise shapes), draw a rough line or circle and hold your Pencil down to watch Procreate snap it into a perfect shape. This polish can boost your professional appeal.

3. Showcase Your Process

Clients often love to see how you arrive at your final product—it builds trust and shows your professionalism. Procreate’s timelapse feature automatically records your strokes, allowing you to share short process videos.

  • Export Timelapse: Go to Actions (wrench icon) > Video > Export Time-lapse. This creates a perfect social media snippet or behind-the-scenes reel on your website.
  • Layer Breakdowns: Consider including a few images showing the progression from sketch to final coloring. It demonstrates your workflow and skill in a concise, visual way.

4. Curate Carefully—Quality Over Quantity

When it comes to your portfolio, less is often more. Showcase a few truly outstanding pieces rather than dozens of half-baked sketches. A small, focused body of work can speak volumes about your style, consistency, and attention to detail.

  1. Pick Varied Pieces: Even if you have a signature style, include projects that highlight different techniques or concepts (e.g., environments, characters, or logos).
  2. Focus on Polish: If an older piece doesn’t reflect your current skill level, leave it out. Your portfolio should represent your best work, period.

5. Brand Your Portfolio’s Look

Your art is unique—you should package it in a way that reflects your personality and style:

  • Consistent Color Schemes: If you have a personal brand color, use it in your headers, backgrounds, or typography.
  • Unified Layout: Whether you host your portfolio on a personal website or a platform like Behance, make sure images are displayed cohesively.
  • Logo or Signature: If you have a personal logo or a stylized signature, add it consistently to your pieces or on the corner of each page.

Branding isn’t just for big businesses. A consistent, thoughtful approach to how you present your work can make you look professional and memorable.

6. Export with the Right Specs

For a polished online presence, your images need to look crisp and load quickly. Procreate makes exporting easy:

  1. Choose the Format:
    • JPEG for social media or your website.
    • PNG if you need transparent backgrounds or sharper lines.
  2. Optimize Size: Large files can slow down your site. Consider resizing or compressing your images slightly to balance quality and speed.
  3. Keep Original Files: Always save a high-resolution version for potential clients who might need print-ready quality.

7. Promote, Network, and Attract Clients

Once your portfolio is set, it’s time to get it in front of the right eyes:

  1. Social Media: Share snippets, timelapses, or final pieces on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Use relevant hashtags like #DigitalArt, #FreelanceIllustrator, or #ProcreateArtist.
  2. Freelance Platforms: Sites like Upwork, Fiverr, or Behance can help new clients discover you. Link back to your polished portfolio for a great first impression.
  3. Professional Networking: Join online artist communities or local art events. Referrals often happen when you’re active in your niche community.

8. Keep Evolving Your Portfolio

A portfolio isn’t a one-and-done project—it evolves as you grow and refine your skill set:

  • Update Regularly: Swap out older pieces with fresh work that better represents your current style and expertise.
  • Highlight Recent Projects: If you collaborated with a known brand or achieved a significant milestone, feature it prominently.
  • Collect Testimonials: Ask happy clients to provide short quotes about working with you. This social proof can be a powerful trust signal for potential new clients.

Conclusion

Building a portfolio that sells is about more than just posting pretty pictures. It’s about understanding your target audience, curating your best work, and presenting it in a way that stands out and feels uniquely you. With Procreate’s robust features—like timelapse recording, custom brushes, and easy exporting—you’ve got all the tools you need to create eye-catching pieces and show off your process.

So fire up Procreate, pick your favorite projects, and start sharing your art with the world. Your next freelance gig could be just a scroll and click away!

Happy creating and good luck with your freelancing journey!

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