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Staying consistent as an artist (or any other role in games) can prove a bit of a challenge. Especially in a creative industry that highly values proof over concept, it can be daunting to always feel like you have to be posting and updating your resume.

The first thing is that it doesn’t all need to go online. Some of your practices may just be generally to enhance basic knowledge or speed. In art, this often comes as figure sketches or colour theory. Sometimes the work is important, but just not relevant enough to put on your portfolio site. Sometimes, you feel it may not uphold the quality of work you like to post online. That’s ok!

Here’s some pen figure practices I liked, but just weren’t enough for portfolio.

The next question may be, then what do I post on my portfolio? Do I only post full polished content to my socials?

It’s important to remember that social media and your portfolio act differently. When applying to jobs, your art shouldn’t be located on your twitter but in a concise folder (nowadays a website portfolio). For your portfolio, you’re picking tailored images for the role you want, and excluding the unfinished gems. Personally, I routinely update my portfolio with my newest and most relevant pieces, but create far more in terms of sketching that just never make it to the final stage.

When it comes to your social media this depends, but for the most part artists can and should stay consistent by posting WIP (work in progress) photos, pieces that may never be completed, sketches, and so forth! This not only provides a glimpse into your work process, but it shows the behind-the-scenes fun of being an artist. On social media, posting regularly is also important, which may not be as possible if you’re only posting the absolute best, most rendered and completed images you create.

Completed works and asset packs to my Artstation!

At the end of the day, art should be rewarding, regardless of it’s relevance to your portfolio. It can be difficult to decide what to create, and fostering that by creating whenever you can not only gets the juices flowing, but also creates a routine that can improve your discipline when it comes to output.