You’ve spent hours, perhaps weeks, gathering your work, choosing your photos and writing your artist statement. And yet, when someone reads your portfolio, you’re not there to explain, guide or put things in context. The document has to speak for you, but: does it really say what you want to communicate? Does it showcase your work sufficiently?

This is where portfolio review comes in. It is not a spell-check, nor just a friendly opinion, but a critical, professional and supportive review of your artistic portfolio, much like a jury, a gallery owner or a residency programme director would provide.

What your portfolio says about you

When I receive a portfolio, I read it all at once, as if I were an outside reader who doesn’t know you and knows nothing about your work. This initial, fresh perspective is very useful, because it allows me to analyse these key points:

Overall coherence

A portfolio is not an overview of all your work. It is a selection that should tell a story and create a sense of unity. Can the viewer grasp your artistic vision from the very first pages? Do the selected works complement each other and interact together, or do they, on the contrary, contradict each other and confuse the reader?

Visual coherence: are the images reproduced with the same quality and care? Is the layout spacious or cluttered? Often, one piece per page is enough. Empty space is not a flaw; it gives breathing space and highlights the art on display.

Artistic coherence: do your various series or mediums seem to belong to the same artistic universe, to the same body of thought? Does your portfolio look like a jumbled showcase where everything is thrown together with no apparent relation?

The artistic statement

The artistic statement is often a tricky bit. It’s the text that explains what you do, why and how you do it. It’s a key element of the portfolio. And it’s often the part that’s hard to write.

The text should be as personal as possible and focus solely on you and your work. You can explain your creative journey, your artistic influences, your intentions, and your creative and production goals.

When I read your statement I ask myself three simple questions: What do you do? Why? How? If, after reading it twice, I can’t answer these clearly, it means there’s some groundwork to be done. Your work may be perfectly understandable, but the text isn’t expressing it clearly enough.

How you display your work

The order in which you present your work matters. The first image sets the tone. The last one leaves a lasting impression. In between, rhythm is key: alternate formats, colours and visual density. Moreover, if your selection is too extensive, the viewer loses track; if it is too sparse, the scope of your work is not apparent; and if it is poorly organized, your strongest pieces are not shown to their best advantage.

Practical information

Is each artwork properly captioned? Title, year, technique, dimensions, and photographer’s credit where necessary. This information may seem secondary, but its absence is immediately obvious to a jury or gallery owner. Is your artistic CV up to date, easy to read, and focused on your artistic activities? Are your contact details clearly visible?

A summary of the review

Once I have fully reviewed your portfolio, I will sent you structured, written feedback, including:

• A summary of the overall impression, as a professional reader might phrase it.
• The identified strengths: what works, what should be kept, and what deserves to be highlighted even more.
• Areas for improvement, expressed in a concrete and constructive way, to help you showcase your work more effectively.

The aim is not to tell you what to do, but to give you the tools and practical information to decide for yourself what you want to include in your portfolio.

Why an outside perspective makes all the difference

Simply because we’re always too close to our own work. We know the context behind every piece inside out, and the thought processes that led to every decision. And what seems obvious to you isn’t necessarily so to someone seeing your portfolio for the first time, especially when that person is the one you need to convince.

I’ve got into the habit of having my portfolio reviewed regularly. This external analysis allows me to tailor the presentation of my work to my artistic vision, to improve its coherence, and to secure grants, applications and find clients (galleries, collectors).

What is your background?

FM: I studied architecture in Athens then moved to Paris in 2011, seeking a more creative field of practice. I fell in love with the city, then I found my place in the artistic direction of parisian architecture agencies. I spent my days on 3D renderings, hand-drawn architecture visualisations and graphics charts (diagrams, logos, layout).

As the years went by and I passed 30, I began to wonder about the architect’s global lifestyle, including crazy working hours, casual sexism, but also about our impact on the urban area. I was working for an agency that besides their “craft oriented” communication was building low-cost projects, meant to last a few decades. Moreover, I was witnessing a certain industrialisation of the creative process and a stagnancy on climate issues. I decided to change my way a little before the Covid era.

ML: I grew up in Greece. I went to the Lycée Français d’Athènes. I had a passion for languages, so I started by studying linguistics applied to law and economics at Paris X University. After that, I worked in several creative industries: I subtitled films for ten years (Titra-films, Arte), I was a proofreader and translator in publishing (Hatier, Seuil), I localized video games (Disney Interactive Studios, Ubisoft) and I worked with French cartoonist Plantu for twelve years in the press (Le Monde).

I love visual storytelling. I’ve been working as a full-time illustrator since 2021, and have been pursuing my artistic work for over fifteen years. Today, my clients are mainly in the press and publishing industries, as well as private individuals.

FM: Your work has a very personal touch, whatever the subject. How did you develop such a distinctive style?

ML: My style has developed over time. Initially, there was a desire to find a textured rendering that was close to traditional artwork, while working digitally. I draw my images by hand, and my textures in ink or acrylic, then I scan them to integrate them into my illustrations. My palette is made up of bright colours that bring up positive emotions.

ML: Your colour palette is also quite unique. Where does this choice come from?

FM: As my style is quite realistic, I use colour to create a poetic, muted vibe, somewhere between dream and reality.
My choice of colours changed a lot when I switched to digital. The fact that I could change them quickly and test things out has allowed me to evolve and define my view on aesthetics in a more precise way. In the end, it’s funny to see that certain colours are consistent from illustration to illustration.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

FM: My inspiration comes largely from music itself, but also from the visual artists who worked in the music industry. Growing up in the years before the internet, I associated music with objects, posters, CDs, cassettes or vinyl records. As a kid, I used to daydream imagining stories inspired by music and album artworks. That’s where my curiosity for visuals came from. Nowadays, I find inspiration just about everywhere – there’s no shortage of references on social networks, but also in nature, modern society issues, environmental challenges, pop culture and many more.

ML: Everything around me inspires me. Everyday life, people, objects, nature. For me, it’s all about the eye and observation. I like to tell real or fictional stories, while adding an extra dimension, that of my own perception, and leaving room for the viewer’s imagination.

Which artists influenced your work?

ML: I love the poetry in the drawings of Italian artist Lorenzo Mattotti and British illustrator Owen Gent. Gérard Garouste’s astonishing paintings, those of William Bouguereau, Paul Watzlawick’s writings on the perception of reality and Laurent Durieux’s highly detailed film posters. Not forgetting Carl Jung and his writings on the subconscious. I have a particular affinity with the surrealist and symbolist movements. People, nature, everyday details and dreams are my main sources of inspiration.

FM: I’m quite influenced by Tito Merello Vilar’s detailed yet ‘unfinished’ illustrations, Coco Che Jota’s paintings that combine design and lifestyle, and Carlo Stanga’s architectural illustrations. I’ve also been very influenced by Storm Thorgerson, photographer and creator of album covers for hundreds of iconic bands (including Pink Floyd), whose mysterious, ‘infinite’ compositions and atmospheres have fuelled my imagination.

FM: There’s a very dreamlike dimension to your work. Dreams are one of your favourite subjects. How did you come up with this idea?

ML: I’m a big dreamer, and have been ever since I was a child. I’ve always paid attention to dreams and I naturally became interested in other people’s dreams. In 2023, I wrote a self-published artist’s booklet entitled ” Dreams & Nightmares ” (in French) in which I collected several testimonies that I illustrated. Dreams are both intimate and universal, a language shared by everyone, regardless of frontiers. It’s a subject that fascinates me and that I’m developing as part of my work as an artist.

What projects are you working on right now?

FM: I’m currently working on an album cover recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, which will be released this summer, and on the graphic chart for a Paris-based company that helps musical projects to make their way in the music industry.

Behind the scenes, I’m working on a new series of illustrations called Utopicities 2050, inspired by solarpunk and the ‘Transition Towns’ network. My aim is to illustrate the scenario where major social change is taking place for the following twenty years, so climate crisis, collapsing biodiversity, crumbling democracy and sustainability challenges reduce or even reverse in 2050.

I initially started out with the idea of inventing a utopia. Following deep research into sustainability issues, I discovered plenty of work on solutions already applied in other parts of the world. I currently draw an ‘alternative’ society, where I imagine the application of all these initiatives to our local urban area and lifestyle.

I see this series as an opportunity to stimulate the collective imagination and serve as a starting point for constructive conversations. Besides, I’d love to share my research and everything that inspires Utopicities 2050.

I’m launching a call for collaborative participation open to all: members of my private (and free) community will be able to access several sources of positive inspiration, independent initiatives, collective brainstorming sessions, take part in polls related to the content of upcoming illustrations, and/or simply follow the series’ progress closely.

If you’d like to be part of the journey, please send “teammate” to flowinkmyst@gmail.com.

ML: This summer I’ll be doing an artist’s residency for a few weeks at the Openbach gallery in Vincennes, during which I’ll be carrying out visual and painterly research in preparation for two exhibitions planned for September and December on the theme of dreams.
Alongside this, I’m developing a new editorial project on dreams, and I’m putting out a call for testimonials on my website, open to all, to collect new dream stories. If you’d like to take part, please write to me at contact@maiteleon.com.

Do you have any other artistic/creative interests besides illustration?

ML: Yes, I love exploring different fields of creativity because it fuels my work. For the last two years, I’ve been practising opera singing and learning to read music. Before that, I did theatrical improvisation in English and artistic fencing for three years. And contemporary dance in an amateur company for eight years.
This year, I also took part in a writing workshop run by French poet Florentine Rey, which gave me the opportunity to illustrate several texts I’ve written.

FM: I’ve been playing music for a while, piano, synth and bass. I still perform with blues, rock and psychedelic bands here and there and really enjoy jamming with friends, it gets me out of my solitary work routine.

What do you listen to when you work?

ML: Mainly podcasts in English about illustration or film music by Ramin Djawadi or Marco Beltrami to immerse myself directly in a certain atmosphere favourable to a state of flow. I also enjoy listening to films or TV series while I’m drawing.

FM: It depends on the season. At the moment, I listen to a lot of psychedelic folk and minimalist music for anything that requires concentration. In winter, I’m more into punk, post-punk and new wave sounds, while in summer I switch to a more prog rock playlist, like the Steams, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets etc.

What projects would you like to carry out in the future?

ML: As an artist, I would very much like to work on a large mural, do an artist residency abroad, in the Baltic States or elsewhere, and take part in a collaborative project with other artists, for a creation or with a view to an exhibition.
I’d also like to continue illustrating book covers, short texts and, of course, dreams.

FM: I’d love to work with musicians to design their logos, cover art and posters – I love the creative spark and the multitude of visions.
I’d also love to do more illustrations for architects who work consciously and want to do things differently. Stepping out of your comfort zone and saying no to 3D isn’t always easy, but drawing is a tool that changes the way clients and people in general look at your projects.
I’d also like to do illustrations for women architects, who represent only 7% of architectural firms. For this purpose, there’s a book project that I’m working on with the historian Alma Smoluch. I hope that I can tell you more soon.

Where can we see your work?

FM: On my website flowinkmyst.com, on Instagram @flowink_myst and Facebook @flowinkmyst

ML: On my website, maiteleon.com and on Instagram @maite_leon_illustrations. I also have a monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to if you want to follow my news.