Creating an Illustration Portfolio on Instagram
A course by PENCIL·ILUSTRADORESIllustration Agency
A course by PENCIL·ILUSTRADORES, Illustration Agency
Discover the keys to turning your Instagram account into a professional and artistic profile
It takes only a few seconds for an editor or art director to get an idea of an illustrator's work by looking at their Instagram profile. Only if they're hooked will they dig a little deeper. If you are an illustrator, using IG as a support to show your work and portfolio is fundamental to attracting more clients, according to Sandra López, founding director of Pencil, the first illustrator agency in Spain, which currently represents around 30 artists, including David de las Heras and Iban Barrenetxea.
If you've already learned the basics of presenting your work to clients in the course Keys to Creating a Professional Illustration Portfolio, bring those skills over to Instagram in this course. Gain a wealth of ideas that will serve as a roadmap to plan a strategy from scratch, or adjust the one you already have, in order to promote yourself and sell your work better.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 15 downloads
What are we going to do?
1 minute, 6 seconds
What makes Instagram the ideal portfolio
14 minutes, 39 seconds
General principles of the portfolio that you should keep in mind
3 minutes, 54 seconds
We define our strategy for Instagram
10 minutes, 52 seconds
We create our profile and give life to the bio
9 minutes, 58 seconds
Contents for our Instagram and how to display them
13 minutes, 41 seconds
What's included in this course?
Get to know Sandra López, who introduces you to her agency, Pencil illustrators, and tells you about her extensive experience designing and analyzing portfolios by artists and illustrators. She is always in search of finding the best way to present artistic work and show off what a client wants to see. Together with Sandra, take a look at illustrators' Instagram profiles to get an idea of how to properly use it.
See what makes Instagram the perfect tool to showcase your work. Different art directors and editors tell you about what they expect to see when they conduct a search and how.
The first thing you do is analyze your work and yourself to define a strategy to accompany you throughout the process of how to present yourself and to whom, why, and what you want to convey with your message. In other words, define your goal.
Afterwards, create your Instagram profile, configuring the basic settings—if you have not already done so—and writing a biography to act as your business card. Learn about all the types of content that you can show on your profile to give it a professional focus, and learn to use two tools (apps) to facilitate this process.
Discover how to write content to accompany your images, going over each approach that you can use and the proper use of hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts, and, as a consequence, the number of followers you have.
As a comprehensive overview of your Instagram profile, Sandra talks about the key to Instagram and how you should work on it little by little, with advance planning, in order to achieve harmony in your Feed mosaic.
Later on, learn how to take advantage of Instagram Stories to post other types of content that are not perfectly aligned with your feed but can help reinforce your personal brand and connect more closely with your audience.
Finally, go over how to analyze the statistics that IG provides. Sandra offers some tips on connecting with your audience and promoting your illustration portfolio like a professional.
Throughout the course, Sandra works on the profile of a renowned illustrator (Juan Palomino) and shows you the process in situ of taking an account from a blank canvas to a true illustration portfolio that reflects a true professional.
What is this course's project?
Curate an artistic and professional Instagram profile that defines you and fits both your work and your personality. In addition, feed your profile with a roadmap full of ideas.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for illustrators who use or want to use Instagram as a tool to promote their artistic work and who need a wealth of ideas or possible content to boost their Feed or Stories.
Requirements and materials
No prior knowledge is necessary to take this course, but you must have illustrations and/or projects to present.
Regarding the materials, you need a smartphone with an internet connection and a camera.
Reviews
- 11 months ago
Amazing course — super helpful! I especially loved learning how to create the mosaic grid. As an emerging illustrator, I found it incredibly valuable to learn how to showcase my work more effectively on Instagram. The advice from the directors was truly priceless. Thank you!
- 1 year ago
Świetnie poprowadzony kurs, wszystko jasno i czytelnie wytłumaczone. Polecam!
- 1 year ago
A good course for very basic beginners. Unfortunately it didn’t bring any changes for me, as all the infos seemed obvious and nothing new. I wished it could have gone more in-depth with how instagram works for an artist/illustrator. I wasn’t convinced of the benefit to use mosaics, as this section also stayed a bit superficial and with too little infos/details on hows and whys.
- 1 year ago
Muy recomendable, los consejos y sobre todo que el audio sea en español, me ayudo bastante, ya quiero el otro curso, gracias.
- 2 years ago
Más de lo que se esperaba. Todo muy claro. Recomendable
They have a history of promoting and organizing international cultural projects, such as the Guadalajara-Mexico FIL International Illustration Forum (FILustra); Ilumina, a reading promotion program; and LuchaLibro Valladolid, a contest of literary improvisation in the boxing ring. They also collaborate with the Programa Acerca, part of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), leading workshops in cultural centers in Spain and institutions in Chile, Honduras, Mali, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.
Content
- U1
Presentation
- Presentation
- My favorite illustrators on Instagram
- What are we going to do?
- U2
We prepare
- What makes Instagram the ideal portfolio
- General principles of the portfolio that you should keep in mind
- We define our strategy for Instagram
- U3
Let's do it
- We create our profile and give life to the bio
- Contents for our Instagram and how to display them
- Writing the texts that accompany the images
- Some good hashtags
- The mosaic (or grid) is the key
- The stories as a tool to show us differently
- U4
Final balance
- Review of results and keys to connect with your audience
- Some final tips and ... ready!
- FP
Final project
- Creation of an illustration portfolio on Instagram
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn how to design and organize a compelling visual portfolio on Instagram by selecting the right images, optimizing your presentation, and using the platform’s tools to showcase your work to clients and editors.
Yes, this is an intermediate-level course designed for illustrators with prior experience who want to boost their professional presence on Instagram and improve their digital portfolio strategy.
All you need is basic illustration knowledge, an active Instagram account, and access to your own digital or photographed artwork to start creating and refining your portfolio.
You’ll learn how to select, organize, and present your work on Instagram, tailor your portfolio for different sectors, create cohesive grids, use hashtags effectively, and write captions that increase your visibility and connect you with potential clients.
Yes, the course covers how to choose images, compose grids, manage color transitions, and plan a visually harmonious and professional Instagram feed.
The course teaches you how to mix posts, share your creative process, and use Stories to express your artistic identity and genuinely engage your audience.
Yes, you’ll learn how to optimize your profile, set up contact links, define your target audience, and use strategies to reach and communicate with potential clients and publishing editors.