Creative OA Portfolio cover art 1 1

[Adam_savage]

Hey, I wanted to get some inspiration for the cover for the Portfolios you keep your OA in. I think its a bit weird to just keep them in a blank black cover portfolio. I feel like there should be some creativity on the outside that's also inside the portfolio. But I'm not sure what to do, or how to go about it. I'm thinking of getting it wrapped with a piece of art that's I have inside the portfolio. Looking for any inspiration people could provide.

Thx.

[Captain ShipWreck]

A few years ago I saw a guy at Heroes Con getting Neal Adams to draw a giant bust of Cyclops on his 11x17. I imagine he was going to get it colored eventually. If you theme your portfolios it could be cool to get someone to draw on the outside to match.

[Benedict Judas Hel]

I just put stickers all over my portfolios.  I get them from various places (Kickstarters I back, internet orders from toy shops, sports teams, etc.) and I really don’t have any use for them so I just stick them on my portfolios.  I make my portfolios unique and I get a use out of the stickers…kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

[Andahaion]

Yep, stickers for me too.  

[Dr. Balls]

On 4/26/2024 at 6:28 PM, Captain ShipWreck said:

A few years ago I saw a guy at Heroes Con getting Neal Adams to draw a giant bust of Cyclops on his 11x17. I imagine he was going to get it colored eventually. If you theme your portfolios it could be cool to get someone to draw on the outside to match.

This is a good idea, but you'll have to take care of how the art is preserved so it doesn't rub or flake off. The plastic is slightly porous, but it's not absorbent like paper - so any paint or marker you put on there will not bond with the plastic like it would with paper. It'll look great, but it will be much more sensitive to weathering - like rubbing against another portfolio, bending the cover as it opens, handling as you pull it in and out of your tote bag, etc.

If you covered the portfolio with a sealant like Modge Podge, it will protect the top coating of the illustration and bind everything together, but you might still have some degradation as the cover bends open and closed over the years.

Not saying you shouldn't do it - I think that's a killer idea, but I probably wouldn't spend a lot on it.

Something we used to have in use at the ad agency I worked at were these 11x17 adhesive pouches. We peeled the back and stuck them to kraft paper job envelopes that held artwork inside, and then we slipped the job order into the pouch where we could identify what was inside.

You could buy these and adhere them to the front of a portfolio, and then slip an 11x17 (or whatever size, they make different sizes) piece in there to show off on the front.

https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-21747/Vinyl-Envelopes-Job-Ticket-Holders/Press-On-Vinyl-Envelopes-11-x-17?pricode=WB0207&gadtype=pla&id=S-21747&gad_source=1

[alxjhnsn]

I use a label maker and packing tape.

My label has my name and number, Kathy's name and number, and a clue as to the type of material in it (Published, Commissions, etc.)

I use the packing tape to make sure that the label stays on.

 

I do the same with my sketchbooks, my phone, and my iPad. It's saved my hash a few times! 

[Yorick]

I think the Balls Doctor nailed it.  There's not going to be an easy marker/paint/ink that will adhere to that portfolio surface.  Make or use existing stickers.  Fun concept though.

[Rick2you2]

On 4/27/2024 at 11:12 AM, Dr. Balls said:

This is a good idea, but you'll have to take care of how the art is preserved so it doesn't rub or flake off. The plastic is slightly porous, but it's not absorbent like paper - so any paint or marker you put on there will not bond with the plastic like it would with paper. It'll look great, but it will be much more sensitive to weathering - like rubbing against another portfolio, bending the cover as it opens, handling as you pull it in and out of your tote bag, etc.

If you covered the portfolio with a sealant like Modge Podge, it will protect the top coating of the illustration and bind everything together, but you might still have some degradation as the cover bends open and closed over the years.

Not saying you shouldn't do it - I think that's a killer idea, but I probably wouldn't spend a lot on it.

Something we used to have in use at the ad agency I worked at were these 11x17 adhesive pouches. We peeled the back and stuck them to kraft paper job envelopes that held artwork inside, and then we slipped the job order into the pouch where we could identify what was inside.

You could buy these and adhere them to the front of a portfolio, and then slip an 11x17 (or whatever size, they make different sizes) piece in there to show off on the front.

https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-21747/Vinyl-Envelopes-Job-Ticket-Holders/Press-On-Vinyl-Envelopes-11-x-17?pricode=WB0207&gadtype=pla&id=S-21747&gad_source=1

Why not make a copy of an art page, stick that into the slip, and keep the art inside where it belongs? I use a Brother multifunction unit which makes prints on 11x17 paper or art board (presumably). You can also scan in a copy, mark it up in a Photoshop-type program (or Illustrator) to add content information, save a copy, and print that out. Then, you can change the contents of the binder and alter the cover sheet you have saved to match the new content.

Edited April 28 by Rick2you2

[Dr. Balls]

On 4/27/2024 at 6:02 PM, Rick2you2 said:

Why not make a copy of an art page, stick that into the slip, and keep the art inside where it belongs? I use a Brother multifunction unit which makes prints on 11x17 paper or art board (presumably). You can also scan in a copy, mark it up in a Photoshop-type program (or Illustrator) to add content information, save a copy, and print that out. Then, you can change the contents of the binder and alter the cover sheet you have saved to match the new content.

That's how I'd do it!

[grapeape]

On 4/27/2024 at 5:02 PM, Rick2you2 said:

Why not make a copy of an art page, stick that into the slip, and keep the art inside where it belongs? I use a Brother multifunction unit which makes prints on 11x17 paper or art board (presumably). You can also scan in a copy, mark it up in a Photoshop-type program (or Illustrator) to add content information, save a copy, and print that out. Then, you can change the contents of the binder and alter the cover sheet you have saved to match the new content.

I know someone who does that  and I thought it was him posting this, until i saw it was Rick2you2

[Rick2you2]

On 5/7/2024 at 9:29 AM, grapeape said:

I know someone who does that  and I thought it was him posting this, until i saw it was Rick2you2

Great minds think alike (unless he is otherwise an insufficiently_thoughtful_person).

[Rick2you2]

On 5/7/2024 at 6:12 PM, Rick2you2 said:

Great minds think alike (unless he is otherwise an insufficiently_thoughtful_person).

I just gotta love artificial intelligence. The original word was used to designate a person of low IQ, below 25, not lack of thoughtfulness. Even an “insufficiently thoughtful person” can be thoughtful. How about we go with “cranial capacity of a walnut”, no offense intended, of course, to any thinking walnuts out there.