I had a bit of a debatable question today. When do you think its the right time to make an art portfolio? Do you have to be a certain level of skill? do you have to have a certain number a pieces?
I would like to know your opinions and experiences.
In my opinion the only reason to make one is when you want to show something to potential clients or employers.
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Typically you build a portfolio when you want to apply for a job. You then will select your best works and compile them together into a gallery. You also want to avoid adding to it stuff you don’t like working on much… like art experiments or themes you didn’t really enjoy and don’t feel like doing ever again. Employers tend to categorize artists by skill (cartoon artist, realism artist, etc.) and theme (fantasy artist, horror artist, children’s book illustrator, etc.). Some expect you can do all kinds of art, of course, but then it’s usually the same people who will demand the best art from you, then put you in a cubicle to draw buttons until you die 
(real story!)
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I read in a book had a quote that said the right time will never arrive. Instead, you should grab this by the horns and hit the ground running as soon as you can. Not at all anything to rush, but take action sooner rather than wait for when to take action.
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This advice make no sense in this case. The artwork portfolio has a specific purpose (that is getting a job in arts) and there is no good reason to make one when you are not applying for jobs, except maybe for the fun of it but then it’s not a portfolio anymore it’s your hobby.
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I used to follow this advice from an old book: “Only put your best work in your portfolio, even if there are only a few.” Even back then, I realized that employers had little patience for a portfolio longer than ten pages.
Imagine now, with people’s attention spans being minimal thanks to those darn smartphones (oh, I shouldn’t have said that… 
).
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