Okay...having a degree in graphic design myself, I've made a few resumes and I feel I'm qualified to write a critique on this.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but this is kind of an important thing for you and your professional career. So, while I usually point out an equal amount of good things about a piece of art as I do the thing that need improvement, I'm going to focus mostly on the things that need improvement in this case. Please don't be offended if I seem harsh.

We should start with the actual artwork involved and the placement of the text on the document. I'd like to begin by saying that while it is an excellent example of your art, it seems mostly to be a good example of your -lineart-. You detail where the folds in the clothing and various areas of skin shading belong, but you don't seem to actually include the shading necessary beyond those lines and differentiating between the various articles of clothing, skin, and hair. Add depth and shading to the figure. Doing this will really show your expertise in art and illustration.

After that, I would suggest watermarking the entire piece - keep the left-to-right fade but decrease the art's opacity by something between 50% and 75%. I would then allow the text to fill the page. The actual information you provide you provide your potential employer is much more important than providing a sample of your artwork - you can show them your whole portfolio once you get your interview.

On that note, I know you omitted information for the purpose of posting on the internet, but I would provide as much information about your education as you can, including the specific classes you took in each school. You should probably reverse the order your experience appears in, listing it from the most recent to the earliest rather than vice versa. Also, include a phone number, address, and an e-mail address that reflects your real name or at least something professional. For example, I use A_Sovek@yahoo.com for anything that I consider important rather than the draconicsoul12120@yahoo.com that mostly recieves junk mail.

And, speaking of experience, you list yourself as a freelance artist from 2008-present. If you can, make a list of the specific art you've done for this person or that company. This will be much more impressive than Pizza Hut, which, really, is worthless information to a potential artistic employer.

Also on the subject of information is exactly what degree you acquired and what degree you expect to acquire. Do you have an associates in graphic design from your community college? A bachelors of fine arts that you're working toward? Also, make sure that at least a phone number is provided for each college you've attended.

Another thing to consider about resumes, especially when dealing with a graphic design resume, is the font and the appearence of the text in general. You're using a sans-serif font, at a quick glance I would guess Arial. If you plan on E-mail this resume to people, that's great. But, and this will often be the case with resumes, you'll need to submit this in a printed form, and a a serifed font is ideal for this. And try to avoid using underlines - it's an outdated mode of emphasis and is generally frowned upon. The size difference is good enough, and you might even consider using a different color for titles and especially your name.

On the subject of your name, emphasize it. Emphasize your contact information. You want them to see it first, know it, and remember it. And do NOT link to your deviantArt page. Nothing against your dA page, but just don't. Who knows when some employer potential is going to actually go there on a bad day that you wrote a bad day journal?

The fact that you've included your volunteer work is great! That really adds a good impression for potential employers, and will greatly increase your chances of becoming a potential employee of interest. I only wish I'd done more volunteer work in my day.

I think another important thing to note is that your objective states that you're looking to work toward a goal of becoming a professional illustrator. While this is not a bad goal to have, it's a bad thing to tell an employer. You want a potential employer to think that you already have all the necessary skills and experience necessary to fill the position that they require. That you're looking for advancement is a good thing - it shows ambition and drive: something employers look for. Make sure that your goal is stated in such a way that it doesn't make the employer feel as though they're hiring someone that's going to move to another job as soon as possible, or as soon as they've bled the employer's resources and opportunities dry.

Most of what I've mentioned are just minor revisions or rewordings, the addition of information that's probably already there or the removal of information that just shouldn't be there. I think, overall, the resume as it is is really well-constructed. The idea behind it is great, and I actually like the composition.

Good luck in the field, and with this assignment. I know with some experience you'll be amazing.

And probably rich.

At which point, you're going to let me borrow money.