My Portfolio’s Missing Pieces

Earlier this month, I attended a regional conference hosted by The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in Golden, Colorado. As a first-time attendee, I was uncertain what to expect, but left elated, exhausted, and most importantly - educated!

I learned about the long (but hopeful) road to illustration (Your Five Year Map to an Illustration Career, by Heather Brockman Lee), how to create a strong cover (Designing and Illustrating Covers, by Kaz Windness), a mentor program I want to participate in, and how important it is to get feedback on work in progress (sidenote: I ended up becoming part of a critique group at the conference, which I'm so excited about).

My biggest takeaway was the realization that I need to revamp my portfolio if I want agents, art directors, and publishers to notice (and hire) me. I attended Thinking Visually: The Illustrator as Illuminator, led by Kristen Nobles (Kristen is currently an art director at Charlesbridge Publishing). Kristin pointed out what she looks for in a portfolio when selecting an illustrator, so I took notes, and created the list below in order to make pieces for my portfolio that meet this criteria. I hope my list helps other aspiring childrens book illustrators out there. For non-illustrators, it's an interesting peek into the world of childrens books and the breadth of subject matter illustrators must be capable of drawing.

So, what makes a good portfolio? Here's my list...

1) Include people and animals.

• For people, make sure to include all ages, body types, and skin tones.

2) Create unique personalities! 

• Show personality through your character's clothes, accessories and shape language.

3) Demonstrate that you can draw your character accurately in a variety of poses.

• Include a variety of expressions on your character (this means not just happy, smiling faces)

An old character of mine that needs a wider range of emotions (note all those happy smiling faces…oops).

I’ve found character sheets immensely helpful for character consistency. You’re essentially drawing your character from a variety of angles (I usually keep it to front, ¾, and side, but you could do more).

4) Create interactions, not “portraits”. 

• In other words, have your characters look at and interact with one another.

5) Illustrate small vignettes of life that give you an opportunity for emotion.

6) Include settings!

•  Indoor

•  Outdoor

•  Rural

•  Urban

I'm working through this list and adding these elements to my portfolio, so keep an eye out for new work! 

If you’re looking for more detail or guidance, I also found this blog post about building a portfolio incredibly helpful.