Illustrator Workshop

SCBWI-Michigan is thrilled to announce our Level Up Illustrator’s Workshop with Karina Granda, Art Director at Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

Illustrator Workshop:

Date & Time: Saturday, May 30, 2026, 12:30pm – 4:45pm 

$60 for Premium Members; $85 for Preview Members

**This workshop is non-refundable- the intensive day will be recorded and available to view for 30 days**

**Registration deadline: February 9, 2026**

Location: Online via Zoom

Level Up: Narrative Composition and Character Design with Karina Granda.

Ready to take your skills in building visual narratives and designing expressive characters to the next level? Join us for Level Up, an illustrators’ workshop led by Karina Granda, Art Director at Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

You’ll start by tackling a creative assignment from Karina, developing initial sketches for her review. Then, you’ll apply her professional feedback to refine your final pieces, which you’ll share and have critiqued during the live Zoom session with all participants on May 30.

A limited number of one-on-one website portfolio reviews with Karina will also be available after the session for an additional fee. More information below.

Participation in the workshop is limited to 15 illustrators, so secure your spot early!

**Limited seats opportunities will be first come, first served.**

TIMELINE:

• February 9: Registration deadline
• February 10: Assignment sent to participants (**You will not find the assignment in your Events Section. It will be emailed to you by Jen and Katie.)
• Wednesday, April 8:  Preliminary sketches DUE
• Thursday, April 24:  Karina’s feedback sent to participants
• Friday, May 22: Final Artwork DUE, no late exceptions.
• Sat, May 30:  Illustrator Intensive Day

WORKSHOP EVENT DAY SCHEDULE: (all in eastern time)

• 10:00 - 10:15:  Welcome & Introduction
• 10:15 - 12:30:  Live critique of completed assignments
• 12:30 - 12:45: Trend report & closing remarks

During the workshop day, each participant will have 9 minutes to present their work and receive a critique from Karina. We will be strict on time! 

The Assignment: This will be emailed to you on February 10.

Portfolio Reviews: ($75 Premium members, $95 Preview members)

Jan. 14-Feb. 8th: Registration open to workshop attendees only.

Feb. 9th-11th: Registration open to everyone.

Karina is offering 5 reviews.

When: Thursday, May 14th 7:00-8:30

Each portfolio review is a 15 minute, one-on-one session with Karina via Zoom. She will critique either a website portfolio or SCBWI portfolio gallery.

***She will not review book dummies or manuscripts!***

Additionally, you will receive SCBWI's standard written critique form. 

To prepare: 

1. Have portfolio website link ready to put in the chat to share with Karina so she can screen share and explore your website.

2. (Optional) Have a list of 3-5 questions to ask Karina about your work or the industry in general.

How will you know when your review is?

• SCBWI-MI's Illustrator Coordinators, Katie Eberts and Jen Boehler will email you with your 15-minute time slot one month prior to the workshop day.

How do you submit your online portfolio?

• Once you’ve successfully registered, you’ll submit your online portfolio via a Google Form. The link to the Google Form will be provided to you on the "Events" section of your member home page. (It is NOT in your confirmation email). To find the link for submitting your portfolio - Go to your member home page. Click on the My Events tab. You should see a tile labeled "Registration" with "Portfolio Review". Click on the "Meeting Info" button. The link to the submission form is on that page. (Email submissions will NOT be accepted.) If you have issues with the form, please contact Jodi McKay ([email protected]).

We check all submitted materials against the registration list.

Deadline for submission - 11:59 PM (ET) on February 11th, 2026.

Late entries will not be accepted.

**There are no refunds on portfolio reviews**

**Portfolio review opportunities will be first come, first served.**