SCBWI Oregon: Portfolio Percolator: A Virtual Series for Illustrators

Portfolio Percolator: A Virtual Series for Illustrators

• Presented by the Oregon Chapter of SCBWI
• Open to Illustrators in Oregon and Washington

Are you ready to brew up your best children’s book illustration portfolio yet? Join us for Portfolio Percolator—a five-part virtual series designed to help you refine, refresh, and reimagine your portfolio with the guidance of seasoned pros, industry insight, and a supportive creative community.

This summer-long series will be packed with inspiration, information, and actionable steps—each session adding a vital ingredient to help you create a strong, market-ready portfolio for children's book publishing. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up your work, Portfolio Percolator is here to help you stir things up.

🎞️ All sessions will be held on Zoom and sessions 2, 4, and 5 will be recorded for registered participants. Recording will be available for 30 days after event for registered participants.

Pricing:

• Session 1 is FREE!
• Sessions 2 and/or 4 - $25 per session for SCBWI members ($35 for non-members)
• Full series (5 sessions) for just $60 for SCBWI members ($75 for non-members)

Registering for the entire series includes:

✔ Live access to all virtual events

✔ Invitation to the Discord group. A private Discord group will be available for sharing work, asking questions, and keeping the momentum going between events.

✔ Optional submission for the September feedback panel (must attend entire series)

Ready to brew your best work yet?

Register today and join us for Portfolio Percolator—where your ideas steep, your skills sharpen, and your portfolio gets the love it deserves.

Hosted by Robin Chilstrom & Jordan Kim – Oregon SCBWI Illustrator Coordinators

Get a taste of what’s to come! We’ll introduce the series, share how it works, and give you a chance to connect with fellow illustrators. Free and open to all!

🚫 This Zoom meeting will not be recorded.

SCBWI 2025 NYC Portfolio Showcase Silver Award Winner

Melissa will walk us through the essential ingredients of a powerful portfolio—think of this as choosing your beans. What work belongs? What’s the right blend for your goals? You'll come away with a solid recipe (and a checklist) for the makings of a deliciously gorgeous portfolio.

Melissa Gardner is an adolescent psychotherapist turned author/illustrator who now lives in the delightful and rainy Portland, OR. Her style is a blend of traditional and digital media, with a focus on natural beauty, tender emotions and a dash of magic. She has been a member of SCBWI since 2019 and is this year’s silver award winner for the winter Portfolio Showcase. 

When she’s not drawing, she's often snuggling with her three dogs, hanging out with her family, or coming up with recipes that remind her of childhood. 

For more information, visit melissagardnerart.com.

🎞️ This Zoom meeting will be recorded and available for 30 days after the event for those who have registered for the whole series, or for this event.

To register for Session 2 individually, rather than the entire series of four webinars, click here.

Led by the Co-Co’s

Time to roll up our sleeves! This session is all about applying what you learned from Melissa’s talk. Share your work-in-progress, get peer feedback, and connect with other illustrators doing the same. Bring your sketches, questions, and curiosity!

ONLY available to those who register for the full series.

🚫 This Zoom meeting will not be recorded.

Award-winning Illustrator and Instructor

In this session, David will help us figure out how to brew the perfect portfolio using the ingredients you’ve selected to meet your portfolio goals —composition, storytelling, consistency, and more.

David Hohn is an illustrator and instructor based in Portland Oregon.

Clients include Scholastic Publishing, Penguin Random House, Charlesbridge, Astra, Sleeping Bear, Sasquatch, Waterbrook Multnomah and Bloomsbury Publishing. His work has been recognized by Society of Illustrators, The Original Art Show, 3x3, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles and SCBWI. His books have received starred reviews from both Kirkus and School Library Journal.

He teaches the picture book illustration track at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) in Portland and online at Society of Visual Storytelling (www.svslearn.com) and its associated Children's Book Pro program.

For more information, visit davidhohn.com.

🎞️ This Zoom meeting will be recorded and available for 30 days after the event for those who have registered for the whole series, or for this event.

To register for Session 4 individually, rather than the entire series of four webinars, click here.

With Melissa Gardner, David Hohn, Robin Chilstrom & Jordan Kim

This finale session will give participants who’ve attended the full series an opportunity to submit updated pieces or spreads for feedback from our faculty. It’s a celebration of the work you’ve put in all summer long—and a chance to get expert eyes on your latest creations.

ONLY available to those who register for the full series.

🎞️ This Zoom meeting will be recorded and available for 30 days after the event for those who have registered for the whole series.