SCBWI Oregon: The "What" of a Strong Portfolio with Melissa Gardner (Session 2 in the Portfolio Percolator Series)

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.

Return to the Portfolio Percolator Series page to register for the whole series >>