Bi-monthly Portfolio Lab – each 10. & 20.

Whether you are new to the Kidlit illustration industry or have been working for years, your portfolio is the key to getting, not just work, but the work you really want to create, work that inspires and fulfils you.With the SCBWI we have numerous opportunities to hone skills and connect with industry professionals. But ultimately, it is up to us to sit down and do the work. But when we take the precious time to face that blank canvas, how do we know what to create? How do we use our time most efficiently? How do we create work that is uniquely us and gets us hired for the projects we long to create?

To answer these questions, three SCBWI Illustrator Coordinators and working artists, teamed up to create Portfolio Lab, a group committed to professional-level portfolio development.

GOAL: Develop a focused portfolio that targets and attracts the type of work we want to create, is filled with work relevant to today’s market, and accommodates our changing style and interests as we grow as artists.

HOW: Using a process based on one created by Aliza Hoover, agent with the Cat Agency, to get work for the artists she represents. Each session will begin with a quick, idea-generating, warm-up exercise, after which we will each work on our individual projects. These projects will be chosen and guided by the above method. Periodically, we will invite an industry professional to come give paid portfolio critiques to attendees.

WHERE: The meetings take place online via a zoom link. Find the link in the most recent newsletter, or go to the European Discord Channel. 

WHEN: The Lab takes place twice a month: a morning session on the 10th, and an evening session on the 20th.

Please note that this is not a critique group or a place for industry questions, although we are happy to point you to resources for these things if you contact us privately.