Monthly Mingle
Monthly Mingles!
(Each session meets at 7 pm unless otherwise noted)
- February 9: TREND FORECAST
What trends do you see that are piquing your interest in 2026? Let’s discuss what we’re ready to explore this year in terms of color palettes (moody hues? bright citrus bursts?), themes (horror? humor?), genres (fiction? non-fiction?), and everything in between!
- March 9: ILLUSTRATOR CRUSH Sophie Blackall
Let’s geek out and gush about our favorite illustrator crushes! To kick off this new quarterly Mingle installment, we are diving into the extraordinary Sophie Blackall, an award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children. Check out her website (sophieblackall.com), view her IG page (@sophieblackall), and check out her library books to brush up on all things Sophie for our chat!
- April 13: QUARTERLY CRITIQUE
Let’s face it - we could all use a little feedback from time to time. For this new quarterly Mingle, please upload one art piece to the Monthly Mingle Critique Google folder prior to the meeting and we will share them with the group. Whether you have specific questions, concerns, or just need a little validation, we are all here to help! They will be shared in the order in which they were uploaded and we will get through as many as we can in one hour.
- May 11: 100 FAVORITE THINGS
Find your visual voice by brainstorming your 100 Favorite Things to Draw! Let’s discuss the wonders of creating this illustrated go-to list, from making your work more personal to pulling you out of a creative rut. We will look at examples others have created to get us started on this very valuable addition to our creative toolbox!
- JUNE 8: ILLUSTRATOR CRUSH Julia Sarda
Let’s geek out and gush about our favorite illustrator crushes! For this session, we are diving into the work of Julia Sarda, an award-winning illustrator of dozens books for children. Check out her website (juliasardaportabella.com), view her IG page (@juliasardaportabella), and check out her library books to brush up on all things Julia for our chat!
- July: OFF
- August: OFF
- September 14: ALTERNATIVE INCOME STREAMS
We’d love to illustrate for children full-time, but as we are building a career in KidLit (or simply in a lull between projects) what are other ways to generate income? From editorial to client commissions to passive income streams, let’s share ideas on how to keep our illustration careers thriving.
- October 12: QUARTERLY CRITIQUE
Let’s face it - we could all use a little feedback from time to time. For this new quarterly Mingle, please upload one art piece to the Monthly Mingle Critique Google folder prior to the eeting and we will share them with the group. Whether you have specific questions, concerns, or just need a little validation, we are all here to help! They will be shared in the order in which they were uploaded and we will get through as many as we can in one hour.
- November 9: ILLUSTRATOR CRUSH Christian Robinson
Let’s geek out and gush about our favorite illustrator crushes! For this session, we are exploring the magnificent work of Christian Robinson, an award-winning illustrator and author of dozens of books for children . Check out his website (theartoffun.com ), view his IG page (@theartoffun), and check out his library books to brush up on all things Christian for our chat!
- December 14: ONLINE RESOURCES OUTSIDE SCBWI
Amid the plethora of information available to illustrators and creators, where are the best places to look (besides SCBWI!) for inspiration, education, trends and publishing contacts? Share your favorites and let’s all walk away with fresh resources!
Click HERE to return to the SCBWI-MI Illustrator Resources page.