Are You Ready for the Illustrator Showcase at the 2019 Sydney International Conference?

One of the most popular elements of our SCBWI conferences is the Illustrator Showcase. A chance for members to show off their artwork to publishers from Australia and overseas. Our next conference is Feb 2019, so now is a great time to start thinking about Perfecting your Portfolio. With that in mind, we are re-posting the feedback and advice we gathered from art directors and publishers:

In the illustration world, you need to be seen to be hired. The Illustrator Showcase is an opportunity to get your work looked at and considered by a very impressive number of publishing professionals—including art directors, editors, publishers and agents.

During the Illustrator Showcase we make sure that publishers have every opportunity to view your portfolio, collect your postcards and business cards and revisit your work on the Showcase website. Publishers take away sheets filled with notes and fistfuls of business cards, so that's got to be good!

But the effectiveness of the Illustrator Showcase begins and ends with the quality and relevance of the work in your portfolio. In effect the Illustrator Showcase is a job interview. You wouldn’t go into a job interview wearing your gardening clothes and without preparing your resume, would you?  So, the first step in this “job interview” process is to Perfect your Portfolio.

 

Perfect your Portfolio

Ideally, a portfolio should be refined to a “professional standard” before it's submitted to a publisher—whether that's through a slush pile or the Illustrator Showcase

Now, please don’t confuse “professional standard” with “published”.  We've had a number of illustrators offered contracts as a direct result of the Showcase—and many of them were previously unpublished. The difference is that they had something in their portfolios that grabbed the attention of a publishing professional.

The feedback we’ve had in the past is that on the whole publishers were very impressed by the high standard of the work, and seemed very excited about what they'd seen. We were also consistently told that the event itself was incredibly useful to them.

We gathered some general feedback about the standard of work through informal interviews with publishers during the Showcase. The points that were raised most were:

  • In some portfolios there were lovely images, but they didn't show characterisation (character in different situation) or they didn't tell a story. It's vital to develop visual narratives and expressive characters if you want work illustrating children's books. 
  • Some people need to curate their work—don't include too many images, or poorer quality images mixed with more finished work.
  • Some people looked like "one trick ponies" and needed to show more range, while others looked like "four people did the work"—so the take home message from this is probably to find a middle ground. Identify what you do well, find a consistent style that works for you, and then show a range of subjects and approaches within that style. One comment was that a portfolio should help an Art Director know what they'll get if they hire you, so some degree of consistency and coherence is good. 
  • Need to see new work—some portfolios had mostly old work that they had seen before. 

 

Resources to Perfect your Portfolio

So we’ve established that we all need to cast a critical eye over our own work. This can be a daunting task but we’ve pulled together a few resources to help:

Join an On-line Critique Group—SCBWI Australia East & New Zealand offers free On-line Critique Groups. These include groups specifically for illustrators and should greatly help people from any location "get together" to give and receive the necessary preliminary feedback on their portfolios. As long as you are prepared to be an active participant in the critique group, you can join as many groups as you like.

Putting together a Prize Winning Portfolio
Molly Idle—SCBWI Member (and recent Caldecott winner!)—put together this excellent blog post about how she perfected her prize winning portfolio.

 Molly writes:
“At the first SCBWI conference I attended in LA, 12 years ago, I was fortunate enough to sit in on a workshop with Dilys Evans—agent, founder of The Original Art Show, and author of Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration.

Dilys said that whenever she was considering representing someone, she would pick out both the strongest piece and the weakest piece in their portfolio, and she would take those pieces to a meeting of her staff. There, she'd hold up the best piece, which presumably would get "Oohs" and "Ahhs". Then, she would hold up the worst piece...

Now, when she said this—almost every person in that workshop cringed. I knew we were all thinking the same thing... "What would they say if she held up my weakest piece?"

I resolved then and there to take anything "cringe-inducing" out of my portfolio.

So, whether you're in it to win it—or just to placing your work out there to see and be seen—putting together a portfolio that is both professional and personal is essential.”

Mentee portfolio to Grand Prize Portfolio Winner
SCBWI Member Juana Martinez Neal tells how she improved her portfolio from a Mentee portfolio to a Grand Prize Portfolio winner.

Check out the Interview with Donna Rawlins and the brief for her Workshop. Both are insightful and give a glimpse into what an art director will be looking for when they view a portfolio.

Writing with Pictures by Uri Shulevitz
This is an oldie but a goodie. Make sure your illustrations “Tell a Story” and are appropriate for the Children’s publishing world.

 

Don’t Stop with your Portfolio

Your Illustrator Showcase “job interview” doesn’t stop with your professional portfolio. There are a few additional things you need to consider to polish off your presentation.

Business Cards—Have some.

Postcards—The feedback from the last Showcasewas that the publishers liked to have postcards to take away. Many publishers commented that they liked postcards that had a selection of images available— they were useful aids for remembering a specific image from the portfolio that excited them.

Created by SCBWI member Dana Carey, the Sub It Club “Postcard Post Archive” is a very useful overview on illustrator self-promotional postcards.

Dana writes:
“There are lots of companies online who will print your postcards. 4by6.com, Modern Postcard, Overnight Printsmoo… They all have specifications (templates, sizes, file formats) that you need to follow. Read carefully so you get the best result for your money.”

Website or Instagram account—If you don’t already have one then get one! Remember, you must be seen to be hired and a website is ideal for illustrators to showcase their work. The Illustrator Showcase is an excellent opportunity to get your website details directly into the hands of commissioning art directors, publishers and agents.

There are many online platforms to create you own website including WeeblySquarespaceWordpress and flickr.

Make it simple and easy to use. Consider things from the point of view of the busy publisher or art director. Do they want to wait while fancy animations or graphics load? Do they want layers of menus? No! They want to get in there, see what you have to offer, read a bit about you and (hopefully) contact you to offer you a commission! Don’t make them work for it.

Your website or Instagram represents you on a job interview. Make it professional and personal.

 

And finally, please remember that the Illustrator Showcase is a Showcase—
NOT a critique session!

The event is set up to be as pleasant and easy and welcoming for publishers as possible so that they'll be eager to attend—they're giving up their time to be there and we've been very careful to make it feel like a fun, social event for them.

Rest assured that each portfolio has been directly viewed by editors who are actively seeking new talent, their business cards and work samples have been eagerly collected, and they are now on the radar of Australia's leading publishing houses.

What each illustrator gets from the experience is the opportunity to have nearly 50 top publishing professionals cast a serious eye over their work! This is certainly not a minor perk—it's VERY hard to get publishers to view your portfolio if you're acting as an individual freelancer.

The Showcase isn't a vehicle for feedback or critiques. We will make other opportunities available at the Conference for Portfolio Critiques, but the Showcase is a separate experience. Participation in the Illustrator Showcase is a very real tangible investment in your illustration career but only you can make the decision if you want to invest your time and money to prepare and send your portfolio specifically for the exposure.

Good luck polishing those portfolios! We can’t wait to see what you come up with. 

 

 

Chapter Two: 100 years of The School Magazine

The panel

The panel

A Centenary of School Magazine with (Editor) Alan Edwards, (Contributors) Sheryl Gwyther, Marjorie Crosby-Fairall and Wendy Fitzgerald and (Graphic Designer) Josemalene Ruaya.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of The School Magazine, which began publication in 1916 and is now the longest running children’s literary publication in the world. To commemorate this momentous occasion SCBWI included a panel discussion about the School Magazine and their publication process, as a part of the 2016 Conference. Chaired by Sheryl Gwyther, author   and prolific contributor for the magazine, the panel provided an interesting and informative overview of the magazine’s process and it’s glorious 100-year history.

For those who don’t know, The School Magazine is Australia’s foremost literary magazine for children, filled with texts of literary merit that encourage children to read for pleasure and explore stories. Editor Alan Edwards says “we are trying to instill a love of reading in our young students and I think we have done a pretty good job of that over the last century”.

In honor of their birthday The School Magazine has recently released “For Keeps” An anthology of stories, poems and plays from the last century of publications. It is a visual and literary feast for adults and children alike. I spoke with designer, Wendy Rapee, about her choices in putting together this gorgeous treasury.

“It was with a sense of nostalgia I approached this task, so the palette is soft and slightly dusty. Right from the start I wanted to contextualise the pieces for kids of today as well as evoking nostalgia for past readers."

The School Magazine publishes 4 different magazines aimed at children in years 3, 4, 5 and 6 at school.

  • Countdown (year 3)
  • Blast Off (year 4)
  • Orbit (year 5)
  • Touch Down (year 6)

 

They produce 40 magazines a year along with 40 teaching guides, with each issue lovingly assembled by a hardworking and dedicated team including panelists Alan Edwards and Josemalene Ruaya.

Jose is The School Magazine’s only graphic designer, single handedly responsible for the look and layout of 40 publications per year. Jose gave a fascinating breakdown of her design process and philosophy for the magazine saying

“I tend to design to make our pieces inviting to read and to make sure that the layout and the illustrations and graphics support and enrich the text rather than overwhelm it…we use illustration in many different ways. We always try to add something else that there isn’t space for in the text, we always try to support what’s going on in the text and add value to what’s already there”

The School Magazine has had the input of some of Australia's most prominent children's writers and illustrators throughout their 100-year existence, including but certainly not limited to, Aaron Blabey, Sarah Davis, Duncan Ball, Patricia Wrightson and Ursula Dubosarsky and panelists, Sheryl Gwyther and Wendy Fitzgerald.

Wendy Fitzgerald discussing her latest contribution

Wendy Fitzgerald discussing her latest contribution

As a matter of fact Neridah McMullin’s new picture book “Fabish” came from a story originally published in “Blast Off “Magazine in 2011. The School Magazine has a reputation for inspiring books and launching careers.

But anyone involved in the world of children’s books and primary education already knows this, what made the SCBWI session stand out from all the other celebrations this year, was the way it detailed The School Magazine’s process from submission to publication. Providing a real insight for writers and illustrators about submitting their work and what to expect when they do.

A couple of interesting facts;

  • The School Magazine is one of the last publications in Australia that accepts unsolicited manuscripts.
  • It is also one of the last places that will publish poetry now, making it’s existence even more important on the literary stage for writers and readers alike.

So if anyone is interested in submitting to the School Magazine and wants to know what happens once you do, the process is pretty simple.

For writers:

  • The School Magazine accepts prose, stories, plays, poetry and fiction. 
  • When a manuscript comes in the assessment process usually takes about 4 months and it is read by 3 or 4 different people, before having a decision made on whether it will be accepted or not.
  • Once a submission has been accepted the magazine contacts the author, purchases the piece AND pays them straight away!

"Choice is driven by the quality of the writing." Alan Edwards on the submission decision process

How to submit to The School Magazine

How to submit to The School Magazine

Just another great advantage for contributors to The School Magazine, they pay upon purchase and their purchase is for single use only. So if they want to use your work again, you get paid again, at a reduced rate. Once the piece has been purchased they will wait for the right issue to come up before placing it. Generally you will know when it’s time because a copy of The School Magazine arrives, like a present, in your mailbox.

"Everything we do must add value to the text" Josemalene Ruaya on magazine design

For Illustrators,:

  • The School Magazine provides a rotating cycle of opportunity by having a pool of illustrators it draws upon year round, choosing the illustrator that best suits the written work.
  • Submissions are open for certain periods of time each year, usually June to July but this can change, so it ‘s best to keep an eye on the website. 
  • Just like with written work, illustrators also retain their rights and purchase is for a single use only.

"Illuminate not decorate" Marjorie Crosby-Fairall on her illustrative briefs

Marjorie Crosby-Fairall discussing the magazine's illustrative briefs

Marjorie Crosby-Fairall discussing the magazine's illustrative briefs

Throughout this panel one point became abundantly clear, EVERYONE has nothing but reverence and deep respect for The School Magazine. The people who work to bring it to life, are deeply impassioned individuals who strive to expose our kids to quality literature.  To be accepted as a contributor is an honor, a validation of literary merit and something people own with great pride. So why not try submitting your work and see where The School Magazine could take you too…

Kel Butler Roving Reporter

#SCBWISyd

SCBWI Victoria August Gathering

Date/Time
Date(s) - 20/Aug/2016
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location

RMIT University

Corner Russel and Victoria Streets - Melbourne, VICTORIA

 

We look forward to catching up with you for our third gathering of the year on August 20.

This gathering will feature Susannah McFarlane, Cally Black and Nicky Johnston.

Susannah McFarlane is the author of some of Australia’s most successful children’s book series. She is the creator and writer of the awarding-winning EJ12 Girl Hero and EJ Spy School series; the creator and co-author of the hugely popular series for boys, Boy vs Beast; the author of the Little Mates series of the alliterative alphabet picture books for under-fives, and the series editor for Stuff Happens!, a great series for tween boys about the everyday challenges they face. Susannah was also the original concept creator of two of Australia’s leading tween fiction series—Go Girl! and Zac Power.

Susannah was previously the co-owner, managing director and publisher of Hardie Grant Egmont; the managing director of Egmont Books UK; the vice-president of the Egmont Group; contributor to the UK trade journal Publishing News; and the Convenor of the Children’s Publishing Committee and Board Director of the Australian Publishers’ Association. 

Susannah has titled her talk – ‘Oi! I’m over here!’ How to claim your space in a crowded children’s book market.

 

Cally Black, SCBWI member and author of educational fiction and Sci Fi short stories, has been on a long writing quest for that elusive thing that might make her work stand out in a marketplace full of amazing books.

As the winner of the Ampersand Prize, Cally will share her journey to her first trade novel and what she’s learned about voice, storytelling and finding personal strengths in her talk – Pushing For Something More. 

 

Nicky Johnston is an educator, speaker and author/illustrator. She is passionate about promoting resilience in children and raising awareness of mental health issues. Her book ‘Go Away, Mr Worrythoughts!’ has been produced as a theatrical production which has been touring primary schools for the past 5 years.

Nicky’s love of teaching sees her busy with school visits and presenting at workshops and conferences. Her extensive experience as an educator has provided her with valuable skills that she now utilises when visiting schools as an author/illustrator. During her talk, Picture This, Nicky will share practical hints, tips and examples to help you when presenting in schools.

 

 

 

SHOW AND TELL 

As usual, we will have a brief Show and Tell segment, so if you have a recent publication to show us or news of a recent success to share (such as an award or grant) we’d love to hear from you.

 

MEETING DETAILS

Date: Saturday 20 August 2016
Place: RMIT University, Building 13, 379-405 Russell Street, Melbourne (corner Victoria Street). PLEASE NOTE ROOM CHANGE: The room is in the same building as our last event, but one level higher. Enter via the main Russell Street entrance and follow the SCBWI signs up the stairs to room 13.3.009 (Building 13, floor 3, room 9).
Time: 2pm—5pm (all are welcome to stay on afterwards to chat and drink downstairs)
Cost: $25 members, $30 non-members (includes afternoon tea)

 

BOOKING   DETAILS

Book here for the August 20th gathering.

 

SCBWI VICTORIA NEW MEMBERS MEET AND GREET – 13 August 2016

If you are a new SCBWI Victoria member, please come and meet the committee over a casual cup of coffee or pot of tea. We look forward to hearing about your projects and aspirations. This is a free event, but please book here so we can confirm numbers.

Date: 13 August 2016, 3pm-4:30pm

Location: Upstairs at Cafe Blac, 707 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn, Vic, 3122. Tel: (03) 9818 8965

 

SCBWI DATES to Remember for 2016:

·      13 August: New Members Meet and Greet, Hawthorn

·      20 August: SCBWI VIC Gathering, Russell Street, Melbourne

·      4-6 September: SCBWI International Biennial Conference, Sydney

·      15 October: New Members Meet and Greet, Hawthorn

·      23 October: SCBWI VIC Sketch and Scribble, venue to be confirmed

·      12 November: SCBWI VIC Gathering, details to be confirmed

 

SCBWI VICTORIA COMMITTEE MEMBERS

 
Caz Goodwin: Assistant Regional Adviser, Victoria
Chris Bell: Assistant Coordinatorand CBCA Liaison
Serena Geddes: Illustrator Coordinator
Betty Sargeant: Technology and Social Media Coordinator
Jo Burnell: Membership Coordinator