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Making
a Children's Illustration Portfolio
Portfolio
Presentation, where do I start?
- You
need to practice your style until you are proficient at it, until
you deem it to be of professional quality.
- Learn
from your mistakes, get your work critiqued and listen to the critique
objectively. This is important!
- Look
at established people in the business whom you admire, styles that
are similar to yours, etc. What can you learn from comparing their
work to yours?
- You
need to actually read children's books. Study examples of what picture
books truly are, a balance of words and pictures, an interdependence
of two wonderful forms of art; a marriage. You'll soon be able to
distinguish quality from what's just trendy.
What
to include?
- 12-15
pieces of art, color, and some black and white if you're good at it
and enjoy it. It should be the best art you can do. Quality is more
important than quantity. Include artwork that best displays your skills
in:
- Anatomical
drawing (figures, faces, and animals)
- Characters/
Setting/Narrative
- Remember
that a picture book has a pace, a motion that constantly pushes you
forward. You might want to show that progression in a series of sequential
pieces, showing fine examples of:
- People-—all
ages, grandma's, dad's, brothers and sisters, but especially,
- Kids—with
varied expressions, movements, moods, etc.,
—with interesting,
vibrant compositions and layouts.
- Make
sure you show interaction between your characters. The people you'll
be running across in children's book tend have different points of
view, the strongest characters—characters we remember—evolve
throughout the story. Show that you're aware of that and can illustrate
those changes consistently.
- Animals—If
you're going to be working in children's books you're certainly bound
to come across an animal or two. Study their movements, anatomy, and
habitat. Remember that animals can show emotion as well, just ask
any dog/cat/horse/bird/dolphin lover. You get my meaning.
Design/Composition
- Your
portfolio pieces should show how you would best handle certain design
problems in composition, size, etc. Show a variety of illustrations,
spots or vignettes, jackets, double spreads, etc.
Ex: showing a double-spread might let them know you're familiar with
the "gutter" problems, the text layout, etc.
- Show
interesting perspectives or dramatic lighting, show foreshortening,
exaggerations and distortions, don't forget shadows, etc. Show a sense
of motion and dynamic action in your layouts as well as in your characters.
Style
- It's
an extremely competitive business. In my opinion, showing a variety
of styles in your portfolio will make it difficult for editors to
remember you and it will make you look inconsistent. Keep one set
style. And you must show consistency of that style. If you prefer
to work in many styles, create full portfolios in whatever style you'd
like to do, show them as a whole.
- Don't
do one style because it may be more popular or because it's what you
think others want, you must love what you do, so work in a style you
love.
- Be
honest. Whichever style or medium you like to work in, are you at
the point where that style is competitive? Meaning, if you work in
a realistic style, can it compete with similar work in the market?
If not, learn how to draw those eyes, hands, etc. or you may want
to change your style to one less anatomically restrictive or difficult.
- More
on this subject can be found at www.
purplecrayon.com. "A Question of Style" by Harold Underdown
Remember
- The
work has to be conceptual, not just decorative. An illustrator is
a storyteller.
- Think
of your portfolio as if it were a picture book.. A book has a beginning,
middle and end: it should have a "hook" at the beginning
to make you want to turn the page, to grab the viewer's attention.
Like a good story with good characters, the portfolio should continue
to develop and to hold the viewers interest, it should be dramatic
and dynamic, make you want to remember it.
- The
illustrations should compliment each other, be consistent. And like
a good picture-book it should end in a very satisfying conclusion
that leaves the viewer wanting more.
- Look at each piece objectively,honestly, and ask yourself:
- Are you happy, proud and enthusiastic about each piece? Get rid
of the ones you're not.
- Is it your best work? The best job you can do? If not, it shouldn't
be in the portfolio. One mediocre piece can bring down 14 great ones.
- Is the art technically sound? Any perspective problems? Anatomical
problems? If you can spot them, I'll bet you an art director can spot
them faster. Dissect each piece of art, study it for any defects.
-Have you convinced the viewer that you are a storyteller? That you
can create or build on a character? Create a sense of time and place?
Show motion and emotion?
DO
THE WORDS AND THE PICTURES "DANCE" TOGETHER?
Well then.
You've got a great portfolio!
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