Becoming a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators might be the second most important thing I’ve done for my illustration career besides getting an art degree. Last week I attended SCBWI Los Angeles’ Art Director’s Day (scroll down the linked page to see the details). It was probably the sixth or so Illustrator’s Day I’ve attended. Yep, that’s a lot of events, but I can’t stress how important it is to try and attend local SCBWI events at least once a year if you can.
No matter which level you are in your illustration career, these local events are helpful, fun and so informative that they really shouldn’t be passed up if at all possible.
Last week, for example, I had the good fortune of being able to listen and speak to well-respected art director Lauren Rille of Simon and Schuster, Isabel Warren-Lynch of Random House, Kelly Sonnack of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and Cliff Cramp, an awesome illustrator and instructor at California State University Fullerton.
They all shared really, really tangible information that is relevant to attendees at any level of their career. Lauren Rille, for example gave a very detailed presentation on the working relationship between the art director, the illustrator, and the editors. Isabel Warren-Lynch discussed the emotional connection between the art and the reader and Cliff Cramp gave a very inspirational talk on how the fundamental role of an illustrator is to tell stories. And Kelly Sonnack really broke a barrier and gave some straight-talk on the topic of money and the illustrator.
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| Here is a really bad (dark and far-away) picture of agent Kelly Sonnack showing an example of a great illustration website. Whattya know?! It’s a page from our very own Renee Kurilla’s website! |
Not only do attendees get to hear invaluable information from the esteemed speakers, but they also get the chance to display their work for all to see. Yes, that sounds like a daunting task to some, but getting your work out into the world and in front of the right eyes is a necessary part of being an illustrator. Be brave! Having your work up there with everyone else’s gives you a chance to see how you can improve your craft and get ideas for portfolio presentation.
Yes, the informative aspects of an event take up most of the day, but the other HUGE plus is getting to connect with other illustrators. Sometimes (or most of the time), illustration is such a solitary activity and getting to hang out with other illustrators is so important! I’ve made so many friends over the years and we’re all at various stages of our career at this point. It’s great to be able to learn from my friends and share stories as well as help others out! I spent so much time chatting with friends such as Eliza Wheeler, Kimberly Gee, Ken Min, Mary Peterson and many others! It’s also super cool to meet online friends for the first time in 3-D. Hi Bob McMahon!
So here’s a few pointers to consider when planning to attend a local event:
- Research all of the speakers in attendance
- Be brave and show your work and enter any contests that might be held. These are the places where you can put a face to a name and the presenters can too. I met Lauren Rille at this year’s big SCBWI summer conference and she remembered me this time around. It’s so important to build and maintain relationships
- Be brave and connect with as many fellow attendees as possible (this is the hardest for me, by far! I’m pretty shy)
- Take photos so you can have them when you blog about your experience (I really need to work on this too…haha!)
- Take copious notes. I have a journal that contains notes of the past three SCBWI events I’ve attended. They are great to refer back to
- Try and introduce yourself to at least one presenter
- Send a courteous thank you note to any presenter you thought made an impact on your experience
- Here is a calendar of all the local and regional events you can try to attend in your area
By the end of the event, exhaustion has usually set in, but it’s such a great type of exhaustion! A long day of learning, sharing and hanging out with friends will get you tired, but it’s so worth it in the long run! Leaving for the drive home with a mind and soul full of inspiration is worth so much more than the price of admission!!!
Just do it!
What are your tips or things you try to accomplish when attending local illustration events?
