The San Francisco South region of SCBWI is happy to announce our second annual Illustrator Day! To register, click here, fill out form and mail in! Illustrators from all three areas of SCBWI NORCA and beyond are invited to join us at beautiful Ft. Mason to get inspired, learn more about the industry, and meet and mingle with local publishers.
Morning Speaker - E.B. Lewis*
We are so lucky to have Caldecott and Coretta Scott King award winning illustrator E.B. Lewis speak to us about "Passion and Process vs. Product."
Mr. Lewis' vast experience, talent and success have given him a priceless knowledge of children's book illustration that he will share with us. He has illustrated over 30 picture books with all the large publishing houses, including "Talkin' About Bessie" by Nikki Grimes, winner of the 2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and "Comin' on Home Soon" by Jacqueline Woodson, winner of the 2005 Caldecott Honor Award.
Afternoon - "First Look"
We are fortunate to have four guests from our wonderful local children's book publishers.
Abigail Samoun. Editor at Tricycle Press
Kristine Brogno, Art Director at Chronicle Books
Dana Goldberg, Executive Editor at Children's Book Press
Renee Ting, Publisher of Shen's Books
Each will introduce her house: what they are looking for, what kind of art they use - everything we should know about them.
Then, as a panel of experts, they will give their "First Look" reactions to our illustrations. This exercise was done at the Bologna conference with New York art directors and was a great success.
Illustrators who are attending our Illustrator Day are invited to submit JPEGS of up to three images ahead of time.** These will be put into a PowerPoint presentation as anonymous images. We will go through the images one by one and each of our panel will give her first impression of the image - what works, what doesn't and what might improve it. Just a brief comment, so we can get through all of them. If time permits, we will end with a question and answer session with all our speakers.
** It is optional for attendees to submit images. Whoever chooses not to share their work in this way will still benefit greatly from the comments about the illustrations of those who do participate. Also, in Bologna some people had better illustrations in their portfolios than they had in the "First Look." We should submit our best work.
Portfolio Reviews
Our speakers have all offered to conduct one-on-one portfolio reviews.
These will be limited in number and will cost an additional $50.
These will be held throughout the day and during lunch. They will be on a first-come first-served basis. This is a wonderful opportunity to get feedback from experienced pros in our field.
Portfolio Display
Illustrators are invited to bring portfolios for display. They should be 11" x 17" or smaller and limited to 15 pieces. Do not include original art or slides. Dummies may be displayed as well. We are not responsible for lost or damaged items. You may set out business cards or postcards with your portfolio. Our faculty of publishers, editors and art directors will have an opportunity to view our portfolio display throughout the day, with a half hour dedicated to a private viewing. There may be restrictions in the amount of display space for each illustrator, depending on how many of you participate. Please be prepared to work within these limits.
Lunch - There are several delightful places to buy lunch at Ft. Mason and in the surrounding neighborhood , or you can bring your own lunch and sit by the Bay while you eat.
*Watercolor Workshop - On Sunday, September 28, we are thrilled to offer an SCBWI hands-on watercolor painting workshop taught by Mr. Lewis. This is a separate event, and will be limited to 10 people. The cost is $135 for the four-hour workshop and is filling up quickly. It will also be at Fort Mason from Noon to 4:00. Email Lea Lyon if interested in attending.
