Illustrator’s Conference – Day 1

As I was randomly browsing the SCBWI events listing back in March, I stumbled across an Illustrators’ Conference in New York City. Normally I don’t haul my cookies across the country for a short conference, but this one seemed like a great opportunity. It was a gut call, but even my gut calls are partly based on my intel.

Hosted at the Society of Illustrators, it was a chance to get a portfolio review, hear from art directors, and get my work in front of art buyers for a whole day.

I haven’t had a portfolio review since art school (1990). So now that I’ve been a working illustrator and animator, what the heck do I need a review for? Here’s why I was excited about this:

• My work has changed; I’ve honed my style now. I need a professional eye on it.
• I’m sending out samples, mailers, and e-mails to art buyers. It’s somewhat blind, since they don’t call me if they can’t use me. This was my chance to get that feedback on what I’m putting out there, without bothering my potential clients.
• Face-to-Face contact with a literary art agent. Any real marketing geek will say, “yes!” to that.

I wasn’t disappointed in my expectations. I met with Janet DeCarlo of Storybook Artists, who took about 30 minutes to go through my portfolio and give me her thoughts. The kind of feedback she gave me was worth the cost of the plane ticket. I don’t mean she told everything was great; that’s not what I came for. Sure, she had some nice comments about the work, but what I was tuned into was the feedback on what was working, what wasn’t, what spoke to her, what I should pull out. In that 30 minutes I learned a whole lot I never knew about how I’m presenting my work to art buyers.

It was like gold in my hand. Stuff I can actually use to improve my presentation and my work.

The other part of the conference that stood out for me was Kelley Cunningham’s (Highlights High-5) talk on how to get your work to and work with art directors.

Man, that lady didn’t pull any punches. She was honest, direct, and insightful. I loved it. I’ve worked with art directors in the past who had a hard time giving revisions on work because they didn’t want to “hurt my feelings.” I prefer art directors who just tell me up front what they need me to do and I have a feeling Kelley is that kind.

It surprised me to hear that some artists have a hard time taking revisions and changing their work for editors and ADs. It’s hard for me to understand how someone can have a lucrative career that way. It’s not fine art, it’s commercial. That means someone pays you to create what they want. So go paint your own stuff and sell it later, and who cares? End of rant.

Frieda Gates and the other organizers of the event did a great job. I was truly impressed with the flow of things, in addition to the value it had for me and my business.

On a personal note, I love the fact that I can come to NYC and meet up with friends for a beer and some food. I miss NYC a little bit. Not enough to move back, just enough to be happy that I know how to get around the city and where to find a veggie burger. (Sorry, Steve. I thought Zen Beef Burger meant the cows were meditating when they died.)

So here I sit at JFK, awaiting my return flight. Umm, it’s kinda late here in Terminal 4.

Now I’ve got work to do, so bring on the caffeine.