Cut the Fluff in Your Portfolio!

For those illustrators making last-minute shifts to their portfolio for the SCBWI National Conference, I have 3 pieces of advice:

I was recently asked to judge portfolio applications for a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators award. It was an eye-opening experience being on the other side of the table, in the judge’s seat. Here’s what my big take-away was from that experience:

I preferred to see 5 GREAT pieces alone, vs. 5 great pieces mixed up with 5 okay pieces.

It was ALWAYS obvious when people were adding filler, or thought they needed more variety, so they put in mediocre stuff. In many cases, a portfolio would be amazing, and then right at the end the illustrator panicked and threw in one or two strangely out-of-place, low-quality works. Those one or two pieces were the ones that cut them out of the running to be considered.

So yes, it would be GREAT if you had 10 GREAT pieces, but if you don’t, don’t try to hide it. Take one last look at your portfolio before you submit it, and ask yourself, “Am I really proud of this piece?” Those are the only ones you should display. Even if there are only 5. You can add more great work next year!

See more more tips on how to edit an award-winning portfolio here:
Portfolio Comparison: What made an SCBWI winner