Does this sound like you?

• you know you should be putting together a killer portfolio

• you know this portfolio should showcase your awesome, recognisable and utterly unique

• illustration style

• you know you have too many different styles and approaches and techniques and methods and media and moods 

• but you’re too scared to choose just one ...

So what do you do . . .?

• You keep picking away at your many different styles, never really fully developing any of them

• You keep seeing new things that ‘seem’ popular and add them to your bursting-at-the-seams portfolio

• You cram as many things as possible into your portfolio, hoping that one of them will catch a publisher’s eye

• You try to believe that you actually need as many styles as possible and that publishers want to see as many styles as possible in your portfolio – even though a teeny tiny voice inside tells you it isn’t true

• You despair because the myriad styles you’re working to develop have each got a tiny thing going for them ... but none of them have everything going for them

When Shara sent me her portfolio, she had almost reached the end of her tether.

She didn’t know what she wanted to illustrate, or whether she even wanted to illustrate: she had confused herself into a state of frustration and dejection.

Every illustration in Shara’s portfolio was in a different style. Some had several styles within the one piece. Shara had tried one style here and another style there, but never developed anything beyond experimentation stage.

After we had talked for a while, I pointed out a small segment of an illustration and suggested she try illustrating in that style only. Shara went away to work on a selected piece.

Two days later, Shara had not only found her genius and developed a recognisable, elegant and cohesive style, but she had taken several leaps toward her dream of illustrating picture books ... all in the space of a couple of days.

This “Find Your Genius” illustration consultation is tailored specifically for artists who feel stale, stuck, stumped or sad about their illustration practice.

It’s where we take a daring deep dive into the hidden corners of your work to:

• weed out what isn’t fit for purpose

• uncover your zone of genius and

• send you in a new and focused direction

What we do . . .

• you sign up

• you send me whatever you have, including published work, samples of personal projects, your best pieces (but no more than 12 altogether)*

• we book your in for a Zoom chat

• I look at your work

• we spend an hour talking through your work (fully recorded)

• we identify your single strongest point

• we brainstorm how that single strongest point can be used to transform your entire portfolio

• I send you the link to our recorded conversation

• you go away and transform!

Whatever you do, pleeeeease don’t spend months (or even days) ‘perfecting’ your portfolio pieces before sending them to me.

Putting together a portfolio is time-consuming. It can also be deflating and frustrating … and lonely!

Trying to submit a ‘perfect’ portfolio before we meet would be a waste of your time (and energy) because the whole point of coaching is that it happens before you start revising and perfecting.

A “find your genius style” consultation is designed to stop you from going around in circles and get you onto a straight line to the New You!

Whatever your level or background experience, I have worked with others like you.

I can see what you are often unable to see for yourself, I can identify your genius, and can offer professional advice on how to make the most of it.

1) What is the purpose of an illustrator consultation?

The purpose of a consultation is to:

1. Discuss the direction you hope to take and your dream illustration-job

2. Explore your previous practice, your mark-making ‘happy place’, and the media and techniques with which you are most comfortable

3. Look closely at each of your submitted pieces

4. Determine which ones work and why

5. Determine which of the ones that work are BEST, and why

6. Drill down to the core ‘why’ of the most successful pieces

7. Discuss how this core ‘why’ can become your genius style

8. Brainstorm how to integrate your ‘genius style’ throughout your illustration practice

9. Develop focus for creating a cohesive and impactful picture-book illustration portfolio

10. Be excited about discovering your best illustration-self!

11. Discover renewed enthusiasm and excitement for your illustration practice.
    

2) ‘I am new to this!’

Relax! Don’t panic! If you are still in the early stages of becoming an illustrator, and you don’t know which way to turn or how to even start, that’s totally okay.
In fact, that’s perfect!
Simply select what you feel is your best work from your sketchbook / folders / website and send it to me.
We will uncover your genius from whatever you have.

3) ‘I already have a body of work suitable for picture-book illustration’.

Fantastic! If this is you, send through the best, or your favourites, plus a couple of non-illustration pieces.
A bit of variety is probably a good idea.

4) How many illustration samples should I provide?

Send around 10 to 12 samples, including your personal interest samples.

But if making this selection is what makes your brain explode, don’t worry. This process is all about getting you started on the exciting path of children’s book illustration, and where better to start than at the beginning?

Simply follow the advice for #1 in the section above.

5) How many different illustration styles should I submit for review?

Because you are here, you are at a stage where you can’t yet decide which style to embrace (that’s what finding your genius is all about).

So simply provide a variety of your styles for me to review. This will give me a snapshot of your range, as well as a glimpse into various aspects of your visual ‘personality’.

Over time, of course, it’s best to focus on developing a single recognisable illustration style. This is the style you will become known for, that will be your ‘brand’, and that jumps to mind when an editor is thinking about matching an illustrator to a picture-book text.

Of course, there will always be variations within your illustration style. But your overall ‘look’ should ideally remain consistent and recognisable so that publishers keep coming back to you.

This is the ‘genius you’ that these consultations will uncover.

6) How do I submit my samples?

Here comes the bossy part! I can only accept illustration portfolios that are digitally delivered (I never thought I’d hear myself utter those words … But logistics, distance, cost and storage all play a part in making digital delivery easier for all of us).

Also, because I would like to spend more time reviewing your work, and less time wrangling with various file formats, I would hugely appreciate it if you could please:

• Submit your illustration portfolio as a pdf document

• Submit it as a SINGLE document, rather than as multiple documents

• Set up your file so it has ONE or TWO images per page (that is, not too big and not too small!)

• Clearly LABEL and NUMBER each image on the pdf (this will make it so much easier to comment on each one)
  

7) How long will the consultation take?

On average, a consultation will last an hour.

8) What if I’m a complete beginner?

We are all beginners at some stage, and it can be a lonely experience to have a passion, but to have no community of like-minded people who can mentor and support us.

Everyone benefits from professional feedback, whatever stage they are at, and this includes you.

It is also tremendously exciting for me to work with illustrators from an early stage, and to watch them grow and develop, so if this is you, I very much look forward to meeting you and seeing your work!

9) I’m an experienced studio / editorial / advertising artist: What kind of feedback can I expect?

It is always a delight to work with a proficient and experienced artist. You will know your way around technique, you will understand the principles and elements of design, and of colour theory, and you will have an established style (or two or three).

This means we can dive straight into the adventure of how to fine-tune and develop the best of your styles.

Interestingly, although picture-book illustration and other art practices seem to belong to the same category of mark-making, they are very different skills.

There are some things an exhibiting artist, for example, may need to learn in order to illustrate effectively, and other skills he or she may need to lay aside for the sake of narrative. 

I look forward to some interesting conversations!

10) What if I need follow-up feedback once we’ve found my ‘genius’?

It can feel disconcerting to diligently follow advice, but then be left wondering ‘Have I followed the advice in a way that works, or have I wandered off down the wrong path?’.

My ‘Follow-up Development’ options offer a second feedback, as well as encouragement and direction to keep you developing your style and building a portfolio that will catch the eye of the right people.

11) How much does a Find Your Genius consultation cost?

Illustrator One-on-One Consultation $297 -

For this fee, you get a comprehensive and personalised deep-dive analysis of your work, including:

• discovering what you do best

• detailed discussion of how to integrate your ‘best’ across your illustration practice, including

• characters

• setting

• composition

• narrative elements

• PLUS a recording of our conversation for you to refer back to
  

Single follow-up consultation $267 -

This option allows you to have a second consultation about your updated portfolio, once you have revised your it.

This option also includes a recording of our session.

‘Portfolio Development’ coaching package $988 (four sessions @ $247 each)-

Sometimes building an illustration portfolio requires more than a single session of feedback.

This is where a coaching package is invaluable.

Designed to mentor you through the process of fine-tuning your illustration practice, in this series of four 1-hour coaching sessions, we focus on further developing your style and developing your rejuvenated and refreshed picture-book portfolio.

And, of course, you receive the recordings of each conversation.