Crafting an Illustration Portfolio

1/2 part how-to, 1/2 part don't do

If you’re a picture book writer, I promise to return to storyville soon. In the mean time, if you’re an illustrator looking for picture book work, here’s a few things I’ve learned along the way. As always, your mileage may vary.

Portfolio’s are important. Still.

Let’s get this one out of the way early. While we are a ways away from the slubbing your printed portfolio from publisher to publisher, complete with puppy dog eyes and an air of desperation, there is still a need to have a collected group of work that says “this is who I am and what I can do.” Our Instagram accounts can function like a portfolio, but it’s not designed for that and we’ll be subject to Meta’s f*ckery. Hosting my own is a bit of work, but it means I have a home I largely control. And in these times, that’s worth something.

I host a website version (Squarespace) that I update regularly, my agency hosts another (that I work on with my agent), and … a printed version.

What? Is a printed portfolio important?

Maybe? I put mine together for the SCBWI conference in NY and it was worth it for the attention it got.¹ If you’re in front of an art director in person, at an event, it can be very valuable. I have the Tera Screwpost Binder, from Pina Zangaro. I’m still quite fond of it.

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Hello! I’m Jacob Souva, an author and illustrator of books for kids. I love my job and really enjoy poking a prodding at the why’s and how’s - that’s what I share here. 3/4 of the posts are free, 1/4 and access to the archives are reserved for paid subscribers. Your subscription, your comments — all feel incredibly supportive. Thank you.

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(When I was contemplating how to build this version of my portfolio, I came across

Eliza Wheeler

’s post on putting together an award winning portfolio. I found it incredibly helpful! Subscribe to her newsletter too - it’s lovely.)

It has not been updated since 2020, but here’s a video of me awkwardly showing you it in my backyard:

Mistakes were made.

In the beginning and long before I dared a printed portfolio, I was proud that I was making work that was semi-competent, was just finding my style, and naively thought it was better than it was (more on that later). The big problem with the work was it didn’t tell a story well, if at all. If you’re aiming for the publishing market this is a big miss.

The 3 Point Perspective Podcast guys often do live portfolio reviews and it’s amazing how many time this particular criticism comes up. They have devised a brutal and effective test to check if you’re guilty of stepping on this rake. Just write out the “Alt” text, ie. describe what’s happening in the picture with words. If you fall asleep, you’ve made a pretty picture that is devoid of story and is hopelessly boring, even if it’s technically sound. I am in the business of telling stories and that is 100% how to not attract picturebook work.

Just Get Better, Portfolio Version

I don’t think I was harmed by having a less than stellar portfolio at first. That I thought it was good enough was beside the point. I didn’t get work because it didn’t pass muster and was largely… forgettable? And while you want your portfolio to be memorable, consider your portfolio as a living document.

It should grow as we do.

(It will take time to get there - like, years. But be ruthless and not sentimental — cut and prune and allow for new growth. I don’t ever think “yeah, this is good enough” for too long.)

Create work that suits the market. Repeat.

You can give yourself a dream publishing job, execute the steps required, learn a metric ton about the process of sequential illustration, and then, if you’re lucky - you’ll have a final that makes it’s way to your portfolio. Or not. Just don’t give up.

And if you want to really level up², work a couple of images from the same story, with the same characters. Once my portfolio showed this kind of work, I got more offers. Like magic portfolio dust.

Order!

I think the order of images matters, but a lot of this is personal taste. If I’m rolling with a physical portfolio, I want to start and end with my strongest work to both make and leave them with a good impression. If I have sequential work, I put them sequentially.

The order of images in a digital portfolio matters too, in both my opinion and that of my agent. Just as composition matters within an illustration, I’d want the images to look good together, teasing your eyes around the gallery. My agent and I did this work together when I signed on with ABLA. It made a big difference.

How often do you update your portfolio?

Hmmm. Tricky, question. Hard pass.

Just kidding. I try to update it under these circumstances:

• I have work I’m really, really proud of.

• I have work that signifies some growth in my abilities, my style, or both.

• I remove work that I’m no longer proud of.

• My agent tells me to.

I try not to update it under these circumstances:

• Feeling antipathy to my career or angsty about my abilities, ie. the bottom of the creative roller coaster.

• After too much time alone as an art hermit, taking advice from my inanimate Wacom stylus.

• A snap judgement based on perceived market trends.

• Boredom.

If you could offer one or two points of advice on portfolios to a younger you, what would you say?

Exercise and lay off the IPA’s. Oh, you meant portfolio specific?

First, don’t be afraid of feedback! Especially from people in the business. I went to multiple regional SCBWI events without a portfolio to show largely out of fear. Dumb. The feedback would have been worth its weight in ice cream.

Secondly, I’d say to be way more intentional about becoming a better illustrator than fussing with having a killer portfolio. Similar to last week’s big newsletter takeaway™, there are no shortcuts. If you’re not getting jobs it’s likely because you’re either not getting the work in front of people or it’s just not good enough yet.

Get better, one image at a time.³ Follow your stylistic muse and develop your unique artistic voice. Hone your inner critic. Learn the job by doing the work. Doggedly track down the joy within your process. Impress yourself.

They will love it too.

See you next week!

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1. I won honorable mention and when my name was called I felt like a contestant on the Price is Right. I high-fived prominent art directors and luminaries like a freak on my way to the stage. At that point it hit me and I stood very still like a woodchuck in the beams of a tractor trailer.

2. Goodness I hate the term “level up” … sounds like someone who’d tape a mic to their face and talks to fast. Forgive me.

3. This is where I’m at. Getting better, hacking at my portfolio. The work goes on.