Sunday, February 14, 2010

Getting Ready!

I've signed up for the Western Washington SCBWI conference in April and need to get my portfolio ready for the jurried exhibit. I found a great resource to help me whittle away my current portfolio into something more streamlined and impressive.

Harold Underdown writes the following piece of advice for what to include in your portfolio:

Composition: interesting points of view, above, below, foreshortening, distortions, what is in the foreground and background. Consider what you do when you have your camera in hand, how you choose the contents, edges, and positioning of what enters the frame, how different lenses affect how much is included.

Lighting
: Where is your light source? Dramatic lighting can often catch the eye... a candle lighting a dark room, the late afternoon sun casting huge shadows.


Color/Tone/Contrast: Are your colors (including black and white) muddy or clean and bright? Do you want crisp or soft edges? Would four colors or a monochromatic approach be most effective?

Subject Matter
: What is (are) your subject(s) doing? Who are they? Do they have unusual expressions or clothing? Are they in an unusual predicament? Do they evoke an emotion? Are they up close or far away?


Continuity of Style: Do you sustain a consistent style in your samples/portfolio? Variety is the spice of life, but you need to demonstrate consistency within a style, and show 2 or 3 styles at most.

Continuity of Subject: Can you illustrate the same subject from different points of view, in different situations, showing different feelings?

Medium
: When reviewing the work of a publisher, ask yourself, "Has this medium been used before?" The answer could be revealing -- perhaps they are open to unusual media, perhaps they are not. Experiment with using or combining different media.


I need to review my work and create new in the next 6 to 8 weeks. I have lots to do to get ready!