Q: How do I put together a children's illustration portfolio?

I am not the right person to ask this question, I'm afraid. An illustrator friend (Beckett Gladney) helped me put together my first portfolio, and that's the portfolio that ended up getting me a book contract as well as an SCBWI Illustrator Mentorship Award.

Here are some online resources that might help:

How To Put Together A Children's Illustrator Portfolio - by Juana Martinez-Neal. Excellent post with lots of specific advice and visual samples. Juana won the 2012 SCBWI Summer Portfolio Showcase Award.

Portfolio Comparison: What Made An SCBWI Winner - by Eliza Wheeler, who shares tips on how she used advice from her SCBWI Illustration Mentors to change her portfolio...and ended up winning the overall showcase the following year.

Getting Out Of The Art File: Tips For Aspiring Children's Book Illustrators - Harold Underdown

Portfolio Tips - Jen Betton (SCBWI Mentorship Program Winner, 2012)

Illustrating Children's Books Part 1: Portfolio Advice - Lynne Chapman

Art Tips for aspiring children's illustrators - Kathy Weller

How to build an illustration portfolio - Heather Castles

A Children’s Illustration Portfolio: 10 Things to Include - Rachel Anne Miller

Advice For Illustrators Starting Out - Clare Mackie

Demystifying the Illustration Portfolio - Christine Thornton

Last updated on May 16, 2013 by Debbie Ohi