Join us at the table for an evening of illustration portfolio review...very possibly yours

Be part of the conversation about creating art for children's books

One good critique can make the difference in your work

Learn from someone whose business is designing for kids

Art director Chris Schechner (Chris Schechner Graphic Design, Pockets children's magazine, The Upper Room, Roper Press, Wishbone Big Feats! Entertainment, Seligson Publishing, The Wise Agency, Singleton Productions) is this month's guest instructor for the Marks & Splashes Guest Group Critiques.

Chris will share technical tips and sage advice as he looks at your work in the live interactive session starting at 8 p.m. (U.S. Central Time) Thursday, November 12.

Regular monthly group critiques are 'perfect practice'

They tell you...

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  What is and isn't working

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  When to push harder

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  And when to stop

They help you...

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  Get a fresh perspective

  Our guest critiquers – illustrators, painters, agents, art directors, maybe an editor or two  – will offer their observations in a spirit of teaching and mentoring.

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  Start to think like a pro

  Watch up-close and personal how full-time creatives evaluate – and troubleshoot their own and others’ work.

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  Prepare

  For that upcoming kidlit or illustrators’ conference or the next promotional mailing, web post or sit-down with a client or prospect.

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  Sharpen powers of discernment

  Remind you of those bedrock principles of good draftsmanship, design and communication. (Funny how they do that.)

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  Meet your tribe

  Get to know your colleagues and some of these expert practioners who are your guest critiquers. They’re your contacts ‘in the biz.’ Hear their What I Wish I Knew Then stories – just like you would at a weekend retreat or a kidlit, comics or illustrators’ conference. (It’s called networking.)

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  Get better at getting better

  Every bit as important as taking in the correction is learning to navigate the hierarchy of feedback, knowing what’s valid for you now vs. what to set aside for later. Monthly critiques help with this and discovering how to receive that feedback wisely.

Improvement comes with routine

You don't have to upload your work to every session. You just have to listen.

You'll benefit and grow by being there.

Seventy five minutes per month are not a lot of time. Guest Group Critiques are informal, fun and mercifully short. So we may not get to every submission in every critique, depending on the number of uploads that occur. If your piece doesn't make it into a session, we'll push it to the top of the queue for next time.

Whether it's your work being discussed or someone else's, you'll take away invaluable knowledge to help you later — when it's just you at the drawing table or behind the monitor making the myriad decisions that go into composing ...and completing a picture.

Don't feel left alone with your work...

With your monthly subscription you'll be invited to all of our live programs, plus gain access to replays of these critiques we've already enjoyed this year by these top illustrators: