Portfolio Feedback: What should I take down?

Laura Hunt · 21 Feb 2023, 03:33

Hi everyone,

I am preparing to submit my picture book dummy as a writer/illustrator and I need to include a link to my portfolio. I would love some feedback on which pieces I should take down from my portfolio (or whether you think a particular piece should stay up but with some adjustments to said piece.)

I am aiming to cut it down to 10 pieces on my portfolio, but 8 would be okay, too. (In case this matters: the dummy I am submitting will feature the Bird and Dog characters on the sample cover at the end of my portfolio.)

Here is the link:
https://www.lhuntpaintings.com/

I really appreciate the feedback!

Thank you all in advance.
Laura

MimiHecher · 20 Feb 2023, 21:58

Hi Laura, thanks for letting us peak into your portfolio!

Here is my opinion, and I hope it's helpful:
It seems to me that you are used to drawing the eyes mainly as black dots (is that also the case in your picture book dummy?). That's why illustrations with eyes that are no dots are not fitting well into the rest.
So I would put the very first image with the magnifying glass down OR rework the eyes of the protagonists to make them black dots (with maybe some light reflections in it), as the idea is really sweet and telling a story.

The pic of the girl that has a letter in her lunch box also looks very different in style, that's why I would take it down.
Same for the Halloween scene - this looks very different from your other pieces, maybe again because of the eyes?

The one right to the Halloween scene has a flaw in the proportions (arms are too long) and also different eyes than your usual style, so I would put that one down as well. Also it would not tell any interesting story (like the very first pic), so I would also put it down in regards of "visual storytelling".

I really LIKE the cover of Bird and Dog, but it's outstanding in style. So either you might add two other illustrations in that really cute style, or put the pic down.

The rest of the illustrations are consistent in style, in my opinion (except for Santa Claus but I think for him it's ok to look a little bit different), so if you want to reduce them to 10, my favs are:
1 Little Scientists with reworked eyes
2 Roller Skating Angel
3 The princess and the pea
4 Henry and Simba
5 Jack's Library
6 New England Letter Carrier
7 Mom Sick Day
8 The question
9 Mice in Paris
10 Missing Grandma

Good luck with the submission!

Sonia Merkel · 20 Feb 2023, 22:00

@Laura-Hunt Hi! Your stuff is so cute. As I looked through, I would suggest the little girl at lunch, or the "make me scary mommy" images. While they're sweet, they don't seem to match the style that dominates your page. The mice in Paris, the Library scene, and the mailman are my favorites! Beautiful work

Jean Watson · 21 Feb 2023, 02:22

Lovely work. Depends a bit on what you would like to show as your style going forward. Favourite was Little Scientists although it looked a bit different to the rest. I'd keep it though.

I felt that Monster crossing, lunch break, halloween and under the stars could be taken down as they looked a bit different to most of the rest - felt like they might be an earlier style?

My faves

Little scientists
Roller skating angel
Princess and the pea
Henry and Simba
Mom sick day
Treasure keeper
New England letter carrier
The question
Mice in Paris
Good night moon
Missing grandma
Bird and Dog

Laura Hunt · 21 Feb 2023, 03:28

@MimiHecher said in Portfolio Feedback: What should I take down?:

Hi Laura, thanks for letting us peak into your portfolio!

Here is my opinion, and I hope it's helpful:
It seems to me that you are used to drawing the eyes mainly as black dots (is that also the case in your picture book dummy?). That's why illustrations with eyes that are no dots are not fitting well into the rest.
So I would put the very first image with the magnifying glass down OR rework the eyes of the protagonists to make them black dots (with maybe some light reflections in it), as the idea is really sweet and telling a story.

The pic of the girl that has a letter in her lunch box also looks very different in style, that's why I would take it down.
Same for the Halloween scene - this looks very different from your other pieces, maybe again because of the eyes?

The one right to the Halloween scene has a flaw in the proportions (arms are too long) and also different eyes than your usual style, so I would put that one down as well. Also it would not tell any interesting story (like the very first pic), so I would also put it down in regards of "visual storytelling".

I really LIKE the cover of Bird and Dog, but it's outstanding in style. So either you might add two other illustrations in that really cute style, or put the pic down.

The rest of the illustrations are consistent in style, in my opinion (except for Santa Claus but I think for him it's ok to look a little bit different), so if you want to reduce them to 10, my favs are:
1 Little Scientists with reworked eyes
2 Roller Skating Angel
3 The princess and the pea
4 Henry and Simba
5 Jack's Library
6 New England Letter Carrier
7 Mom Sick Day
8 The question
9 Mice in Paris
10 Missing Grandma

Good luck with the submission!

Thank you so much for putting so much thought into my question! I really appreciate that! The "Bird and Dog" cover actually goes with my dummy. So even though a lot of my portfolio features the dot eyes, the dummy I made features that dog and bird character. Not sure if that changes what you would recommend? Thank you again for taking the time to give me your feedback and suggestions!

Laura Hunt · 21 Feb 2023, 03:29

@Sonia-Merkel said in Portfolio Feedback: What should I take down?:

@Laura-Hunt Hi! Your stuff is so cute. As I looked through, I would suggest the little girl at lunch, or the "make me scary mommy" images. While they're sweet, they don't seem to match the style that dominates your page. The mice in Paris, the Library scene, and the mailman are my favorites! Beautiful work

thank you, I really appreciate that! The dummy I am submitting will be featuring the Bird and Dog characters from the cover sample in my portfolio.

Laura Hunt · 21 Feb 2023, 03:32

@Jean-Watson said in Portfolio Feedback: What should I take down?:

Lovely work. Depends a bit on what you would like to show as your style going forward. Favourite was Little Scientists although it looked a bit different to the rest. I'd keep it though.

I felt that Monster crossing, lunch break, halloween and under the stars could be taken down as they looked a bit different to most of the rest - felt like they might be an earlier style?

My faves

Little scientists
Roller skating angel
Princess and the pea
Henry and Simba
Mom sick day
Treasure keeper
New England letter carrier
The question
Mice in Paris
Good night moon
Missing grandma
Bird and Dog

Thank you so much! Some of the pieces like "Mice in Paris" and "New England Character" are actually a lot older because I started in watercolor and ink and now I'm working in digital. The dummy I'll be submitting will feature the characters from the "Bird and Dog" cover. I definitely am still trying to figure out which style to commit to. But my writing is comedic, and so I liked having more of an eye to play with so that I could hit more expressions.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback! It's very helpful.

Jean Watson · 21 Feb 2023, 05:13

@Laura-Hunt My pleasure! Can't wait to see your work in the future. Best of luck with the picture book dummy submission.