"First Looks" at WPaSCBWI Fall Conference

Call for Submissions

This year’s WPaSCBWI conference in Pittsburgh will include a new event to showcase your illustrations. In previous years during the conference break after lunch, writers participated in “First Pages” where the first page of several anonymous stories (randomly chosen) were read aloud in the ballroom and commented on by conference faculty, including editors and agents. This year we will be sliding in “First Looks” between readings, also critiqued by faculty.

Details:

1. Create three illustrations that are related, preferably sequential. They can be color or black and white. You can illustrate any subject matter as long as it’s kid-related and could be published as such. Show that you can carry characters through a story.
2. Save all three illustrations SEPARATELY (we will need three individual files):
1. 72 dpi
2. RGB
3. No larger than 720 pixels in either direction
3. Only three illustrations will be accepted per member.
4. Digital files only.
5. Conference organizers won’t be scanning, color correcting or sizing anyone’s work, so make sure it looks the way it’s supposed to and save it correctly.
6. Email your three files to illustrations@nora-thompson.com with the subject line "First Looks."
7. Only one set of three images are allowed per illustrator.
8. Deadline for submissions: November 1, 2012.
9. Only conference attendees may submit.
10. If your files do not adhere to the above specs, your submission could be rejected.

Good luck!

The Golden Penn needs your art!

The copy for the Spring issue of The Golden Penn arrived on ChrisAnn Goossen's desk this morning with some great articles, and she needs some springy art to go with them. Contributions from WPaSCBWI illustrators would be greatly appreciated. Jpeg and full color work great with our online presentation.

Please send illustrations to ChrisAnn at ChrisAnnKG@verizon.net. If she can't use the piece for this issue she'll keep it on file for a future one.

Thank you for making The Golden Penn a publication our region can feel good about.

Jack Gantos wins the Newbery

Congratulations to Jack Gantos for winning the John Newbery Award for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature!

For those of you who don't know, Jack grew up in Norvelt, Pennsylvania (born in Mount Pleasant), and his mother still lives in the area. The book that won him the award was Dead End in Norvelt, released last September. If you ever have the chance to see Mr. Gantos speak live, I would highly recommend it.

Again, congratulations to one of our own!

Show your work at the Bologna Book Fair

Submit your illustration work for the SCBWI Portfolio at Bologna

SCBWI will be running a stand at this year’s Bologna Book Fair, the most prestigious gathering of children’s publishers in the world. 

The Illustration Display Portfolio (IDP) will be available for browsing throughout  the fair and is open to submissions from PAL (Published and Listed) SCBWI members of all regions.

You don’t need to be attending the Fair in order to submit to the portfolio.

Submissions
(see also http://www.scbwibologna.org/display-portfolio.php)

Illustrators are requested to email a low resolution PDF of the
promotional piece they'd like to exhibit to IDP@scbwiBologna.org by
February 14, 2012.

The promotional PDF should:

• contain up to 3 images maximum, with your name and contact details clearly visible
• be on one side of a letter (8.5 x 11 inch) size page
• be in portrait format (i.e. height taller than width)
• have a Maximum size of 1MB.

All artwork will then be reviewed for inclusion.

Successful applicants will be asked to make a high-definition (300+ dpi) quality PRINT OUT of their accepted sample page, at A4 size which will then be mailed to the IDP. The print will be included in the Illustration Display Portfolio and taken to Bologna.

Participation in the Illustration Display Portfolio is free but space is
limited so a careful selection will be made of pieces that work for the
publishing world at Bologna.

WPa Illustrators in Gettysburg

A few of the members of the Western Pennsylvania chapter of the SCBWI are also members of the region's Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, who publish a newsletter each month for their members. December's issue includes an article covering the Tri-Regional SCBWI conference in Gettysburg last November on pages six and seven. The newsletter is in pdf format, and can be downloaded here:

http://www.pittsburghillustrators.org/Newsletters/PSInside_Dec11.pdf

The Unofficial Tomie dePaola Award Gallery

Wonder what other entries to the Tomie dePaola Award look like? Take a look at the ones collected on this blog for inspiration:

http://scbwicontest.blogspot.com/

Looking for art for the Golden Penn

ChrisAnn Goossen is looking for art for this month's Golden Penn newsletter. Pieces with a winter or holiday theme would be great for this issue. Also, any pieces featuring kids and/or literature and art are always appropriate.

Email her at chrisannkg@verizon.net