There are two questions I get constantly from illustrators just starting out.

“How do I build a portfolio when I have no client work?” and “How do I know what art directors look for in a portfolio?”

It’s a real catch-22. You need a portfolio to get hired. You need to get hired to build a portfolio. And while you’re going in circles trying to figure it out, someone else lands the job.

Lucky for you, I’ve been on both sides of this problem.

I spent the final years of my 25-year first career as an art director, reviewing portfolios and making hiring decisions within 10 seconds. And I’m now an illustrator who had to build her own portfolio from scratch.

So let me tell you what I know from both chairs.

(BTW, this is how long I would look at a portfolio. )

What I was actually looking for as an art director

My AD experience wasn’t in publishing. It was in marketing and graphic design: brand campaigns and commercial work. So when I reviewed illustrator portfolios, my questions were different from a publisher’s.

I was looking for one thing above everything else: can I picture this work in a campaign/project?

That meant I needed to see a consistent, recognizable style. Something I could brief against. If I looked at your portfolio and couldn’t immediately understand what your work felt like, I moved on. I couldn’t sell “versatile” to a client. I needed to know exactly what I was getting because I would need to explain and back up my decision.

I was also looking for conceptual thinking. Did this illustrator/designer understand what their work needed to DO? There’s a difference between making a beautiful illustration and making one that communicates something specific. Commercial work requires the second. A lot of portfolios showed me the first.

What made me close the tab

Most portfolio reviews were over in under a minute.

I was busy, and most portfolios didn’t give me a reason to keep scrolling.

The most common reason? I couldn’t picture the work anywhere. Too many styles, too many subjects, no clear sense of what this illustrator actually stood for. I needed to see a point of view. A body of work with a through-line.

The worst thing: I was in a corporate setting, and as an agency, we had our own portfolio. I knew when a designer or illustrator would pitch their work without having seen our own portfolio beforehand — I personally enjoy bubbly colorful styles, but my corporate clients would not.1

But publishing is a completely different world.

When I became a children’s book illustrator, I discovered that publishers need something almost entirely different from what I was looking for as a marketing AD.

They’re buying storytellers. And what they need to see in your portfolio is this:

Sequential work. A beginning, middle and end. Characters moving through a story. Evidence that you understand narrative, not just composition.

Consistent characters. The same kid, from multiple angles, in multiple emotions. If your character looks different on every page, a publisher can’t hire you for a 32-page book.

Kids/characters interacting. Kids playing, fighting, laughing, helping each other. The alive, messy moments that picture books are made of.

Emotional range. Happy is easy. Can you do scared? Embarrassed? That specific kind of devastated that only happens when you drop your ice cream cone?

I knew all of this from months of research and from my mentor, a former publishing AD who knew exactly what the industry was looking for. The problem was I had none of it in my own portfolio.

So I made it up. Strategically.

Picture book spreads built from scratch. Sequential narratives made for clients I hadn't met yet. All built around what I knew publishers needed to see.

Strategic fake projects are just as valuable as client work. Publishers don’t care if you were paid to make it. They care if it proves you can do the job.

So I created a dummy book, then another, and my mentor would give me briefs to fill in the gaps. This took me MONTHS. A great spread can take me up to 30 hours of work, and I needed around 20 pieces.2

How to build it when you’re starting from scratch

Step 1: Get clear on what you want to be hired for.

Before you create a single piece, decide what problem you’re solving. Children’s books? Editorial? Middle grade? Product? Pick one. The portfolio you build for each of those looks completely different.

For children’s books, treat the list above as your checklist: sequential storytelling, consistent characters, emotional range, kids interacting. Those are the gaps to fill.

Step 2: Study 10-15 publishers whose work excites you.

Go to the library. Pull 20 books published by the houses on your list. Look at what styles they’re buying. What emotional tones. What kinds of characters.

Study them to understand the market you’re entering.

Step 3: Create pieces that fill the gaps.

Want to show sequential storytelling? Create a 4-6 spread sequence. Make up a story, give it a character, give that character a problem to solve.

Want to show kids interacting? Create a scene with at least two children. Make something happen between them.

Do this for every gap on your checklist. You’re building evidence. That’s what matters.

Step 4: Run every piece through your 3 North Star words.

Every piece you keep should reflect the feeling you want your work to be known for. The emotional fingerprint of your work at its best. That’s the filter.

If a piece doesn’t fit? Cut it. Even if you love it. Even if it took you 20 hours.

How many pieces should be in your portfolio? The jury’s still out on that one, but 20 is a number to work toward. After that, curate the work that shows your current skill and interest.

You might feel like you’re faking it.

Building a portfolio without client work might feels dishonest. Keep going anyway.

Every piece you create intentionally, with a specific publisher and a specific brief in mind, is practice that compounds. You’re learning the market and building evidence at the same time.

When a publisher opens your portfolio six months from now, they’ll ask one question: can this person do the work I need?

Make sure the answer is obvious.

Where to start

Before you open Procreate, do the brand work first.

Figure out your 3 North Star words, the emotional fingerprint of your best work. I also call it your creative Spirit. Because once you know those, every portfolio decision gets easier. Which pieces to create. Which to keep. Which to cut without guilt. Which clients to pursue.

The free exercise that walks you through it is called Find Your Creative North Star. It takes about 15 minutes to complete.

[Find Your Creative North Star, it’s free →]

See you next week!
Valerie xo

I didn’t plan to say yes. Wait, that’s not true. I planned to say yes the moment I read the brief.

But for the first time in a long time, I knew why I was saying yes.

Two weeks ago I got an email from one of the publisher I have worked with. I’m always happy when they reach out, we don’t have a lot of French Canadian publishers in my region, and they are the only Children’s publisher. Anyway, they had a project for me.

The project: a picture book rooted in Acadian culture, with a very mischievous character. My gut said yes instantly. But I’ve learned not to trust my gut alone. My gut has gotten me into some expensive, miserable projects over the years.1

So I did the thing I always do now before committing to anything. I held the project up to my three words.

Warm. Mischievous. Accessible.

These are my Creative North Star words, the three adjectives that describe not what my work looks like, but how it feels. The emotional fingerprint of everything I make when I’m at my best.

I landed on them about a year into my illustration career, during a particularly confusing afternoon when I was staring at my portfolio trying to figure out why some projects felt like me and others felt like I was wearing someone else’s clothes.

I went through every piece I’d made and asked the same question: what does this feel like?

Not what does it look like. Not what style is it. Not is it technically good.

How does it feel?

After a couple of hours and a lot of coffee,2 three words kept surfacing. The same three, over and over, for the work I loved most.

Warm. Mischievous. Accessible.

Back to the kid’s book.

I held the brief up to those three words like a piece of vellum paper held up to light.

Warm? Yup. The story is funny and makes you wanna say awww.

Mischievous? The principal has spunk!

Accessible? I live in Acadia, so the story will for sure speak to the region.

Three for three. So I replied and said yes 5 minutes later.

What I love about this is that it’s a completely different creative experience than saying yes because the money was good, or because you didn’t want to disappoint someone, or because you felt like you should take it.

When a project aligns with your words (which I would argue is a bit of your soul), the work comes easier. The decisions come easier. Even the hard days feel purposeful instead of just hard.

The other side of this.

I want to be honest with you, because this system has also made me say no to projects I would have taken without hesitation two years ago.

A client came to me wanting sleek, corporate illustration: interesting brief, good budget and professional in every way.

But when I held it up to my three words?

Zero match.

The work they needed was precise, cool and in vectors, all things I respect enormously but am completely wrong for.

I passed. Politely, gratefully, with a referral to someone who was a much better fit.

Old me would have taken that project and quietly resented every hour of it.3

New me said no with a clear conscience, because I had evidence that it wasn’t right. Not just a feeling. A framework.

That’s what three words can do.

Here’s the important part.

Your three words aren’t about style: they’re not about your colour palette, your aesthetic or your medium. They’re about the feeling underneath all of it, the spirit of your work. This is what will make your work stand out, this is what will make an art director see consistency and remember you for the right project.

Which means they apply to everything:

→ Which projects to take (and which to release without guilt)
→ Which portfolio pieces actually represent you
→ Which clients are worth pursuing
→ Which collaborations make sense
→ Which social posts feel like you versus which ones feel like a costume

When I post something that does really well, I can usually trace it back: warm (personal, human), mischievous (unexpected angle), accessible (no jargon, no gatekeeping, very relatable).

When something falls flat? Nine times out of ten I went somewhere that doesn’t match my words. Too polished. Too distant. Too safe.

Your three words become a tuning fork. You hold things up to them, and they tell you whether you’re in tune or not. It’s fundamental branding work ( I know, we illustrator are a bit allergic to that word. Trust me, you don’t need to). Done right, it will make your freelance life easier.

How to find yours.

I built a free exercise that walks you through exactly this.

It’s called Find Your Creative North Star — and it’s the thing I wish someone had handed me when I was starting out.

It’s a five-step process that takes you from “I have no idea how to describe my work” to three specific words that are actually yours. Not borrowed from someone else’s bio. Not whatever sounds impressive. Not “colorful.”4

[Find Your Creative North Star — it’s free →]

It takes about 15 minutes. Some people do it faster. Some people stare at Step 3 for an entire afternoon and then have a breakthrough in the shower.

Either way, it’s worth doing before you make another creative decision.

Where are you right now?

Are you at the stage of figuring out your three words for the first time? Or do you have words already but aren’t sure what to do with them yet?

Valerie xo

Sometimes I wish I had a time machine.

Not to go back and fix mistakes — I’ve made peace with those. But to find 44-year-old Val, sitting at her desk wondering if this whole illustration thing was com…

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THE CASE

The roughs were delivered. The next steps explained. A Zoom call was offered.

And then… Crickets. Fifteen freakin’ days of them.

No “got it, looks great.” Or “can we talk about the sketch?” No …

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I have a lot to share on practical stuff money-wise. I am NOT an accountant, nor a “how to make money quick” specialist - though I would advise to be wary of those!

I am a freelancer and have been sin…

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Not a dramatic, staring-at-the-ceiling, questioning-all-my-life-choices slump1, just that low-grade, background hum of “I should be doing …

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Not “what’s wrong with it?” Not “what would you fix?” Just:

“Wee…

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This week I’m addressing a question I get asked often: how do you know when you can ditch the day job and go full time creative? It’s a tricky question because it involves math, knowing your stress t…

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So last week I started recording the videos for my upcoming workshop. And it was 100% awkward.

You might have noticed that I don’t post videos of myself. No Lives. No podcasts. No reels where I talk t…

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There was a feeling of restlessness that was ever so present when I started my illustration career. I used to create non-stop, took classes — even though I’ve been painting and designing since I was …

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I was 45 when I got my ADHD diagnosis. I was also 45 when I started my illustration career. People assume this was terrible timing.

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Hey it’s Val! I took some time off this week so I decided to recycle a post from March last year. I hope you enjoy!

I have ADHD.

I also run a fully-booked illustration business, send a weekly newsletter, and somehow remember to feed my family most days.

How? Not through perfect systems. Not through hustle culture. Not through working 12-hour days1 .

Through imperfect systems that work on my bad days.

Because here’s the thing: as a late-diagnosed ADHD adult, my relationship with time is... complicated.

For the longest time, I thought I was just bad at planning and time management—hence my deep, desperate need for a rock-solid system to keep me on track.

Do I actually stick to it? Eh… depends on the day.

Some days, I’m a scheduling machine. Other days? Let’s just say my “system” is more of a suggestion than a rule. But I do thrive on routines, and honestly, I sometimes wish I could run my life like a military operation—complete with color-coded Post-its. Because in theory, knowing exactly what I should be doing at all times sounds amazing, right?

So, in the spirit of embracing imperfection, here are my very flawed but somewhat effective rules for time management.

Quick note before we dive in: If you want weekly tactical tips like this (portfolio strategy, client management, pricing, time blocking) delivered straight to your inbox—join 530+ illustrators getting my Thursday newsletter. Plus you’ll get my Brand Foundation Worksheet (free until March 1, 2026). After that? Workshop-only. [Grab it here →]

PART 1: PROTECTING YOUR FOCUS

1. Focus is everything

The problem isn’t that I can’t plan, it’s that I focus on everything at once or the wrong thing entirely.

With ADHD, I don’t just get distracted, I get absorbed in the wrong things. I can spend 3 hours perfecting a color palette that doesn’t matter and forget to invoice a client. So I don’t fight my hyperfocus. I direct it.

I had to learn how to monitor and manage my focus because, let’s be real, it’s one of the top five most important things in life (right up there with coffee and remembering to eat).

How I protect my focus:

Social media? Scheduled after lunch and deleted from my phone.

Emails? Twice a day, max.

Messaging clients? Nope. I never use Messenger for work. (Exception: If the world is on fire and I’m waiting for a time-sensitive answer.)

At the start of every year, I dedicate an entire week to planning. It helps me set goals for each season and, more importantly, makes it easier to say NO to anything that doesn’t align.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: managing time isn’t just about planning—it’s about protecting your focus.

2. Mastering the art of saying “no”

Learning to say “no” should become your superpower.

If it’s not planned? It’s a NO.
If it’s not a life-or-death emergency straight out of an action movie? It’s a NO.
If I just don’t feel like it? Guess what… It’s a NO!

How to turn down a project (or an opportunity) gracefully:

The simple, effective no: “I’m sorry, but I can’t take on your project at this time.”

You can choose to explain why or not. But in my experience, a little transparency goes a long way if you want to maintain a good business relationship.

The no… but with a future option: If you can’t say yes right now but want to keep the client, let them know your conditions. For example, if someone throws a last-minute project your way, you can say: “I’d love to help in the future, but to make that happen, you’d need to book x-time in advance.”

The no… unless something changes: “I’m sorry, but I can’t take on your project under these conditions (explain which ones). However, if (e.g., longer deadlines, better budget, free coffee & donuts), then we can talk.”

This shows that you’re open to discussion without turning into a pushover. And if it’s a firm no? No need to negotiate.

Turning down a project, whatever the reason, isn’t a negative act. On the contrary, it allows you to make your voice heard, assert your work methods, and build healthy professional relationships.

Setting boundaries is a key part of managing your business, and you’re the only one who can enforce them. An entrepreneur who knows how to say no is an entrepreneur who’s in control of her time!

P.S. Saying “no” to projects is easier when you’re clear on your brand and who you serve. If you’re struggling with that clarity, my Brand Foundation Worksheet walks you through it in 90 minutes. One illustrator used it and signed her first book deal 2 months later. [Get it here before March 1 →]

3. Stop interruptions

Intentional ignorance when it comes to distractions is the way to go. To help you stay focused on your work instead of getting lost in a Pinterest rabbit hole, here are some tips:

→ Turn off your phone—or at the very least, silence notifications.

→ Put your phone on silent so that all calls go straight to voicemail. (Bonus points if your voicemail message is as clear as your out-of-studio email.)

→ Schedule all your phone and Skype calls. No surprise interruptions!

→ Work offline whenever possible, or at least keep only the browser tabs that are absolutely necessary for your task.

→ Never—ever—open Instagram while you’re working. Seriously, just don’t.

PART 2: PLANNING SYSTEMS THAT WORK

4. Plan your schedule like a pro

Every Friday, plan/review out your schedule for the following week.

First, block out personal time—kickboxing classes, dinner with friends, workouts, meditation—basically, anything that isn’t work.

Important: Always save a little time for working on your own business too. Personally, I dedicate at least 5 to 12 hours a week for things like writing, marketing, website updates, etc. If you want your business to grow, you have to plan for it!

Then, schedule time blocks for current projects and specify exactly what you need to accomplish in each. Be careful not to overload your schedule! If possible, estimate how long each task will take. BTW, I have weekly to-do lists, leaves more time to accomplish anything and I can play with what I do every given day.

Finally, always leave some buffer time for unexpected things—because life happens.

5. Managing client work

Find a time management system that works for you when handling client projects.

Personally, I always propose a production calendar with clear deliverables for longer projects (it’s part of my contract). This helps me stay on track and know exactly when I can take on a new project. Plus, it cuts down on endless client emails asking, “Where are we at with this?”—which means fewer interruptions for me.

On my wall, I have a yearly calendar where I see how the projects are laid out throughout time. Keeps me from overloading my schedule and take on future projects where I am booked!

6. The Pomodoro Technique

For any task that requires deep focus, try using the Pomodoro Method:

→ Work for a set time (typically 25 minutes)

→ When the timer goes off, drop everything—no exceptions!—and take a 5-minute break

→ Repeat this cycle 4 times, then take a longer 30-minute break

Why this matters for ADHD: The timer is non-negotiable for my ADHD brain. Without it, 25 minutes becomes 4 hours and I forget to eat/pee/exist. The forced breaks keep me human.

Pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian, and the technique is named after those old-school tomato-shaped kitchen timers. You can read more about it on the Pomodoro website.

7. Prepping for the best day ever

I like to keep things simple. Every day, I try to plan two key tasks from my weekly list and I start with those. I track my time (so I can bill properly), and that’s it. Simple system, easy to stick with.

As for schedule, it can flow and change with the seasons, but this is the general schedule I work with these days, as an adult with a 16 year old kid and no other responsibility:

MY DAILY SCHEDULE (ADHD-FRIENDLY EDITION)

🌅 6:45-10:00 AM → Slow Morning Routine

• Journal with first coffee

• Meditation

• Walk Java (my dog)

• Get dressed, wash face

• Breakfast with hubby

(I’m not a morning person. My brain doesn’t wake up until 10:30. I don’t fight this anymore.)

⚡ 10:30 AM-12:30 PM → DEEP WORK #1

• Creative work, illustrations, writing

• Client work that needs focus

• Important meetings (high energy time!)

🍽️ 12:30-1:00 PM → Lunch

📧 1:00-2:00 PM → Light Work

• Emails

• Checking socials

• Research

• Anything needing internet

⚡ 2:00-4:00 PM → DEEP WORK #2

• Another focused session

• Client work continuation

💪 4:00-5:00 PM → Workout

👨‍👩‍👧 5:00-7:00 PM → Family Time + Dinner

• We eat as a family every night, it’s super important to us

🎨 7:00-9:30 PM → Depends

• Sometimes: Second wind! Portfolio or personal projects

• Sometimes: Just tired. Read or knit while watching TV.

• I honor what my body/mind needs

📚 9:30 PM → Bed + Reading

• Read until I fall asleep

This schedule works for me, with my challenges and a knowledge of my daily ups and downs. You need to figure out yours and plan accordingly.

Want help building YOUR sustainable creative schedule? That’s what I cover in my Thursday newsletter—real systems from a real freelancer, not the highlight reel.
[Join 530+ illustrators here →]

WHAT DOESN’T WORK (FOR ME)

It’s just as important to know what to avoid:

❌ Morning deep work → My brain doesn’t wake up until 10:30
❌ “Just power through” when focus is gone → This ends in burnout
❌ Checking email first thing → Spiral into inbox hell
❌ Social media on my phone → Delete it or doom-scroll for hours
❌ Working past 9 PM → Creativity dies, anxiety lives
❌ Trying to be a morning person → I’m not. I stopped pretending.

Your “doesn’t work” list will be different from mine. Honor it.

PART 3: CREATIVITY WITHIN STRUCTURE

8. A note on embracing creativity within structure

As a children’s book illustrator, creativity is my heartbeat—but it also needs space to thrive.

I’ve learned that creativity isn’t something you can schedule on a whim like an errand, nor is it something that fits neatly into a boxed time slot. I’m currently in the midst of starting a new book, and boy-o-boy, it’s sometimes a challenge to sit down and draw and have my creative power house on!

That said, having a plan in place actually allows my creative brain the freedom to wander without feeling chaotic.

By protecting my focus and managing my time, I create the mental space needed for those magical “aha” moments, whether it’s an idea for a new character or the perfect color palette for a spread. I can surrender to my creative flow without being anxious with time.

Without a structure, my ideas can easily get lost in the shuffle of endless tasks. But when I balance routine with flexibility, creativity flourishes—like the best illustrations, it requires both discipline and room to breathe.

Wrapping Up

As a late-diagnosed ADHD adult, managing time feels like creating the perfect illustration—every line needs to fit, but it doesn’t always happen the way you expect.

While I’ve learned that perfection isn’t the goal, creating a system that works for me is essential. Much like sketching a new book spread, I’ve had to trial, error, and adjust my routine. It’s about finding balance—protecting my focus, saying “no” when needed, and planning enough to make room for creativity.

For me, time management isn’t just about sticking to a strict schedule. It’s about honoring my creative process, adapting to the ebb and flow of my energy, and embracing that not every day will go as planned (and that’s okay).

Just like a storybook page that evolves from rough draft to final art, my time management system is a work in progress—but it’s uniquely mine.

If you’re an artist (or anyone with a quirky schedule), don’t be afraid to experiment and tweak things until it feels right.

If you want more behind-the-scenes like this—how I actually run my business, not the highlight reel—I send a tactical newsletter every Thursday.

Real systems. Real struggles. Real solutions.

Join 530+ illustrators getting weekly tips: [Thursday Newsletter →]

Plus grab my Brand Foundation Worksheet before March 1, 2026 (after that, it’s workshop-only): [Get the Worksheet →]

Thanks so much for reading!

Bises, Val xox

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

PS: got any questions on my time management style? Ask away in the comments!

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Hey It's Val! Last month when I posted about building your email list and pitching to art directors, a couple of you asked: "But I don't have any published work yet. Should I wait?"

I get this question at least once a week.

The answer? No. Don’t wait. Here’s why and what to do instead.

Once upon a time, I had no work

In 2023, when I told myself “fuck it, this is what I want to do and I don’t need anybody’s approval” it was followed by a lot of self doubt. A LOT:

• “I’ll look stupid reaching out with no credits.”

• “They won’t take me seriously.”

• “Where do I even begin?”

• “Should I wait until I’m more established?”

• “Nobody is going to hire a complete newby.”

• “I’m 44! They will think something’s wrong with me!”

Any of those thoughts ring a bell? My first year was a lot of “winging it” and no real strategic actions whatsoever. Posting daily on Instagram is strategic, right? Someone will eventually see my work and hire me or rep me, right?

Changing my strategy

I've been trying to remember what actually made me start my Bitching Pitching List. It was probably a combination of frustration with Instagram and reading about how successful illustrators got work. It might have been listening to The Illustration Dept. podcast. Anyway, I started in 2024 with about 20-ish emails I found online.

My portfolio was a mess. I’d stuffed it with graphic design work because... honestly? I was embarrassed. I was doing that comparison thing—you know, where you look at illustrators your age with published books, paid clients, awards, and feel like a fraud? Me? I had twenty years of professional work... just in the wrong field. So I padded my portfolio with graphic design just to look “experienced.”

No wonder I didn’t get any replies that first year, or if I did, I had vague responses. I was showing the wrong work.

Changing and curating my portfolio was one of the hard things I did that year. Getting rid of graphic design work (which shows up anyway in my art, more on that in another post) in my portfolio was the first step in embracing my new identity… or rather, ditching my made up identity gave the space to my real self to finally emerge.

So the first thing I would do before reaching out is to have an honest look at your portfolio. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but does it show the work you want to be hired for? You can read more about that subject here:

How I got my first paid gig

But enough about my self-accepting journey: you want to know HOW the hell did I get that first paid gig with zero published books, zero agent and zero credentials?!

Well, I first looked in my close-network: did I know anybody who could hire a children’s book illustrator? As a matter of fact, yes, I did! So I reached out to them (we previously worked together when I had my agency, they where doing copyright work for me) and they were thrilled to give me two double spreads to illustrate in their indie kid’s magazine.

As a late-bloomer, one of our super-power is actually the fact that we have had a previous career, whatever your industry/role was. I bet you talked to a LOT of peeps. Made Facebook friends.

So the second thing I would do, is to reach out to everyone in your network. Somebody knows someone: the word of mouth is not dead my friends!

The Outreach strategy close at home

In my case, I had people in my close network that were able to get me work, but not enough to have a sustainable career. I had to go beyond my playground, and that was scary as hell!

In mid 2024 I started sending emails to art directors and publishers. I had landed my first gig and was ready for more. So I would scourge the Internet and send 1-2 emails almost every day to publisher I knew. I also sent my portfolio to agents at that time (with no positive outcome). It was grueling work (still is!).

But slowly, it worked: I landed my first picture book project in Fall 2024. It was a small publishing house nearby and I was flipping out! I was able to meet the Editor in person and show her my work, talk about my experience and it gave me a chance to connect with her. I live now in a country side - by the sea town, so not a hugely populated place. Moncton, which is the biggest city around, is still kinda small if you compare it to Halifax or Montreal. What I want to say here is that if you don’t live in New York or any hugely populated city, search within your area and see if there is a small publisher (or any small business). They don’t get as many portfolio as a big publisher might and they could be interested in hiring the local artist they can meet (and do promotional local fairs in the future).

So the third thing I would do: research in your area for publisher and businesses and introduce yourself to them (better yet if you do it in person).

Grow that list and press send

You’ve been motivated to grow your list, great! But now, you actually need to send an email and have no clue what to write.

No worries, I’ll show you :)

Subject: Introduction - illustrator, Valerie Parizeault

Hello [Art Director Name],

I hope you are doing well. My name is Valerie, I'm a Canadian illustrator working in [gouache/digital/whatever], specializing in picture books and chapter books.[You can add a sentence about yourself here, but keep it short.]

Portfolio: [link to your /picture-books page]

I'm open to new projects and happy to discuss potential collaborations. 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Website]

That’s it. No credentials. No apologies for being new. Just: here’s my work, open to new projects.

You might think: is that enough? Remember this is not the only email you will send them. The next one will be in 3 months, and it will look something like this:

Subject: Portfolio update - illustrator, Valerie Parizeault

Hello [Art Director Name],

I hope you are doing well. My name is Valerie, I'm a Canadian illustrator working in [gouache/digital/whatever], specializing in picture books and chapter books.[You can add a sentence about yourself here, but keep it short.]

Just wanted to share some recent work as you plan for [upcoming season]. I've been focusing on [specific thing] and thought you might be interested.

Portfolio: [link to your /picture-books page]

I'm open to new projects and happy to discuss potential collaborations. 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Website]

Because you WILL have new pieces in your portfolio by then (even if it’s not paid work) as you add and re-work it.

But Val, you are reusing part of the first email? Isn’t that weird? Nope! I assure you, they don’t remember that first email. It’s better to refresh their memories so they have you in their mind when a project fits your style.

The important thing is consistency. Pitch every 3 months. When you DO have new and shiny credentials, add them to your email:

Subject: Portfolio update - illustrator, Valerie Parizeault

Hello [Art Director Name],

I hope you are doing well. My name is Valerie, I'm a published Canadian illustrator working in [gouache/digital/whatever].[You can add a sentence about yourself here, but keep it short.]

I specialize in picture book illustration and am also drawn to middle grade fiction and editorial projects. My picture book [name] was published by [publisher] in [year], with another title forthcoming from [publisher] in [year]. Beyond my published books, I've illustrated editorial pieces for children's magazines [list them here] and written and illustrated two published short stories in [list them here].

Portfolio: [link to your /picture-books page]

I'm open to new projects and happy to discuss potential collaborations. 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Website]

New published work, awards, winning portfolio contest… these should appear on the outreach emails. By the way, don’t forget to update your About page with your new credentials!

So this is the fourth thing I do because I never stopped:

• Don’t disappear after one email!

• Reach out every 3 months with new portfolio update/work/credentials.

• Track everything in my Bitching Pitching List

Things nobody will say to you when you start

1. Your art career is not a popularity contest. Likes and follows are not a guarantee of paid work.

2. You might need a part time or full time job while you are growing your illustration career, and even beyond that! I’m at year 3 and still have a part-time job. Nothing shameful in that!

3. Even if you don’t do this full time, you are still an illustrator.

4. Do not put your faith in being “discovered”.

5. Stop tying your self-worth to other people's opinions

6. Talent is overrated. Illustrators that get jobs are consistent, reliable, professional and do the outreach work.

7. Art directors are ALWAYS looking for new artist. There is work for everybody!

8. There is nothing romantic in being an illustrator. It’s hard work. It’s stressful. It’s sometimes lonely.

9. The anxiety and self-doubt don’t go away when you are published. I’m still surprised when an art director is thrilled with my work (I’m working on that!)

Just Start

Your action steps this week:

1. Make a list of 20 dream art directors/publishers

2. Find their emails (I’ll show you how next Monday)

3. Send 5 emails this week using the template above

4. Track responses (or non-responses) in a spreadsheet

5. Set a calendar reminder to follow up in 3 months

You don’t need an agent. You don’t need published books. You need a portfolio that shows you can do the work—and the guts to hit send.

PS: I'm walking through my actual outreach system (the templates, the tracking spreadsheet, the follow-up timing) in my Thursday emails. If you want the behind-the-scenes tactical stuff:

Join the Quick Tip Thursday here

Next Monday: How to find art director emails when they’re hiding (my 5 research methods). Because “no unsolicited submissions” on the website doesn’t mean you can’t find them.

Bises! Valerie xo
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