Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing

Posts tagged “Doug Cushman

Daily Distraction: Prepare Your Portfolio – Illustrators’ Workshop with Doug Cushman!

Posted on October 9, 2014

The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators The Netherlands is proud to announce an illustrators’ workshop in Amsterdam with award-winning illustrator/author Doug Cushman. In this true “hands on” day-long workshop, Doug will briefly discuss what is necessary for a professional illustration portfolio and then work one-on-one with each attendee for the rest of the day, discussing specific concerns, approaches and solutions to individual problems in their portfolios. Attendees are expected to be drawing and painting in the class, so bring your paint, your brushes, your pencils, your laptop! The workshop is the perfect preparation for the upcoming SCBWI Europolitan Conference in Amsterdam, where illustrators will have the opportunity to present their portfolios to publishing professionals like agents and Art Director Martha Rago of HarperCollins Children’s…

Fabulous Amsterdam Conference

Posted on November 6, 2011

We are looking back at an excellent first SCBWI NL conference. I think every single participant loved the speakers, their keynotes, lectures and the hands-on break-out sessions. I particularly liked Doug Cushman’s opening keynote and his advice to always remember how you started, why you started, and, most important, what drove you to wanting to be a writer or an illustrator. His Space Cat is a terrific illustration of that: written when Doug was 8 years old and published a couple of years ago. As he said: we don’t change that much. Erzsi Deàk of the Hen&ink Agency enlightened us on what agents and editors are looking for these days. Her breakdown of the buzz at the Frankfurt International Book Fair was insightful and helpful…

Literary Death Match and other good things

Posted on October 31, 2011

Three things came together this past week. We had a couple of late bloomers signing up for the first SCBWI conference in the Netherlands. Yay! D-Day is this coming Saturday and I am very, very excited about the illustrious illustrator and writer Doug Cushman who will open the conference. The title of his keynote? In the Beginning Was Space Cat. Who doesn’t remember the cosmic adventures of the space hero who effortlessly rivals Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and many other great space age heroes? Space Cat was the onset of Doug’s stellar career, as it still is the onset of the reading careers of so many kids. The other thing that came to me was the Literary Death Match. These killing matches, as co-creator…

Just A Few More Seats Available

Posted on October 3, 2011

We are happy to announce that the preparations for the first conference of the SCBWI The Netherlands chapter are in full blast. The registrations are in, the speakers are lined up, the venue is ready! But… We have a couple more seats available, so we have decided to extend the registration period until October 8. First come, first serve! We also have two more spots available for manuscript reviews and some more for the portfolio reviews. So polish up your WIPs and dust off your illustrations, and send them in. Agent Erzsi Deàk and Writing Coach Sarah Blake Johnson are ready to provide you with the most valuable advice on your projects. Submission deadline: 8 October latest! If you sign up for a portfolio review…

Conference Now Open for Registration

Posted on August 31, 2011

Venue? Check! Speakers? Check! Program? Check! Flyers? Check Website? Check In short: The first SCBWI NL conference is now OPEN FOR REGISTRATION Are you interested in writing and illustrating for children and do you need guidance? Are you already writing and illustrating for children, but do you wish to hone your craft with the best teachers out there? Are you interested in how publishing in the Netherlands and in the global market works? Would you like to know about literary agents, about app building, about book making, and above all about writing and illustrating for kids and teens? Now is your chance! On Saturday November 5, 2011 the conference The Netherlands and the Big World Out There: Publishing in the Global Market will be…