Introducing: Golden Pencils ✨ ✏️ ✨

Oooh ✨ ✏️ 1:1 portfolio reviews ONLY for live illustrators

Hello! Firstly, if you’re not a live illustrator or scribe or graphic recorder, this post isn’t for you 😅

Shoo! Go away!

**Aggressive teatowel flap**

Good news, though. The doors to Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag are open right now, and you might love that instead!

It’s over on The Good Ship Illustration. Here you go:

Byeeee 👋🏻

p.s. Pencil Pals’

Helen Stephens

and I did a live picture book chat yesterday all about our shiny new stories about Salty.

You can watch the replay HERE.

Ok, have they gone now? 👀

Ahh, fellow live illustration pal. Nice to see you here.

If you've watched this ‘how to get jobs board jobs’ video and you’re still quietly wondering why your portfolio isn’t landing the work you want, or what tweaks could take your live illustration career to the next level, this might just be for you.

Behind the scenes I’ve been quietly offering VIP half-days, which are a MEGA-intensive look at your entire business to help you be strategic and up-level.

But they’re priced at thooosands of poonds.
(You can send me a direct message here on Substack if you’re interested in this option.)

Those VIP days are aimed at illustrators who are already smashing it, but know they could benefit from some golden nuggets and high-level live illustration business strategy and nerding out to get to the next level of their live illustration career.

😅 Thoosands of poonds is a lorra lorra money if you aren’t charging much yet and you don’t *really* know what being strategic and up-levelling might look like for you. Not everyone is ready (or wants) me to sit with them for 4 hours and go through their entire business to strategically up-level the shit out of it.

*The VIP half-days are priced based on you getting 2 nice big live illustration bookings, and I’d hope and expect you to get way more than 2 live illustration bookings after we worked together. But that’s another chat for another time.

It’s a lot. I get it. A few people I’ve chatted to mentioned that it’d be great if there was a kind of stepping-stone option.

That’s why, by popular demand…

The ‘Golden Pencil’ tier is now available! ✏️ ✨

The Golden Pencil membership includes an entire YEAR of Illustrator Jobs Board goodness, as well as an intensive 1-hour 1:1 portfolio review designed to give you clarity, confidence, and a plan to attract better clients and higher-paying illustration projects.

Phwoar.

What’s included?

Price: £495/year

1. A 1:1 portfolio review - Honest, constructive feedback on what’s working and what needs improving. We’ll have 1 hour together online, just me, you and your portfolio to see what’s working and where you can make tweaks to improve. I’ll also cast my eye over your jobs board applications to see if there’s anything I can help with there too.

2. A ‘next steps’ plan – Clear step-by-step actions to take to up-level your portfolio and stand out. Stick it on your wall afterwards to remind yourself what we covered :)

3. Full jobs board access for 1 year - You’ll be guaranteed 12 months of Illustrator Jobs Board opportunities to apply for.

This isn’t just a casual chat - it’s us going FULL live-illustration-nerd together, and you inviting me to dive head-first into your live illustration & graphic recording portfolio with you. We’ll look at your strengths and outline your next moves so you can feel all organised and smug and start attracting the right live illustration clients and projects for you.

Some Golden Pencil 1:1 portfolio review feedback 🥰

Who’s this for?

Scribes, live illustrators, anyone who considers themselves to be a live events drawing person who’d like to improve their jobs board applications, and get some 1:1 time with my eyeballs on your work.

Who’s it not for?

Illustrators with ZERO live illustration or graphic recording/scribing pieces to look at. Bit tricky to review a portfolio that doesn’t exist yet, innit?

Another Golden Pencil 1:1 testimonial

Here are some questions you might be asking or worrying about:

1. Is £495 worth it? What if it doesn’t work?

Think of it this way - one decent client booking will cover the cost (a few times over 😅), and this session is designed to help you get more than just one! Plus, you get a clear action plan so you're not left guessing what to do next.

Also… the price will be going up to £495 in the new financial year. Join before the 5th of April to lock in the current price.

2. I don’t know if my portfolio is ‘ready’ for a review.

Your portfolio doesn’t need to be ‘perfect’ to benefit from a review. If anything, this is the best time to get feedback! Let’s have a look at it *before* you spend months second-guessing what needs tweaking.

To reassure you, I’m more than happy to cast my eye over your portfolio again after you’ve gone away and made changes. This post-portfolio-review check-in will be done via message, and can happen any time that you’re still a Golden Pencil member.

3. I’m just getting started. Will this help me?

Yep!

Whether you're already getting live illustration work or just starting out, this session will help you position yourself for better opportunities and avoid the common portfolio pitfalls that I’ve seen in the wild.

4. Will you be harsh? I’m nervous about criticism.

Me too! 😆 But don’t worry, there’s no soul-crushing criticism here. I’ll be honest, but always constructive. The goal is to help you feel more confident, not overwhelmed or emotionally destroyed 😅

5. I don’t have time for a deep-dive.

That’s exactly why this is just 1 hour. Short an’ snappy. No fluff, just clear feedback you can actually use.

6. Can’t I just figure this out on my own?

Course you can! But a nice productive 1:1 portfolio review might help you avoid wasted months of guessing and floundering. 👀

You’ll get direct, tailored feedback in our hour together, and you’ll fast-track your progress. You’ll also leave the portfolio review with a solid ‘actions list’ to work from.

7. I’m not sure my portfolio is ‘good enough’ for a review.

Every illustrator’s portfolio is a work in progress! If you’re applying for jobs, you’re ready for feedback. The Golden Pencil tier is all about helping you see where to refine and improve, so you can get the work you want.

8. Who do you think you are, Katie? Why should I book a 1:1 portfolio review with you?

I’ve been live illustrating since 2016 now, and in that time I’ve worked with clients like Adobe, Google, Netflix, Apple, and a load of other big brands and corporations. I scaled my live illustrating into a big ol’ agency in 2024 (before it totally frazzled me) so I know a thing or two about what clients are looking for, what makes a glorious live illustration, and what to watch out for when you’re scribing.

I haven’t seen any other graphic recording people offering such targeted and specific portfolio 1:1s like this… maybe they’re out there but if this is the corner of the illustration industry that you want to thrive in, it can’t hurt to try an hour-long review.

Also worth noting - there is absolutely ZERO pressure.

An important note

I’ve got plenty of my own live illustration work and Good Ship stuff to be getting on with.

This higher tier 1:1 option has only been set up because it’s been asked for over and over again. This is me being like ‘UGH. OKAY, FINE. Give iz your portfolio to look at then.” **grumpily pushes glasses up nose**.

If you don’t book a 1:1, that means I can go and have a nap instead. 😆

However, if this Golden Pencils thing sounds exciting to you, I’d love you to invite me to have a look at your portfolio.

To book, upgrade your membership to the Golden Pencil tier. Then, I’ll send you the pre-work questions and a link to add yourself to my calendar.

To upgrade, either click here, or go to the ‘manage subscriptions’ bit in your Substack settings, and click on the jobs board.

You might also be able to upgrade your subscription to Golden Pencil with this magic button thingie here too:

Byeeee,

x Katie