To SI or not to SI?

That is the question that Kim Kincaid posed as a followup to my last post: 

Do you recommend sending your work to these shows? Is it worth the expense? 

The short answer is yes and yes. Juried shows such as those sponsored by the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Spectrum and 3x3 are long running showcases of the best art the illustration industry has to offer. They are tough to get into because they are very competitive and only what was deemed the best gets in, so acceptance really means something. From the beginning of my career, I have entered these types of shows and I can credit early acceptance in CA and the Society shows for jump starting my career. It seems that every time I get in one of these shows, I get at least one project that I would not have otherwise landed. People look to these annuals every year to see what is good of at least what the hot trends are. Lets take a look at the pros and cons of entering these types of juried shows.

PROS:

1. Exposure. Your work gets seen by thousands of people who may otherwise not have noticed your work. Art buyers, creative directors and designers across the country wait every year for these annuals. If you get in, your work will be seen, and in a way that is impossible to get by any other method.
2. Credibility. Your work is grouped with the best art produced in that particular year. Your piece will be seen adjacent to some of the most respected artists in the industry, therefore, by association, YOU are one of the most respected artists in the industry. It doesn't matter if you have been a professional for 2 years or 20, your work was good enough to get in and that carries with it weight and respect.
3. Validation. Let's be honest, No matter that most of us would do art even if we never won anything, it feels good when others recognize your work for the quality it displays. When we win awards such as these, we can't help but feel vindicated and that in turn motivates us to push even further to improve even more.
4. Cheap Advertising. This is a Catch 22 since if you don't get your work in, you can feel like you wasted your money. But, if you DO get in, these annuals offer the cheapest exposure you can get. Full page spreads in a publication such as Communication Arts can cost thousands of dollars if you bought it yourself, but acceptance in an annual show can give you the same coverage for pennies on the dollar.

CONS:

1. Expensive To Enter. Justifying the expense seems to be the biggest deterrent to entering juried competitions and I admit that I feel it every time I enter. It can feel like you are metaphorically flushing your money down the drain when you shell out $35- or so per entry. Compound that price by several or even a dozen entries and the price starts to feel painful. I look at the entry fees as the price of doing business in the industry. I treat it as an advertising expense. I am paying for the chance to be seen in one of the annuals. There is no guarantee of getting in though, so I could be kissing that cash goodbye (which has happened plenty of times in the past).
2. Too Much Trouble to Enter: There are always deadlines and sometimes the entry process seems complicated. I have felt this and even avoided entering certain competitions from time to time because of this. The good news is, many of the most popular competitions have switched to online entry processes which makes entering far more simple than in the past. Gone are the days when you had to have a tear sheet of your work (or have your work photographed and printed) and then fill out all the forms by hand, package the pieces and FedEx them across the country because you procrastinated the deadline and couldn't send them by snail mail. Now you upload your JPEG into the proper category and even pay online. Spectrum is the lone holdout to online entry (come on guys!) but I suspect it will only be a matter of time there.
3. Hard to Get Accepted. Very true. Most of these shows attract four to six thousand of entries and only accept a two or three hundred pieces. That is roughly a two percent chance of getting your work into any given show. These odds seem steep because they are. That said, I don't think that should be a deterrent to entry. If you think you are good enough, you should enter. You will never know for sure unless you do.

I may be a little biased because I have had pretty good success of the years getting into these shows. I have been accepted into Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts and Spectrum multiple times and had my work in several other juried shows as well, so it is easy for me to tell you it's worth it. That said, here is my advice to anyone considering whether or not to enter a juried show.

The only guarantee I have is that if you don't enter, you won't get in.

Be smart about what you enter and which shows you target. Your style may be much better suited to one show rather than another. For instance, I can't remember the last time I entered American Illustration. My style just is not edgy and dark enough for me to feel like I have a reasonable shot at getting in that publication. If you do anything remotely fantasy oriented, then Spectrum is for you and so on. Budget money every year just for entries so that you don't feel like you are spending money you don't have. I figure if I have a few hundred bucks I can dedicate to getting show exposure, then it is much easier to justify the fees when they roll around. Only enter your very best work. The scatter gun approach doesn't really work here. It's too expensive to just throw out everything and see what sticks. Just go with what your gut tells you is your best. If that is three pieces, then enter three. I entered one piece in Spectrum the first year I got in. Don't get discouraged when you don't get in. It's hard to not take it personally when you thought you entered some good stuff, but that is how it goes. Juries are subjective and what didn't get in one show might get in another or get in the same show another year. Just keep doing your best work and entering your best pieces. The cream always rises to the top. I am still looking for that elusive medal, but I have to be pleased that getting in the shows is a significant accomplishment. Someday maybe. That is why I keep entering.

Hope that answers your question Kim! If anyone else has a different opinion or something else to add, please comment!

Enduring Image

"Looking for a Good Book"  12" x 12" acrylic

by Greg Newbold

If you work long enough in this business you will invariably create images that seem to transcend time and keep selling long after their inception. This is one of those images for me. It originally was conceived when I was given one of those "dream jobs". You know, the one where the art director calls and says "we need a cover for our catalog and here is the theme - take time for a good book - do whatever you want, just make it cool". I painted this image as a cover for book distributor Brodart. It ran on the cover and was later licensed as a poster for the same client.

As a Publisher's Weekly cover

With rare exception, I retain all subsequent copyrights for my work so that I can potentially resell them to other clients. Rarely does a client need, or even want, to secure all copyrights, so I always make sure my contracts only list the specific rights being licensed. Consequently, this piece has been picked up and used for probably a dozen different applications, including the cover of Publisher's Weekly, and seems to keep on chugging.

Scott Foresman Reading textbook adaptation

I even adapted it for use on a textbook cover by adding a wraparound piece of art along with a new toucan rider spot which was then Photoshopped together. Most recently (I got my copy last week) it appears on a library card for a branch of the San Bernardino County, California library system where it will also be blown up to mural size and be permanently affixed to the wall of the children's section.

Wow- my own library card!

I have also used it on a business card and since I have about a thousand of them, I still give it out from time to time. That may have been one reason why it keeps hanging around. The piece made it into the Spectrum annual and hung in the first Spectrum retrospective several years back at the Society of Illustrators. The moral of the story is keep your copyrights- you never know when someone might want to use your painting again.

"Tree" cover

Cover for Hilari Bell novel "Tree"

Art by Greg Newbold - unpublished acrylic on illustration board

This was to be the cover for the third novel in Hilari Bell's "Farsala" trilogy. It of course got axed when editorial decided to change directions. All of the books were retitled and given different covers. I, of course, still prefer mine over what was ultimately used, but it was not my call. I was disappointed, but got paid for all the work. This piece also made it into the Spectrum Annual.

Cover for "Wheel"

Cover for "Wheel"  a novel by Hilari Bell

Art by Greg Newbold - unpublished acrylic on illustration board

A few years back I had a chance to do paintings for a trilogy of Fantasy Novels written by Hilari Bell and published by Simon and Schuster. I had previously done the cover for her book "Songs of Power", so I figure they liked it enought to call me again. I did a painting for the first book then titled "Flame" which was published  and also a spine piece that would span all three books. Wanting to keep continuity, the art director commissioned all of the three covers at the same time and I painted them in short succession. They turned out nicely and I was looking forward to having a trilogy of books to my credit when there was a change at the editorial level and my covers were axed. I got the last laugh when the final two covers were accepted into the Spectrum Annual which showcases the best in fantastic illustration each year.