Pitch Your Portfolio
A pitching + licensing course for surface designers by Shannon McNab
join pitch your portfolio
but maybe that version of you feels far away from where you are today. instead, you find yourself wondering:
- How do I find art directors that like my art?
- How do I stand out in such a crowded industry?
- Will I ever make any money in surface design?
- Set your OWN work schedule.
- Land licensing deals with your dream companies.
- And most importantly, get PAID doing what you love!
Or better yet... have your designs on their products!
Wouldn't it be AMAZING if your art actually got noticed by companies?
And I've helped hundreds of artists learn how to pitch their art to companies using the exact same system I created for myself.
Want the good news?
Because when you have the right system in place, amazing things can happen. And I'm speaking from experience...
After earning a little less than $12k in my first full year as a surface designer, I overhauled my pitching strategy and my efforts lead to me licensing and freelancing with over a dozen companies, earning me over $27k in my 2nd year.
Don't get me wrong – it takes time and practice to develop a surface design career. And luckily, you're already doing part of the work: creating designs for your portfolio. But focusing just on your artwork, hoping you get noticed isn't enough!
You also need to send your art to companies regularly – without getting overwhelmed – and that means you need a plan.
Getting your work seen doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming.
Pitch Your Portfolio was a wonderful stepping stone for me to take myself seriously as a business, and it gave me the tools to start acting like it! If you are ready to take a serious step into an art business, this is a great place to start.
"Since taking PYP, I have signed a fabric licensing contract and had my first buyout with a major brand."
- Audrey Mann
Before PYP I felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start. But this course gave me clear steps to get organized and target companies. It’s a very extensive, practical, and straightforward course aimed at making seemingly complicated things easy and even fun.
"Now I feel organized and motivated to start pitching my work."
- Malika Buttinger
Pitch Your Portfolio is the equivalent of a beautiful and informative flow chart that I can reference at any point in the pitching process to determine what to do next. I'm incredibly grateful that this resource exists!
"This course was more than worth the investment. It filled in all the practical gaps I was missing in a clear and concise manner."
- maria rose adams
I’ve been an art director and project coordinator, but hadn't come up with a set of tools that worked for licensing until PYP. I honestly was ready to leave the business, but I sold 3 pieces during this course because I found the confidence to re-contact two potential clients at the right time.
"Taking more classes was on my list of don'ts this year, but this is the one I needed the most!"
- Susan Brand
She gives you step-by-step ways to organize your computer files, actual templates you can use to track all of the company research you do, and email templates to use when reaching out to companies. It really removed the stress of starting from scratch when I was ready to pitch.
"Even though I have a lot of experience from my previous career with reaching out to people, the tips Shannon shares are priceless.”
- usha mishra
Pitch Your Portfolio teaches you a simplified, repeatable system for finding, connecting with, and presenting your art to companies
In a way that is focused, less overwhelming, and makes it more likely that you'll hear “yes” from a company.
Inside pitch your portfolio, you'll get everything you need to find & pitch to companies so you can land licensing deals
Six easy-to-follow modules with practical video lessons that walk you step-by-step through the entire PYP system — without overwhelm.
MadLib-style intro & follow-up email templates so you can fill in the blanks, hit send, and make outreach so much easier.
Ready-to-use portfolio templates so you can easily make your designs perfectly polished and ready to present to art directors.
Actual screenshots of emails with art directors to take a lot of the guesswork out of pitching yourself.
Airtable organization templates & set-up instructions using my favorite FREE software (Airtable) to organize your art business.
Candid creative director and agent interviews to hear exactly what they look for in emails that lead to licensing deals.
Live portfolio chats hosted by our community manager to get feedback on your artwork from other artists.
Private online community for regular, unconditional support from me (Shannon) and your fellow students from around the world.
join pitch your portfolio
If you are ready to master the art of pitching your work, Shannon is the go-to person! If you are worried about the investment, I can tell you it is worth it (as long as it is within your means). Shannon knows the industry and shares with us sooo much!
"PYP gave me the key to boost my confidence, being simple but effective and landed me my very first licensing deal."
- Cris Pliego
The 12 most common surface design markets with a SUPER helpful chart showing which themes each market uses.
How to package your portfolio for maximum impact and organize your design files, so you can find and send things easily.
Real-life examples of how to evaluate your design style, plus a 70+ word cheat sheet if you don’t know where to start.
BONUS: Portfolio sell sheet template suite provided in PSD, AI and InDesign, giving you maximum flexibility when designing.
Module 1: Your Portfolio
How to organize your research from day one, using a single document making it easy to keep track of it all.
The #1 thing to remember during company research to make your search as efficient and effective as possible.
Company search 101: Demonstrations of 8 different methods for finding companies, including the one you should avoid — I’ll walk you through each step-by-step.
ALSO INCLUDED: Lists for 3 search methods to help you get a head start with your company research.
Module 2: Searching for Clients
Other job titles beyond art directors to look for because ADs aren’t the only ones buying art.
How to search for the right person to contact at a company with demos of 6 different methods and which approach is best for different companies.
The best tool for finding an art director’s email and exactly how to use it, plus what to do when you can’t find an email at all.
ALSO INCLUDED: Cold-call scripts for phone, DMs, and email so you know what to say to get a positive response.
Module 3: Finding Email Addresses
How to decide who to contact first and prepare your inbox before you send emails to help keep you focused and organized.
Top tips for writing killer intro emails and knowing exactly which art to send. Don’t worry, I'll make it easy and fun!
My #1 hack to boost your confidence and why not hearing back from an art director is never the full story.
BONUS: Mad-Lib style templates so you can fill in the blanks, hit send, and make outreach easier.
Module 4: Making Contact
20+ ACTUAL screenshots of my interactions with clients. Yup, I’m serious! I’ll show you exactly what art directors say and how I’ve responded to them.
How to write follow-up emails. I’ll hold your hand and walk you through the 4 different replies you’ll get and the subtle differences for each.
The 5 questions you’ll get asked most frequently. But don’t fret, you’ll learn how to respond to each request.
BONUS: A video excerpt from our Artful Pricing course covering the basics of pricing for licensing and buyouts.
Module 5: Following Up
The biggest mistake you can make and how to avoid it. No BS here — follow-up is where so many designers drop the ball. But that doesn’t have to happen to you!
Art newsletters and why I think every designer should have them. P.S. They don’t have to be complicated or lengthy, and using my method you can create one in under an hour!
How to regularly evaluate your entire pitching strategy so you can focus on what's working for you and stop doing things that aren't effective or are slowing you down.
BONUS: Mad-Libs style templates for your follow up emails.
Module 6: Long-term Success
pitch your portfolio
is broken down into six simple modules that will help fine-tune your portfolio, build relationships with companies, and successfully license your designs
You’ll walk away from Pitch Your Portfolio with all the knowledge and tools you need to get your designs in front of art directors so you can license your work & start earning.
I have received numerous licensing contracts since Pitch Your Portfolio and found out a few days ago my dream of getting into Hawthorne Fabrics has come true! Your PDF layouts, advice, and Airtable all made it happen for me. So thank you!
"Your classes have been the jumpstart of my career."
- mandy corcoran
bonus interviews
And from surface design veterans who started out just like you, sharing what’s worked for them
Lauren lowen
Nicole Tamarin
Liz Mytinger
Flying solo and killing it!
Represented by Jennifer Nelson Artists
Represented by Courtney Davis
sign up for the live support version of PYP and You'll also get to Learn from industry insiders with these
Hear from creative directors and an agent about what they’re looking for when artists are pitching their designs
brenda manley
Eirini Kalafatides
randy major
Randy has over 14 years of experience and is currently a Creative Director in the home decor & giftware industry at New Home Gifts, creating products for thousands of independent shops and national retailers across the US.
Brenda represents artists around the world who create designs for home decor, apparel, gift, and stationery markets. She has 23 years of combined industry experience as a buyer/licensee and an agent.
Eirini is a founding partner and creative director of DHOME Brands, the parent company of Entryways, Divine Home, and Skeem. She has 30 years of experience in consumer goods in retail and wholesale in the US and Europe.
What pyp alumni say
I’ve been so inspired by the progress and success of my students. Here’s what a few of them have said about their experience inside Pitch Your Portfolio…
Nothing was left for us to figure out on our own. It’s a game-changer and really equips you with the practical tools and confidence boost you need to approach businesses, and put your portfolio out there in a professional, yet accessible, way.
"It was real conversations that weren’t sugar coated."
- Kristen Steen
But it totally has as I feel I have a roadmap on how I should go about building my portfolio and so many ideas have come to me, now that I know what the process is of how to go about pitching my portfolio to companies. This was a missing link for me.
"Since I didn't have a portfolio, I was a bit unsure if joining now made sense..."
- Rekha Krishnamurthi
I had absolutely no idea where to start and how to approach companies without looking too amateur. Shannon gave us invaluable insider information like real-life scenarios and specific calls to action that I haven't found anywhere else.
"PYP has given me the tools & confidence to shift my business to art licensing."
- Kristina Yu
I've known for a while I needed to start gathering company information but avoided it because it felt so overwhelming. But I've felt a shift in myself just in the past month since taking this class and my goals feel much more attainable!
"Seeing how you organize everything was a game-changer."
- Maria Bee
It’s not preachy or overly optimistic where one feels encouraged but still gets lost when trying to do it…I started sending out my portfolio and within a month got 2 licensing contracts and 4 inquiries. I know I wouldn’t have had the confidence to start thinking on business terms if not for you.
"You give really realistic, relatable, and actionable content."
- Sneha Jaiswal
“In just six months, I reached out to over 30 companies and licensed 2 designs.
Now I’m more confident in pitching, and create strategic artwork for specific markets. This course is for anybody who wants to take action in developing his/her own creative career in surface design."
Natalia Zlateva
“I can't stress how empowering getting my portfolio organized has been! Knowing exactly what I have, what gaps I need to fill, and how to keep it organized has been amazing.
Since starting the course, I've signed licensing contracts with 3 new companies and am in negotiations with 3 more."
Janelle Coury
“Utilizing your email tips, I submitted to 10 art agents and signed with one of them two weeks later!!
Everything in PYP is done in a way that makes sense for someone like me who doesn't have a ton of time or stress to their day. They want it to be simple. And it really is."
Melanie Stimmel
- You're still learning how to create proper repeats, use design programs, and haven't even started thinking about portfolios yet.
- You're looking for a basic overview of ALL aspects of surface design instead of deep knowledge on the one subject that'll help you most: pitching.
- You expect to be earning $100k per year from surface design within the next year instead of focusing on slow but meaningful growth.
Is Pitch Your Portfolio right for you?
Still unsure? Email my team and me at hello@sketchdesignrepeat.com and we'll give you our honest opinion on whether PYP is a good fit for you.
it won't be right for you if...
- You're new to the industry and dream of seeing your art out in the world, but have no idea where to start when it comes to pitching.
- You’ve been designing for a while, but are struggling to land licensing deals and need to generate more interest in your work.
- You enjoy making art but feel lost when it comes to organization and realize you need some help with the business side of art.
it'll be a good fit for you if...
a left-handed, left-brained surface designer & educator
Btw, have we met yet?
I’M SHANNON McNAB
Over the past decade, I slowly transitioned to my dream job as a full-time surface designer working for myself. And when I say “slowly transitioned,” I mean it! It was definitely not an overnight success.
One thing that did help???
Though I’m an artist, the other part of me is a total numbers nerd, so I thrived on testing different approaches, documenting my results, and creating streamlined systems for myself.
Ultimately I arrived at the methods that led me to collaborations with brands like Papyrus, Cloud9 Fabrics, Trader Joe’s, and Pyrex — and seeing my designs on products in stores I shop at! Now, I teach these methods to other surface designers so they don't make the same mistakes so many others do (myself included) when trying to build a successful surface design business.
I feel strongly about the value and support you’ll receive in this course, but I realize it’s sometimes hard to know if it’ll be a good fit.
MY 7-DAY GUARANTEE
If you decide it’s not for you* email me within 7 days of your purchase. My team will send you a simple refund request form and once completed, we’ll process your refund within 5 business days.
*See our FAQ section for more info.
Believe me, I’ve been burned by courses myself – so I’ve got your back!
A few more of the student wins inside PYP...
How long is enrollment open and when will PYP be offered again?
still got questions?
Enrollment for Pitch Your Portfolio is open through Friday, April 26. Also, this is the LAST time it will be offered in its current form, so we can't say for sure when the information in PYP will be provided again.
What’s the difference between the self-study and live support versions of PYP?
In the self-study version of PYP, you receive all the video modules, tools, and templates of the course as well as access to our private Facebook group. However, you do NOT have access to any of the live calls or bonus interviews.
On the other hand, the live support version contains everything inside the self-study version but also includes 6 live calls with Shannon during the first 6 weeks, multiple live community events, and the bonus interviews with art directors, an agent, and veteran artists.
Is there a time limit for course access? And how much time do I need to complete this course?
You get lifetime access! And the course itself is completely self-paced, so you can go through it as quickly or slowly as you like depending on how you like to learn. The time commitment you’ll need every week depends on how quickly you want to work through the course and its resources. We suggest one module per week (the modules range from 30-80 minutes to watch).
Still, we don’t want you to get too overwhelmed, so we encourage you to go at whatever pace you’re most comfortable with, given your current schedule. And because you’ll always have access, you can revisit any video or resource anytime you need to.
How much does this course cost? Are there payment plans?
The course enrollment fee for is €599 (approx. $645 USD) for the self-study version and €699 (approx. $750 USD) for the live support version. Prices are in Euros and exclude VAT (which is collected for EU customers). USD prices are approximate and based on the current exchange rate.
We no longer offer monthly payment plans (click here to read why). However, we understand that some prefer to pay in installments so we've enabled payment options at checkout like Klarna and PayPal Pay Later that will allow you to spread payments out over a few months. Note: Some payment options may not be available depending on where you live.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes, you can request a refund within the 7 days of purchase by emailing us. We'll send you a simple refund request form. Once completed, we’ll process your refund within 5 business days. However, we reserve the right to refuse a refund if our system shows you have watched more than 25% of the course.
Do you teach how to design in this course?
No; this course is about pitching your completed work to companies.
Can I take this course if I already have some art licensing deals?
Yes – we've had several veteran artists join PYP! Especially if you're unhappy about the lack of work or licensing deals you’re getting OR you want to be more organized in your business, then Pitch Your Portfolio will be useful.
Will this help me if I don’t live in the US?
Absolutely! Pitch Your Portfolio has alumni from almost 50 different countries including Australia, Qatar, Germany, India, Nicaragua, and Thailand, who've used what they learned to further their design careers.
Will this help me get freelance work or is it just for licensing?
Yes, the process for finding and contacting companies for licensing vs. freelance client work is very similar, so what you learn in Pitch your Portfolio will help you no matter what your focus is. You’ll find several examples of both licensing and freelance throughout the modules as I've done both throughout the course of my career.
How much art do I need before I’m ready for this course?
A lot less than you think. If you have a portfolio with 10 good designs, you have enough — yes, really!
Do you provide captions or transcripts for course videos?
Yes! Every course video has captions and downloadable transcriptions to make it easier for you to learn the material in whatever way works best for you. There’s also a full course workbook you can download or print out so you can follow along through each module.
What’s the difference between Pitch Your Portfolio and Artful Pricing & Negotiation? Which one should I take?
Pitch Your Portfolio teaches you how to find companies and pitch your art to them while Artful Pricing & Negotiation teaches you how to price your work and negotiate contracts. I recommend taking Pitch Your Portfolio first — because if you’re not pitching, there’s no one to negotiate pricing with!
What’s the difference between this course and other surface design business courses from other designers?
The biggest difference is that Pitch Your Portfolio is a deep dive into one specific (vital) business skill for surface designers: Finding companies and successfully pitching your work to them.
Other surface design business courses broadly share how to launch a surface design career, and many even start with teaching the craft of design for complete beginners. This is helpful if you’re just starting out and want an overview…. but in my experience, if you already know how to design, mastering pitching is the most efficient way to help you land licensing deals.
Because we go deep, everyone walks away with an actionable plan that generates income, not just a bunch of knowledge (which can feel overwhelming to implement).
What if I have more questions before I sign up?
What makes Pitch Your Portfolio unique?
I'm known as an organizational maven, so whether you need help gathering your artwork, client details, or company research — all that is possible with the tools & training you get inside PYP.
learn to organize your entire art biz
The words my students most often use to describe my teaching style is honest, knowledgable, and encouraging. Everything inside PYP is built to keep you grounded, yet excited to be a working artist.
realistic view of the industry
My only focus in PYP is teaching you how to get your art in front of the people who matter because regularly reaching out to companies is truly the MOST effective way to land licensing deals.
laser-like focus on getting clients
