This editorial offers a review of the events leading up to and during the ‘Education and Illustration: Models, Methods, Paradigms’ Illustration Research conference hosted by Kingston University, London in 2021. Voiced as dialogue between the issue editors, Rachel Gannon and Mireille Fauchon, it is a reflection on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organization and production of this research event. The extreme circumstances required the organizers to adapt the conference format, unexpectedly effecting customary dynamics. This is discussed with consideration of the socio and geopolitical contextualising backdrop during that poignant historical moment and how this informed the tone and content of the sessions. Reconsidering the model of the academic research event invited more diverse, experimental and innovative presentations. This authors attribute this shift to the event taking place wholly online, a first for the Illustration Research Network, and the decision to accommodate a more formalized student presence. The critical reflection also articulates how experience and insight gained during the landmark Illustration Research event subsequently informed the editorial decisions made for the Journal of Illustration Volume 9 Numbers 1 & 2. The editorial closes with scrutiny of accessibility, inclusion and appropriate modes of communication with regards to the representation of illustration research and what considerations are provoked in terms of validity and rigour in the representation of scholarly knowledge.