Last year was a wonderful year for our agencies! They worked on so many fantastic projects, from books to clothing, to tarot cards, and more. As we look ahead to 2023, we wanted to wrap up 2022 with some of the agency’s most memorable projects. It’s not easy narrowing it down, but here are Advocate Art’s Bhavisha Patel’s five most memorable projects from 2022.
Illustrator: Erica Salcedo
Publisher: Scholastic – Pride of Britain
“This was a special title for me, as it was written by Pride of Britain winners Freddie and Hughie. It’s a story that celebrates friendship, and in a society where companionship and friendship are so important, this is a special book that teaches kids the importance of great friends.”
2. Growing Up Black In Britain
Illustrator: Simone Douglas
Publisher: Scholastic – Stuart Lawrence Book – MG Chapt. Book
“This book was released during Black History Month, as a way to bring stories to light about what it’s like to be black in our society. Stuart is the brother of Stephen Lawrence, and he’s been a campaigner for racism awareness, and devotes time to the promotion of Stephen Lawrence Day, on 22 April annually.”
3. 3 Lions
Illustrator: Lwillys Tafur
Publisher: Scholastic – World Cup 2022 Pic. book
“3 Lions is an important title because it not only celebrates the 2022 World Cup and football as a sport in general, but it’s the first picture book project which Lwillys illustrated upon joining Advocate. It’s been a popular title leading up to the tournament, and he’s currently working on Book 2: Sweet Caroline. Both titles are a celebration of iconic British theme songs for the England Football team.”
4. Happy & Glorious Jigsaw Puzzle
Illustrator: Victor McLindon
Client: Gibsons Games – Queen Elizabeth Memorabilia Puzzle
“Gibsons commissioned Victor on this puzzle as he’s been a popular artist for them. This is a limited edition puzzle, which was released in honour of HM The Queen, celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. This is an even more special puzzle now, as it’s a collector’s item that illustrated poignant moments of her reign and the monarchy.”
5. Marceline: Defender of the Sea
Illustrator: Valentina Toro
Publisher: Harper Collins – Jen Campbell book
“Jen Campbell is an author who has EEC Syndrome. This book is a dedication to her parents, and as a disability advocate, it was important for her to work with an artist who can relate to her experience. It was lovely to be able to work with Valentina on this project, as she really captured the essence of the story, and she felt like she was expressing some of her story in the book. With Diversity being the main focus for a lot of publishers, it was really important for me to find the perfect artist to bring this story to life.”
The ITSme Society is a collective of top creative agencies that represent award-winning talent worldwide. The ITSme Society agencies represent illustrators and writers across 7 agencies: Advocate Art, Astound US Inc, Illo Agency, Artistique, Yeon, CWLA, and Collaborate.
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