Astound Illustrator Wins Silver at the Benjamin Franklin Awards!
Published on 05/06/2023
We are delighted to announce that “Soar”, illustrated by Astound’s Caitlin O’Dwyer, Won Silver in the animal & pet category in the Benjamin Franklin Awards!
Written by author Letitia B. Burton, and illustrated by Caitlin O’Dwyer for Southport Press, “Soar”, follows the incredible journey of Hendrix and Ryder. To survive winter and see their parents again, Hendrix and his twin brother Ryder will have to make the long, treacherous journey of migrating on their own for the very first time. With the two young birds at odds right from the start, can the brothers find their way to South America? Read and find out!
The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, which include over fifty categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers.
“Soar” is a wonderful book suited for parents, siblings, & friends, and can be enjoyed by readers of any age! Congratulations again to Caitlin, Letitia, and the team at Southport Press!
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.
Other News
ITSme Society and Our Environmental Impact
The ITSme Society was formed around our Positive E.F.E.C.T.S. charter – yes, we know we are missing an F! This charter was created to advance the environmental, financial, ethical, collaborative, training, and social standards of our agencies. Advancing the environmental standards of ITSme and our agencies means a lot to us. All of the ITSme…
Why Birthday Cards are Best for Greeting Card Portfolios
Greeting Card designs by Advocate Art illustrators Jenny Wren, Amy Hodkin, Kathryn Selbert, and Nichola Cowdery. Why Birthday Cards are Best in a GC Folio Teacher: Deborah Millinship, Illustration agent at Advocate Art Limited Creating a strong art licensing collection is essential for captivating clients and boosting sales. But, what are the key designs to…
Advocate Art Gets into Advertising
Everyone is seeing those flat, abstract, colorful characters with oversized, flowing limbs everywhere in advertising today. Two relatable styles are the basis: Corporate Memphis (a postmodern style popular throughout the 1980’s) was revived when Apple changed its visual interface in 2013 (remember when all the apps were super-polished?). And Alegria, (Spanish for ‘Joy’); first developed…
New Kirkus Review for Astound Illustrator Steph Lew!
We are absolutely delighted by the recently published Kirkus Review of Kailei Pew’s “The Monster Above The Bed”, illustrated by Astound US Inc. artist, Steph Lew! The review complimented Lew’s bright illustrations as joyous, creating a fantastical world that seems to defy our understanding of the world as a whole. Take a look at the…
Celebrations to Include in Your Portfolio Part 2
Illustrations by Illo Agency artist Laura Sayers, Advocate Art illustrator Alessandra Vitelli, and Astound US Inc. illustrator Khoa Le Celebrations to Include in Your Portfolio Part 2 Teacher: ITSme Society Who doesn’t love a celebration? As we talked about in part 1 of this series, books that celebrate a special occasion or seasonal event are…
Video: How and Why to Layer in Photoshop
Photoshop is an essential tool for illustrators and designers. Using layers in Photoshop makes editing your design much easier. They allow you to focus on certain parts of your illustration, and make changes without distributing your whole design. Here are the basics of using layers in Photoshop. Keep an eye out for more illustration software…