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 Astound agent, Imogen Holmes’ five most notable titles from 2022.
1. All The Love in the World illustrated by Ana Toro
Publisher: Hardie Grant AUS
“This was a really special book to see coming to life. Ana’s vibrant hand-painted artwork took us through each country with lots of adorable details. The balloon die-cut detail is also a gorgeous touch!”
2. Once Upon A Hillside illustrated by Chiara Fedele
Publisher: Head of Zeus
“Written by the talented Angela McAllister, I knew this title would be magical. Chiara’s organic, sweeping brush strokes bring together seven interlinked stories and capture the landscape of the hillside perfectly.”
3. The Lost Girl King illustrated by Alessia Trunfio
Publisher: Bloomsbury
“Alessia is a genius at magical middle-grade fiction and worked her magic on this Catherine Doyle story, “The Lost Girl King”. The cover is so engaging and sweeps you up into the fantasy. The title was also shortlisted for an Irish Book Award which was very exciting.”
4. Happiness Around the World illustrated by Wazza Pink
Publisher: Lonely Planet
“I love the concept of this book – we’re taken on a trip around the world to see how each culture expresses and understands happiness. Wazza really experimented with each spread and found unique ways to illustrate the abstract concept of happiness!”
5. Am I Made of Stardust? illustrated by Chelen Ecija
Publisher: Michael O Mara Books
“Am I Made of Stardust? is written by Dr. Maggie Aderin Pocock (MBE), the award-winning scientist and BBC broadcaster, and illustrated by the talented Chelen Ecija. It was so much fun to see Chelen bring the second book in the series to life and illustrate the answers to so many interesting questions about space! I personally learned a LOT about space!”
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.
Images by Advocate Art illustrators Claire Mcelfatrick (left) and Jenny Wren (right) Locations to Include in Your Portfolio Part 1 Teacher: ITSme Society Oh, the places you’ll go, in your illustrations that is. Your artwork can take you anywhere. The more travel in your work, the more exciting your portfolio will be. Try thinking of…
The BookTrust shortlisted 6 wonderful children’s books for ages 0-5. Families and children attended special events at their local libraries to vote for their favourites. On April 26th ‘Can You Tickle a Tiger?’ was announced the winner for 2023. Collaborate’s Design Manager, Carrie, is absolutely over the moon to receive this award as illustrator and…
Illo Agency’s all-inspiring artist Cheyne Gallarde recently worked for HUMAN Security which is one of the biggest cyber security brands in the world and celebrated how far they’ve come through their first-ever comic book adaptation. The company was born in a sci-fi bookstore in Brooklyn, so it seemed appropriate to create a Comic where the…
Exciting news for Astound illustrator, Carles Ballesteros! ‘Mike Falls Up’ has been shortlisted for The Academy of British Cover Design Awards in the Children’s 6-12 category! A joyous story celebrating the power of unexpected friendships by award-winning author Candy Gourlay, beautifully brought to life with stunning illustrations by Carles Ballesteros. Mike and his dog Bowow…
The 14th Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) is set to be held in Singapore from 25th to 28th May 2023. Organised by the Singapore Book Council, the festival will be in-person and will feature various renowned artists and illustrators. One of the exciting young illustrators to showcase her work is Yeon Agency Illustrator Mai…
This October (2023) whisk yourself away into Harry Potter’s wizarding world with this beautiful illustration collection of spells, fantastic beasts & magical wonders in The Harry Potter Almanac. The book was joyfully illustrated by 7 artists, one of them being Illo Agency illustrator, Pham Quang Phuc! The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac features an astonishing level…