Representation is more important than ever. The publishing industry has made great strides in the past few years to promote diverse characters in books. Seeing characters, even entire families that looks like your own can help children feel understood and included. This month, we asked our heARTISTS to create illustrations that represent a range of family dynamics. Check out their results and let us know your favourites!
Illustrators in order of appearance:
“I don’t have any client work, what do I even put in my portfolio?” This is one of the more common worries we hear from illustrators who are new to developing their portfolios, but we want to encourage you to reframe this question: Having no client work isn’t a weakness, try to view this as…
How do you connect with clients and agents? It’s a question that comes up again and again, and often you will hear people focus on visibility, being seen at the right events, posting your work constantly and having a strong presence on social media. But connection isn’t just about being visible. It’s about being remembered,…
Imagine having a guide who not only understands the creative path an individual wants to walk, but also has the knowledge and tools to help them get there – successfully. That’s the core of the ITSme Learning Mentorship. Whether someone is a student, a young professional at the beginning of their career, or an artist…
We are extremely excited to announce our first picture book class and mentorship program, in a collaboration between Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency and multi-talented author-illustrator Sally Anne Garland. Your Picture Book Journey: How to Write and Illustrate Your Own Picture Book is a 12-week course for writers, illustrators, and visual storytellers ready to bring their…
When you’re thinking about our favourite stories as a child, we often think about the narrative, the themes, perhaps a particular quote that stood out, but the most memorable elements are always the characters. The reason the characters always stay in our minds is because they are the gateway to the narrative, and all of…
Over the past few years, illustrated covers have become a defining visual language in the Young Adult (YA) and New Adult (NA) book market. And no, this isn’t just a passing trend—it’s a design evolution powered by the viral force of #BookTok, #bookgirlies, and a growing appetite for genre-fluid storytelling. Hear what’s driving the…
