Back to News

CWLA Author Wins at Justgiving 2022!

Published on 19/10/2022

Congratulations to CWLA author Phil Heckles for winning Justgiving’s Most Creative Fundraiser Award! Phil’s fundraiser was creative indeed. He made self-confessed ‘rubbish’ drawings of people’s pets, asking only for donations in return. It started with a silly drawing of his own dog shared to social media, and now he has drawn over 11,000 pet portraits for people across the world – even as far as California and Belgium. These ‘rubbish’ drawings helped him raise over £200,000 for homeless charities Turning Tides and Street Vet!

Accepting the award on October 10 at Justgiving’s ‘Most Inspiring Night of the Year’ Phil said “…generosity has driven the fundraising, not my stupid pictures.”  This fantastic win isn’t slowing him down either. Phil is still taking commissions to raise more money!

Phil has also turned these drawings into two picture books with CWLA. The first, Rubbish Pet Portraits, is a hilarious collection of his ‘extremely realistic’ drawings, but a fair warning – the book may not be suitable for anyone who actually likes animals or has the ability to see. His second and most recent is Who’s a Clever Boy Then?, which was released in July, and instantly became an Amazon Bestseller!

Other News

Why Graphic Novels Are Booming — And Why Now Is the Time to Get Them Into Your Portfolio

Graphic novels are having a moment—and it’s no passing trend. From classrooms to bestseller lists, graphic novels are dominating shelves and reading time across all ages. What was once seen as a niche format with a distinct, heavy-lined “comic book” aesthetic has exploded into a dynamic, expressive medium that spans every style and genre imaginable….

Bologna 2025: A Week of Connection

By: Vicky Patoulioti, Talent Source Manager, ITSme This year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair was one to remember. From early mornings to late evenings, our team Vicky, Bhavi, Ed, and Emily — were on the ground offering free portfolio reviews to artists from all over the world. Mornings kicked off with pre-scheduled reviews, while in the…

How to Beat AI and Catch the Client’s Eye

Illustration by Camipepe By: Edward Burns, CEO, ITSme As AI art tools become more sophisticated, it becomes more important to emphasize our value and status as authentic human artists. Crafting a great bio and portfolio is an excellent way to make an immediate impact. They should allow the client to get to know you in…

Be A Pro at Curating Your Portfolio!

You asked, and we listened! Be A Pro at Curating Your Portfolio; our new course is here! Learn all the secrets to crafting a standout portfolio with 4 Hours of Expert-Led Content! One of the biggest challenges you face in your illustration career is presenting your work in a way that catches the eye of…

Why Using AI in Art Briefs Can Stifle Creativity

Illustration by Beth Goody. By: Edward Burns CEO, ITSme AI art tools such as Midjourney or Flux are becoming more and more capable, and that fact is impossible to ignore. With these developments, it can be tempting to use AI-generated art as reference material when briefing a project. While AI has its uses, we at…

Mentorship in Review: Transforming Illustrators

Our illustration mentorship program is meant to bring portfolios to a new level, and we mentors were incredibly pleased by the way mentorship program graduate Zhiheng Andy Su completely transformed his portfolio during the spring 2024 session. Over the course of weeks, Zhiheng went from two very different digital and hand drawn styles before to…

Menu