Caroline Wakeman, of Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency, has been elected as the judge for the 2023 Best Children’s Illustrated Books award! The competition is running from October 3rd to March 1st, 2023. Caroline is searching for exciting stories that young children will ask for over and over again! She highlights that “Picture books are a beautiful synergy of artwork and text, but it takes skill to create this fine balance and master. They are also instrumental to assisting a child in learning to read, as a lot of the storyline is told within the pictures.”
Submissions can include stories in development such as rough sketches, carefully positioned text and at least two finished double-page spreads in color. Picture books that are ready for publication or self-published can also enter! Entrants can submit individually or collaborate in illustrator/author pairs. Learn more about the award and what Caroline is looking for here.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Sally Anne Garland is a prolific author/illustrator who has been working with both Advocate Art and Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency for many years. Her authored books include The Moon Seed, The Chalk Garden and Poppy’s Perfect Crayons. She has rave five-star reviews from The Guardian, Kirkus, Reading Zone, and more. Here, we ask Sally about…