See my blog post on the topic.

An excerpt from the blog post above:

If I was going to give my younger self some basic advice about how to break into children’s book illustration, it would be this:

• Read a LOT of picture books, especially those published in the past 5–10 years. Look closely at how to text and art interact. Illustrating picture books does NOT mean just illustrating what’s in the text. If you can't afford to buy, go to the library. 

• Practice a LOT. Be able to show that you can draw the same character consistently in a story sequence, from different camera angles. I see so many portfolios which are basically a collection of one-offs (a beautiful image with a character that never appears in any other image in the portfolio). It’s much more of a challenge to be able to draw the same character in a story sequence and have that character be identifiable as the same character throughout.

• Network. Join SCBWI (Society Of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) - they have chapters all over the world. If you’re in Canada, join CANSCAIP. Get to know others in the community, exchange info, support each other. Find a critique group - try to find a group in which members have at least as much or more experience as you do. Talent is not enough. So much is about being discovered by the right person at the right time.

Last updated on October 20, 2020 by Debbie Ohi