6 Reasons to Apply for the 2025 Illustration Mentorship

As the turn of the New Year ushers in a period of possibilities, new horizons and mindful focus on the dreams we dreamt over the previous year, sometimes finding the path to our goals can be a challenge.  In 2025, we are thrilled to offer our region’s illustrators a Mentorship Program designed to refine your craft and take your work to the next level, preparing it to send out into the world.  Though there are dozens of reasons to take advantage of this exciting six month opportunity, here are six of the most important:    

This acclaimed talent has illustrated thirteen books for publishers including Viking, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Abrams and many more!  Her extensive knowledge of the industry, expertise in craft, and overall desire to
work closely with other creative folks are just a few of the reasons we enlisted Penelope as this year’s mentor.  She will work one-on-one with you to help bring your creative vision to life, sharpen your skills, and build a path forward on your illustration journey.  

Illustrators and author/illustrators - this year’s program offers the opportunity to perfect either your portfolio OR dummy book!  This flexibility is unique to the 2025 program, and is perfect for each and every illustrator to take your work to the next level.  Illustrators will work toward a polished portfolio ready to send to art directors and/or agents, and author/illustrators will focus on layout, pagination and storytelling techniques to prepare your dummy book for publication. 

 

What’s even more exciting than a ticket to the chocolate factory?  A Golden Ticket to submit your work, of course!  This ticket will provide you access to an acquiring editor, agent or art director (depending on your chosen path for the Mentorship) that is currently closed to unsolicited submissions.  Though closed doors can sometimes be the biggest hurdle on the path to publication, your submission-ready work will have this opportunity upon completion of the Mentorship.

Have you ever received feedback for your work on an SCBWI Gold Form?  If so, you know the extensive value it offers.  By addressing aspects such as presentation, consistency, perspective, composition, character design, marketability (etc!), these forms are designed to provide the creator with actionable feedback by industry professionals to independently improve their work.  Even better?  You will be receiving THREE separate Gold Forms offering three unique perspectives on your work!  Many other critique opportunities offer feedback from only one reviewer for about the same cost as the Mentorship Application - an incredible value for every. single. applicant!  

BONUS!  The first runner-up will also receive free entry into our annual Critique Carousel!

The illustrators in our region are a super talented bunch and are creating amazing work - we’ve seen it!  Often, it just takes a little direction, honing, and answers to our questions to steer us on the right path.  Whether children’s publishing is your main illustration focus or an avenue you’d like to take but feel a little intimidated, be confident in yourself!  Illustration is a traditionally less crowded field than writing within SCBWI, so you will each stand out in your own unique way.  

Did you know the focus of each year’s Mentorship Program varies, with illustration only coming around once every THREE YEARS?  We won’t see another illustration mentorship of any kind until at least 2028.  That’s a long time to wait in an ever-evolving industry.  Between a stellar mentor, flexibility in focus, submission opportunities, actionable feedback, and exciting odds, now is the time to take advantage of this opportunity.  Make 2025 the year to steer your (already amazing) work down the path to publication!

Here's some additional links in case you want to:

• Learn more about the mentor, Penelope Dullaghan.
• Hear what an illustration mentorship is like from a previous winner.

Registration ends January 17 at 9pm (EST), so register soon!

Cheers to an exciting year ahead!

Katie Eberts + Jen Boehler

Endpapers

Our illustration mentor this year is Penelope Dullaghan, and in addition to the mentorship she will be offering a 2-hour webinar on pattern making for book endpapers. From concept to creation, Penny will guide us through what makes an endpaper pattern visually engaging and demonstrate a live session in photoshop — although you can of course use any program or just regular old pencil and paper, the basic concept behind it remains the same. 

There are so many different ways to tackle endpaper design!  Since they are the first and last things a viewer sees when they open and shut the book, it’s a great way to introduce a theme or overall feeling, a silly joke, or just a bold pop of color to really set the story off on the right foot.  They are able to be a little more bold than the cover -- which of course has to go through a massive design process with many people weighing in from marketing, sales, editorial, and the art department. 

Jen and I pooled our picture book collections and found some really neat examples we thought would inspire you. To be honest I often overlook the endpapers, and so was surprised and delighted by the ones that I found. Take a look at your own collection when you have a moment, I think you will feel the same as I did.

—Katie Eberts (SCBWI-MI Co-IC)

The webinar with Penelope Dullaghan, From Concept to Creation: Pattern-Making for Children's Book Endpapers, will be Wednesday, November 6, 2024 from 7:00 - 8:00 pm (ET). Registration will be open October 21-November 5.

Katie Eberts, Michigan Co-Illustrator Coordinator, received her BFA in Art & Design from the University of Michigan with a concentration in watercolor. Her debut picture book, Hush-A-Bye Night written by Thelma Godin, was published by Sleeping Bear Press in March 2023.  She is based in Cedarville, Michigan.