Art Club Resources 🎨✏️

Creative resources for TIAC members looking to progress their children's illustration knowledge.

🎨 Because we’re a bonified club, I’ve created a club resource page for you, the members! Hopefully, this post can be a living, breathing document where I’ll add resources from Substack, social media, and beyond that will help you become a better artist.

If you have any suggestions for resources, add them to the comments below and Resource Bot will include them in the document.

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✏️ Free (mostly):

Podcasts:

• Originally hosted by Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry, the 3 Point Perspective podcast hosted by three children’s book illustrators gives great insight into the illustration industry. They often host guests, and I think Samantha Cotterill has also joined the group and often speaks about her own experience. https://www.svslearn.com/3pointperspective
  

• Book Friends Forever is another great podcast hosted by industry giants Alvina Ling and Grace Lin, editor-in-chief at Little Brown Books and a Newberry and Caldecott Honor-winning Illustrator. They chat about their childhood growing up together, industry news, experience in the kidlit world, and other fun stuff! A great way to stay in touch with what’s happening in the children’s book industry. https://bookfriendsforever.com/

• Creatives Across Borders is hosted by Adebayo Adegbembo and while it’s fairly new, already has super informative episodes, including interviews with industry giants Dapo Adeola, Flavia Drago, and, well, me! I think it’s an especially great insight into the world of UK publishing: https://wafunkpublishing.com/cab/

Marketing + contests

• Sometimes, it’s hard to know how to market your illustrations. Gina Perry started #Kidlitpostcard as a way for illustrators to showcase their work on social media and help categorize work for art directors and editors to search: https://www.ginaperry.com/postcard
  

• Awards and grants that you can apply for through the Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators. Available for writers, author/illustrators, and illustrators: https://www.scbwi.org/awards-and-grants
  

• The World Illustration Awards are annual illustration awards run through the Association of Illustrators. Requires a fee to submit: https://worldillustrationawards.com/
  

• International contests that you can enter run through the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Keep an eye out to see if you’re eligible: https://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/en/awards/5661.html
  

• PB Rising Stars is a 4-month long mentorship, including 3 months of a 1-on-1 craft intensive with an industry mentor + 1 month of publishing business development. Applications close March 21st, 2025: https://www.pbrisingstars.com/mentees
  

✏️ Free + Paid:

Organisations, webinars, + classes:

• The Author’s Guild is a great place to read up on publishing news, author events, querying tips, and more. You can subscribe for free or pay for a yearly membership: https://authorsguild.org/
  

• Las Musas is a collective of Latinx women and otherwise marginalized people whose gender identity aligns with femininity, writing, and/or illustrating in traditional children's literature. They offer insightful blog posts and marketing opportunities Latinas in the kidlit world: https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/blog
  

• The Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators is one of my favorite places to get low-cost classes on a range of children’s writing and illustration topics: https://www.scbwi.org/regional-virtual-events
  

• The Writing Barn is an in-person and online space in Austin, Texas, that offers loads of classes to help you perfect your writing skills.
  
  While they’re mainly focused on writing classes, I think they offer courses for author/illustrators as well (please correct me if I’m wrong!): https://thewritingbarn.com/upcoming-classes/
  

• Schoolism provides online courses ranging from Drawing Fundamentals to Environment and Light to Creature Construction. They also offer live courses where you can get direct feedback from instructors at a premium. https://schoolism.com/
  

• School of Visual Storytelling is another online learning platform that specializes in children’s book illustration. Created by the same brains behind the 3 Point Perspective podcast: https://www.svslearn.com/
  

• Domestika is a great low-cost way of learning a variety of art topics, including how to create an awesome children’s book portfolio (cough, cough, that’s MY course, shameless plug!) https://www.domestika.org/
  

• Orange Beak Studio is a community of illustrators and writers, offering tutorials, mentoring, events, and award opportunities. They are UK-based and always have a rotating roster of amazing guest teachers for their webinars: https://www.orangebeakstudio.com/
  

Substacks + blogs:

• Mark Hoffman: Mark hosts weekly illustrator draw and chats aptly named Gab ‘n’ Doodle. These chats with industry professionals are a great insight into working artists’ processes and are a treat to watch just because you get to see amazing illustrators make cool art! https://www.instagram.com/studiohoffmann/
  

• Rebecca Green: I’m in love with Rebecca’s work and with her long-running blog. Contributing to her blog consistently for years, My Blank Paper is a great place to get monthly illustration inspiration: https://www.myblankpaper.com/blog
  

• Anoosha Syed: A super gorgeous and highly informative blog/newsletter. Anoosha goes over everything involved in a children’s illustrator’s career including posts on her yearly income and how she recommends pricing work: https://anooshasyed.substack.com
  

• James Burks: James is a prolific children’s book illustrator and animation industry professional who shares his in-depth process of creating stop motion animation for his book series. Watching him build a whole animated world is MESMERIZING! https://jamesburks.substack.com
  

• Elizabeth Silver: A very interesting and extensive blog if you’re interested in art licensing and surface pattern design: https://www.elizabethsilver.com/patternblog
  

• Adam Ming: Adam runs a great Substack where he sends out daily motivational messages for your illustration practice. I believe he also hosts sketch-alongs with other super cool illustrators, on a regular basis with his paid subscription: https://www.tenminuteartist.com/
  

• Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Debbie has always been a fountain of knowledge within the kidlit world and created a great Picture Books 101 series on her Substack: https://debbieohi.substack.com

📚Books:

• Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation to Publication by Ann Whitford Paul: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Picture-Revised-Expanded-Hands
  

• Children's Picturebooks Second Edition by Martin Salisbury: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Childrens-Picturebooks-Second-Visual-Storytelling
  

• Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Save-Cat-Writes-Novel-Writing
  

• Picturebook Makers: Jon Klassen, Kitty Crowther, Beatrice Alemagna, Shaun Tan, Eva Lindström, Blexbolex, Chris Haughton, Suzy Lee, Bernardo P. Carvalho, Isol, Manuel Marsol, Johanna Schaible by Sam McCullen: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Picturebook-Makers-Sam-McCullen/dp/1739979206

🎨 If you have any suggestions for resources, add them to the comments below and Resource Bot will add them to the document or start a new page! Thanks!

Hugs,
Marissa

Interested in supporting The Illustrator’s Art Club in other ways?

✏️Preorder my author/illustrator debut, Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear ✏️You can buy my books ✏️Sign up for Creating an Online Children’s Book Portfolio Domestika course ✏️ or share this post for free!

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