FEATURED ILLUSTRATOR All You Need to Know

 

Every month a SCBWI member illustrator is chosen to be featured at Words and Pictures. To start the new year, the new Illustration Feature Editor, Tita Berredo, shares with you all you need to know about becoming a featured illustrator. 

 

Applying to be a Featured Illustrator

 

How

Send an email to Illustration Feature Editor Tita Berredo at illustrators@britishscbwi.org saying that you wish to be featured. In the email you should include a short CV about you and your background, any publications and awards. Add your social media and website if you have one, and five of your illustrations.

 

Sometimes, if we are short of submissions, we take a look at the SCBWI members’ profile area. So, make sure you have that up to date and have a good number of illustrations uploaded.

 

The Criteria

You must be a member of SCBWI British Isles, though you do not have to be based in the UK.

 

You do not have to be a published illustrator. We are here to support beginner illustrators as well as established illustrators, so we aim to have a balance between traditionally and self-published authors, awarded, agented, as well as unpublished and non-agented.

 

The quality of your work must be presented in a similar way to how you would submit to agents and publishers. However, in this case it has more to do with the digitalisation aspect of your images. It is the editor’s job to keep consistent the technical aspects of digital images such as colour and brightness adjustments, and to avoid pixelated images and bad photographs. The editor’s taste may play a part when choosing the images, but she will also consider the illustrator’s background, path and story context because they might be interesting for the members to see.

 

 

Our response

 

As we receive many emails on a daily basis you may not get an immediate response. Your request will be noted and we will let you know if and when you are to be featured according to our editorial schedule. You may not be featured the same year that you submit a request, but it is worth the wait.

 

Note that requesting to be featured does not guarantee being featured. It is important to keep this in mind, sometimes rejections have nothing to do with your work. You can always ask for feedback on your work, and if there are any issues with the submission we will let you know.

 

 

What happens once we choose a featured illustrator

 

Bio photo

We ask for a good photograph of you. Ideally you should have a neutral background, or something relevant to your work such as your studio or illustrated mural.

 

Illustrations

We will ask for about twelve illustrations which can be in any format, and one that must be landscape for the header.

 

Until 2021, we had a separate gallery page for your illustrations. However, illustrators are now becoming more active on social media and prefer to have their own website showcasing their images. This benefits the illustrator in many ways, such as generating transit of agents, publishers and art directors to their personal media. This year, we are rethinking the gallery and will begin the process of adding the illustrator’s website and social media instead. Of course, we will take into consideration illustrators who do not own a website or social media and find the best way to showcase their illustrations.

 

Quick-fire responses

This is a quick, fun way to know a little more about the illustrator’s personality, with questions such as the illustrator’s most productive time to work, favourite drawing item, favourite author/illustrator, what kind of animal illustrators would like to be.

 

Extended biography

You will be asked to send us a piece of up to 1,000 words about yourself. You are free to write what you like but it might be interesting to include your personal path, background, career progress and creative process as well as any other life experiences that might have relevance to our readership. You could also share tips, advice, or insight about what you have learned along the way.

 

Images to accompany the biography

You can send us any relevant images that you would like to be inserted in your biography. These can be photographs of your drawing process, childhood pictures, book launches and events. We would love to see your workspace and any images that inspire you.

 

Going live

We try our best to showcase featured illustrators at a relevant time for them. Having the article live at the same time as a book launch or an award is a great way to help with promotion.

 

Sometimes, we ask for the material a long time before it goes live. This is just an aspect of planning the year when running a magazine.

 

As the deadline approaches, we will send a Dropbox folder for you to upload your materials.

 

Showing your best side

Be sure you have a good portfolio as we want to show your best work.

 

Remember that we are showcasing your work as an illustrator, so treat it as a work submission. Words & Pictures content reaches many professionals in the publishing industry, so this is a great opportunity for your work to be seen.

 

Good luck!

 

If you would like to be featured or have any questions, email Tita Berredo at illustrators@britishscbwi.org

*Header image: Tita Berredo