NEWS New Faces

Let's congratulate Tita Berredo as she becomes the illustrator coordinator for SCBWI British Isles. She will remain with Words & Pictures as art director, and we welcome the marvellous Shannon Ell as our new illustration features editor. The two will be working closely to keep the magazine's illustration side at full steam!

We are delighted to announce that Tita Berredo is the SCBWI British Isles new illustrator coordinator (IC). She will be working alongside the regional team to create vibrant programming for our illustrators, and continue at Words & Pictures as art director.

Tita Berredo is a Brazilian children's writer and illustrator based in Glasgow. She has a master's degree in children's literature and illustration from Goldsmiths, and a background in marketing and publicity. She is a picture book reviewer for My Book Corner, and also volunteers at the Association of Illustrators, and the Society of Authors as a member of the Scottish Committee. Tita’s wordless picture book, The Dress, has been selected by dPICTUS for the Unpublished Picture Book Showcase exhibited this year at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Tita has had a long journey volunteering with SCBWI. She started during her first year in Scotland as the Glasgow group organiser hosting meetings, workshops, and the popular SCBWI Scribble and Scrawl Crawl. By the end of 2021, Tita was invited to join the Words & Pictures team as illustration features editor. Since then, she has been helping SCBWI support emerging illustrators by opening submissions to members of all backgrounds and career levels, inviting them to share their artwork in a friendly and inclusive way. 

She also initiated more interactive illustration features, the most popular one being Illustrator In Action, inviting illustrators to share their recorded progress, and producing videos of covered events like the Picture Book Retreat, the British Isles Conference in Manchester, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. 

At the 2022 Conference, Tita received the SCBWI Outstanding Contribution Award, with the following text: 'Tita Berredo has taken a lead in all things illustration since her appointment. Thanks to her innovative approach and can-do attitude, illustration features in the magazine has gone from strength to strength.' 

Tita holds her picture book at the dPictus showcase in Bologna      Outstanding Contributions Award at SCBWI Manchester Conference

After finding the perfect replacement to carry on with the good work, Tita now takes the lead on the visual identity of the magazine as art director. Her main goal is to pair up the magazine’s visuals with the new SCBWI branding and website. She will also be creating new image guidelines to update the style of article headers to improve consistency. Tita will be working on new ways to invite members to share their work inside our articles, together with our new illustrator features editor, Shannon Ell.

Let’s all welcome the fabulous Shannon Ell as our new illustration features editor. Shannon is a non-binary illustrator, animator and designer based in Edinburgh. They graduated in illustration at Edinburgh College of Art in 2021. Some of their work is based on their cat, Miles, which has been featured as comics in Words & Pictures. They have also been Featured Illustrator — you can read their article here.

Tita says: "If you look through the Words & Pictures archive over the past year and a half, you'll see lots of Shannon's work. They became one of my favourite people, and for sure an Illustration Features regular. I think Shannon is a perfect example of how important it is to put yourself out there, especially in this community, where kindness and generosity are always remembered." 

Shannon holds their first cover publication                         Shannon with the star of their comics, Miles

Some words from Shannon:

"I’m a freelance illustrator & motion designer based in Edinburgh. I graduated from the University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh College of Art) in 2021 with a degree in illustration. Since 2021 I’ve worked with a few charities and brands that have helped shape how I am as a freelancer and what my goals are. I really enjoy working in the kids education sector and with charities. 

My latest work was for Happytimes Activities through Loop Agencies. The project felt super rewarding as it was to show feelings and representation for people with learning difficulties & autism which is very important to me. As someone who is neuro-divergent this felt very personal and I really delved into the illustrations. These were shown at an exhibition in March 2023.

I’ve been a member of SCBWI for a few years now and have loved the opportunities it offers. Being able to practice live briefs and talk to seasoned professionals in the illustration and writing community has helped with my process and confidence within my freelance career and everyday life. I’ve been doing comics and Illustrations for Words & Pictures for around a year now and it has been the most rewarding part of my career where I have met some amazing people and been able to really enjoy the freedom of illustrating with them. 

As the new illustration features editor, I want to bring my illustration, animation, and digital experience to this community to help give more opportunities for members and keep things accessible and inclusive for everyone."

*Header by Tita Berredo

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Want to share your artwork and be featured in Words & Pictures magazine?

Send an email to illustrators@britishscbwi.org