Ta da! Zoe Tucker, children’s book art director, and I are delighted to announce that Isabelle Follath was selected from hundreds of submissions as the winner of our Sugar Plum Fairy Book Competition. Congratulations, Isabelle!
The assignment was to create a book cover for the imaginary title The Sugar Plum Fairy’s Adventure
“Isabelle hits many key notes that art directors look for when commissioning a children’s book illustrator:
- A beautiful style that is consistent throughout the piece
- Lovely color palette. It’s fairly monochromatic (shades of pinks and violets) with pops of blue, white and yellow
- An interesting story told on the cover. The boy has assembled a pile of books and boxes from which to reach the candy shelf
- An animated main character (reaching, stretching). One can immediately spot the main character–he pops off the page
- Charming supplemental characters–the dog is interacting with the boy
- There are lots of little things to find such as the snake on the tree
- The text is charming and legible
- The page is full of leaves and flowers but they don’t compete with the key information
Other things to keep in mind: Would a child enjoy looking at the cover? Would an adult enjoy reading this book to the child? (Very subjective, but still…) Would the image pop online and on a bookstore rack, even if reduced?”
“Isabelle has captured everything I look for in a good book cover. First off – we’ve got a great character; he’s cute, curious and utterly believable. I LOVE that the Sugar Plum Fairy is a boy too – very unique. Both her characters relate to each other, they draw the reader in, and guide the eye around the page. The dog is looking up at the boy and the boy reaching across leads us to the title. It makes a nice shape and is a very clear read.
Isabelle has a strong style that is bang on trend right now. She’s has excellent attention to detail, and a good sense of colour and texture.”
Congratulations, Isabelle! You’ve won a free place in our e-course, Illustrating Children’s Books, which starts January 16th! We look forward to seeing you in class.
Congratulations, Zelda Sydney! You’ve won a free place in our course, Illustrating Children’s Books, which start January 16th! We adore your candy and character lettering.
Want to illustrate your own children’s book? Learn everything you need to know in a supportive and step-by-step approach to create your own winning children’s book illustration pitch. Taught by me, an art agent and illustrator for over 30 years, and Zoe Tucker, my delightful co-teacher and highly respected children’s book art director. Here’s all the juicy stuff that’s in the course!
What on earth would she take the course for? It seems to me Isabelle Follath should be teaching the course!
MANY THANKS to Lilla Rogers and Zoe Tucker! I loved your competition and thanks for holding it. Congratulations to Isabelle Follath! I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to take the MATS course and very much looking forward to it. Cheers, All :-) Zelda
Congratulations to you both. Both covers are adorable. Look forward to seeing you in class.