Sign up for our career-changing course, Illustrating Children’s Books, right now and save up to 40% in our big Spring Sale!
- Imagine getting an email from an art director saying that they adore your art and would love to work with you …
- Imagine spending months creating winning characters and dreamy worlds for children (and adults) to fall in love with – and getting paid $$$ for it …
- Imagine getting a package in the mail and opening it up to find proof copies of your very own picture book, illustrated and/or written by you …
Children’s books are a HUGE market for your art and one that many illustrators dream of breaking into. And no wonder – even in our increasingly digital world, nothing quite beats the feeling of curling up with a beautifully written and illustrated book.
If you want a successful – and lucrative – career in picture book illustration then our Illustrating Children’s Books course is a game changer.
In five intense weeks with top art agent Lilla Rogers and brilliant children’s book art director and picture book author Zoë Tucker, you’ll creative a professional pitch presentation that contains everything an art director or publisher needs to see in order to give you children’s book illustration work, including character sheets, a front cover, and a full page spread.
Plus you’ll get weekly LIVE reviews with Lilla and Zoë, exclusive professional level texts to work from, a text chooser worksheet so you can dive right in without procrastination, daily drawing prompts, tons of downloads to support your children’s book illustration career, and lots more.
But don’t just take our word for it – check out our huge library of student success stories here, or read on for four more brand new success stories from real-life illustrators just like you.
Success story #1: Jemma Jamie Skidmore
Jemma (left) and the front cover of her picture book for top publisher Simon & Schuster, which she landed after taking Illustrating Children’s Books (right).
Jemma told us that she landed her first picture book illustration deal with top publisher Simon & Schuster based on the art that she did for Illustrating Children’s Books.
Ketanji Brown Jackson: A Justice for All follows the incredible story of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the US Supreme Court.
Jemma’s full page spread for Illustrating Children’s Books. In this class, you’ll get exclusive texts from picture book author Zoë Tucker to work with: this text from Zoë went on to be published as Greta and the Giants.
See more of Jemma’s art on her website and Instagram.
Success story #2: Josiane Vlitos
Josiane (left) and the front cover of the book she illustrated for top publisher Penguin Random House US (right).
Josiane landed a children’s book illustration deal with top publisher Penguin Random House US and got an agent after creating a character design sheet and a two-page spread for an author.
Josiane told us: “In 2019, after taking several Make Art That Sells classes and posting on social media, I received a message from a young author who wanted me to illustrate a couple of spreads of his children’s book, The Broken Heart, to include with his submission to publishers. I jumped at the opportunity, and happily illustrated a character design sheet and a two page spread.”
One of Josiane’s spreads for The Broken Heart. You’ll create a gorgeous spread like this in Illustrating Children’s Books, along with character sheets, a front cover and more.
Josiane continued: “Fast forward to 2021, and I receive an email from the author’s agent saying that the project was picked up by Penguin Random House US and they would like me to illustrate it! Words can’t describe how excited I was. I had all but forgotten about the little character design sheet and spread I had done two years prior, and now Penguin wanted to hire me! Not only that, but the agent also wanted to take me on and represent me. I had a wonderful time working with Penguin and could not be more proud of the finished book. The Broken Heart is now available for pre-order and will be in stores May 2024.”
Josiane added: “This experience has taught me so much, and is a good reminder that you never know where projects will take you. Grab every opportunity by the horns and you never know, it might end up on book shelves five years later!”
Josiane’s full page spread for Illustrating Children’s Books. In just five weeks, you’ll create a full pitch presentation containing everything an art director needs to see to give you work!
Finally Josiane said: “I owe so much to Lilla and her classes. I have been taking Make Art That Sells classes for the past five years, and with each year I have watched my art and career bloom. Lilla’s mantra of ‘Draw what makes you happy and people will buy your joy’ is one I live by. I try to spread joy with every illustration I do.”
See more of Josiane’s art on her website and Instagram.
Success story #3: Maria Over
Maria (left) and her full page spread for Illustrating Children’s Books (right). She has since landed her first picture book deal with top publisher Random House.
Maria landed her first fully illustrated children’s book job with top publisher Random House after taking Illustrating Children’s Books – and it also inspired her to take more classes with Make Art That Sells: a whole year of them in fact, with My Year of Art School!
Our amazing My Year of Art School bundle won’t be available until November, but you can sign up for My Semester of Art School right now with a massive 40% saving! Find out more and register here.
Art by Maria for her first Illustrating Children’s Books course: she loved it so much and learned so much that she immediately signed up for a full year of Make Art That Sells courses!
Maria told us: “I took Illustrating Children’s Books in October and loved this wonderful community and what I learned so much, that I signed up for a whole year of classes!” Since then she’s gone on to get jobs including a magazine cover and two larger ad agency illustration jobs and more.
The front cover and a spread for Maria’s first fully illustrated picture book, which she got after taking Illustrating Children’s Books.
Her first fully illustrated picture book, In deinem Herzen wohnt das Glück, was written by a heart surgeon who has operated thousands of hearts. Maria says: “It’s a very special book about our heart: It beats in our chests and makes us feel joy and sadness. Sometimes it’s calm and serene, other times it jumps with excitement. Our heart is always there like a good friend, it is where our true happiness lives.”
See more of Maria’s art on her website and Instagram.
Success story #4: Natallia Bushuyeva
Natallia (left) and some of her art from Illustrating Children’s Books (centre and right). Since taking the course, Natallia has landed THREE children’s book illustration gigs!
Natallia has landed three book deals, all with Clavis Publishing, since taking Illustrating Children’s Books!
Natallia is another Make Art That Sells student who loved Illustrating Children’s Books so much that she then signed up for My Year of Art School – twice! In all, she’s taken Illustrating Children’s Books four times!
Cover and art for Natallia’s second book, De grote Verjaardag or Paisley’s Big Birthday, which was published in Dutch and English.
We mentioned in a previous blog post that Natallia had landed her first children’s book illustration job. She got in touch recently to let us know about her second book – and since then she’s also illustrated another one!
Art by Natallia for her third children’s picture book, A Real Lion Story. Learn how you can build a successful children’s book illustration career like this with Illustrating Children’s Books!
Natallia told us: “The most important part [of My Year of Art School] for me was Illustrating Children’s Books, which I took four times. This course helped me to realize my dream to become a children’s book illustrator. This incredible experience opened doors for me in the children’s book industry. The knowledge I got in these classes was very deep, contemporary, and intensive. Illustrating Children’s Books became an essential manual in my new profession. Plus, there was a very friendly supportive environment among students. Here I made new friends and we still communicate after my studies are finished.”
See more of Natallia’s art on her website and Instagram.
Wow! We hope that you enjoyed the show and are excited to embark on your very own children’s book illustration career.
Illustrating Children’s Books starts next month, on Monday, May 20th – and right now you can save up to 40% on this raved-about course in our big Spring Sale! Don’t miss out on this amazing deal – sign up here now.
HURRY! Our Spring Sale is only on until Friday, April 19th, so don’t miss your chance to save big! Check out everything that’s included in the sale here.
- ON NOW: Save big in our wonderful Spring Sale, with 25% off every course and 40% off some brilliant bundles. You won’t get our courses for 2024 cheaper than this!
- April 11th to 13th: Join art agent Lilla for our FREE Spring Break Art Camp, with live Zooms, FREE art demos from Lilla, and much more! For zoom times and links, check the Spring Sales page here.
- Next newsletter: What type of book should you create? Find out with our FREE quiz from art agent Lilla!
Lots of love
The MATS team xxx
