Read our amazing Illustrating Children’s Books alumna success stories!

Do you dream of finding work in the magical world of children’s book illustration? Would you love to create memorable characters and see your work in print?

Our outstanding online course, Illustrating Children’s Books, started Monday and there’s still time to sign up. Just think: in just five weeks you could be holding your very own stunning book pitch in your hands, ready to send off to potential clients! But HURRY: registration closes tonight! Click here to grab your place now.

MATS works! To celebrate our the launch of our course, we’re thrilled to be able to showcase some of our recent MATS alumni successes, focusing on the illustration jobs our students have landed in the children’s book industry after taking our courses.

ANDREA STEGMAIER

Through sharing her work for the Illustrating Children’s Books class on social media, Andrea got her very first illustration job: making an activity page for Bravery magazine. A few weeks later, Nicole from Tugeau2 Agency asked if she would be interested in representation, and she is currently working on the illustrations for a picture book which will be published next summer in the UK and US.

She says: My biggest aha moment was when I realized that people would actually pay me for something I love to do, they would pay me for being myself. Another thing I discovered: you don’t necessarily need a formal education to call yourself an illustrator. There are many ways to get there and it’s never too late to try it! 

Read Andrea’s Alumni Success interview here.

caitlin murray

Since discovering MATS, Caitlin has illustrated three books, two of which she wrote herself, and is about to start her third author/illustrator book. She has also worked for some of her dream clients, including Penguin Random House, Lothian, The 5 Mile Press and Rock Your Baby.

She says: If you are keen to continue developing your style and want to create new art that you can sell on to clients, if you want to meet like-minded people from around the globe, if you love being given interesting and on trend projects to illustrate then MATS is for you!

Read Caitlin’s alumni success interview here.

Katy Halford

Whilst taking the MATS Illustrating Children’s Book course, Katy was signed by agent Plum Pudding Illustration Agency, who had spotted a piece of work from the course. This led to work on several book projects and she illustrated her very first picture book, Moz the Monster, to accompany the John Lewis Christmas advert in 2017.

She says: ICB taught me everything I needed to know about developing a character for a children’s book. It was a fantastic experience and great value, and provided extensive information and such a great creative community full of lots of budding artists. Oh and of course amazing teachers Lilla and Zoe! It has also laid down the foundations for the start of my career in children’s book illustration which I hope to continue for many years to come!

Read Katy’s alumni success interview here.

Devon Holzwarth

Devon originally took Hot Markets for Your Art: Part A, which helped her to realise that her passion lay in illustration. She went on to take our Illustrating Children’s Book course three times, and began actively pursuing the children’s book market, including sending work to publishers and attending the Bologna Book fair. She has now signed with T2 Illustrators & Authors agency and has some very exciting projects coming up. Watch this space

Devon says: I’m forever grateful for learning how to break daunting projects into bite-sized parts, and for how to play my way into getting “stuck in” to what I’m working on at the moment. Also, I learned how to better listen to my intuition, and give myself breaks when I need them, which is crucial as you grow.

When taking MATS classes, I recommend jumping in all the way. When you’re fully steeped in the classes and assignments you’ll learn and grow immensely. Also, the nuggets that Lilla, Zoë, and Margo dole out really are golden. They are such lovely people and teachers, and leaders in the creative world, full of wisdom and insight, quirkiness and fun. Thank you all!

Read Devon’s alumni success interview here

Mel Armstrong

Mel is currently illustrating her first children’s book, which is due to be published early next year, and has just completed an illustrated educational book for Oxford Press, which started out as just the cover, but ended up being the whole book!  

She says: I feel like all of a sudden I’ve found my way in this illustration and surface design world, and amazing work is finally coming my way! 

Watch this space for a future interview with Mel!

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Would you like to get work in this fun and lucrative market? Can you imagine illustrating your very own children’s book?

Lilla Rogers is an art agent with more than 30 years of experience and Zoë Tucker is an acclaimed children’s book art director. Together, they will provide you with everything you need to launch your children’s book illustration career or to take it to the next level.

In this step-by-step, supportive and engaging five-week online course, they will help you create a brilliant pitch, and also give you all the tools, insight, and advice you need to succeed.

By the end of the course you will have your own killer pitch ready to send to clients, including character sheets, a gorgeous double-page spread, and a show-stopping front cover

BUT HURRY! Registration closes TONIGHT! Sign up now and take your first step towards landing your dream children’s book gig!

Love

The MATS team xxx

P.S. Last chance to try an Illustrating Children’s Books lesson completely FREE – click here!