Edinburgh based Picture Hooks provides opportunity and development for emerging picture book illustrators (from all areas), to help them access the world of children’s publishing.

In the mentorship programme five emerging illustrators will be matched with five eminent and established illustrators for nine months.

For the mentee, it is a similar experience to working closely with an editor for a year, but with the additional opportunity to experiment and work outside your comfort zone, trying new techniques and methods.

The programme also includes a range of training such as a visit to a London publishing house, sessions on self promotion and running events.  Work developed in the programme will be shown in a 3 month exhibition of work at the Scottish national gallery of Modern art followed by a UK tour.

The five chosen illustrators from the 2016/17 programme were: Kirsti Beautyman, Hazel Dunn, Anders Frang, Hlin Davidsdottir, and Rachel Everitt. You can read more about the previous illustrators here.

Previous mentors on the scheme were: Debi Gliori, Brita Granström and Mick Manning, Cate James, Natalie Russell, and Nick Sharratt.

“It has been a great process. In comparison to this time last year and thanks to the Picture Hooks mentorship year I feel in a much better position to continue working towards book illustration work.”
Rachel Everitt, mentee 2017-18

One mentee will be awarded the title of the Picture Hook Illustrator of the year.

Applications close on 30 September 2018.  You can apply and find out more here.