Celebrating: the AOI Mentorship 2024
Our most recent Mentees share their reflections and achievements from the last year
The AOI runs a free yearly Mentorship scheme designed to support a cohort of talented underrepresented illustrators, pairing them with an Illustrator or Agent who generously provide direct 1-1 advice and insight for a period of up to 6 months.
The mentorship is tailored to each mentee, setting clear goals from the start. Whether it was improving their portfolios, stepping into freelance work, or finding their artistic voice, the scheme is here to catalyse growth and quantify progress.
As we open a new call for applications, we catch up with our 2024 mentees in a series of short interviews to find out what they learnt throughout this unique process.
For more details on how to apply to become a 2025 mentee and to meet our mentors, check all details here.
Finding direction
Our mentees collectively amass a range of backgrounds and lived experiences. Yusra Na’im told us how she found herself at a crossroads with her creative practice – “For almost a year I had been planning on making the jump from being a graphic designer working 9-5 to taking a leap of faith and chasing my dream job as a freelance artist and illustrator – however i didn’t know anyone in the industry to help guide me and therefore I had little confidence on how to actually make such a big career change”. She would soon afterwards be selected to be mentored by illustrator Matt Murphy.
Skye Baker also knew this was the year she wanted to go full time as an illustrator – “I was very nervous about this step and I felt so grateful to have the support of my mentor Sean O’Brien to navigate this with.”
For some mentees like Roger Rigol, he wanted to find ways to turn his drawings into a professional illustration practice. Throughout his time in the mentorship, he got to reflect on what exactly he’d like to do, what would be his ideal commissions and how to attract his dream projects:
[I learnt that] it is important to be intentional with my work, to make things that take me into the direction that I want. If I can figure out what my long-term goal would be, I should start making my own projects that align with what I see for my future.
Roger Rigol, mentored by Carina Lindmeier
At the beginning of the mentorship I said I felt like I’d won the golden ticket and I absolutely did!
Sam Jones, mentored by Rachelle Panagarry
Gaining deeper understanding
Growth is only possible through open enquiry and learning. For our mentees, this meant establishing regular 1-1 friendly meetings with their respective mentors to discuss individual goals – no matter how specific or wide-ranging.
Before embarking on his mentorship, Bruno de Almeida found the illustration market confusing and unclear. Soon enough he learnt that “it’s not just about creating good drawings, but understanding the policies behind it and the importance of building a network of relationships.” Over the coming months, the mentorship helped him refine his work to better fit the market he aimed to pursue. Not only that, he got clear guidance on how to outreach to clients and build a sustainable career “Without this mentorship and the guidance of someone as experienced as Amy Simpson from BA Reps—my mentor—it would have taken me years to realise some of these things.”
Through conversation with his mentor, mentee Carlos Toro expanded his knowledge on the illustration Editorial sector. “There was a concept introduced by my mentor Ollie Hirst I didn’t know before: Advertorial, which is a blend of advertising and editorial work. It opened a new perspective to work on more speculative work for brands I would like to collaborate with.”
For my first goal—learning to better present my work—Marcus’s advice emphasized the subjectivity of art and the importance of not overthinking presentation formats. This guidance was valuable for creating social media content and promoting my work effectively, balancing attention to detail without fixating on unnoticed elements
Besher Alyoussef, mentored by Marcus Marritt
For some mentees, this learnt understanding was achieved through very specific exercises. River Jiang expands: “I was eager to develop my personal style, and through discussions with my mentor Viola, we came up with a tailored project to help me achieve that goal: the “100 Cats Project.” The idea was to draw 100 cats in various styles, which allowed me to explore different approaches while identifying what resonated with me most and what made my work unique.”
Achieving goals
Many mentees, like Bruno Almeida, were amazed at how much they accomplished in 6 months. “We began the program with a portfolio review and ended it with another portfolio review. Seeing how everything transformed and matured over the months was incredible.”
“From applying incessantly to exhibition callouts, competitions, commissions, etc I was able to have the busiest September-October in the history of my illustration career!”, says Aislinn F. “Ngadi was really helpful with looking at application processes, and helped me find some great resources to refer to when responding to opportunities and their respective dreaded forms”
Having pent years honing her practice but struggling with gaining success commercially, Hannah Megee was paired with Owen Davey to help her advance on her goals to tailor her portfolio to publishers. “Owen went through my work and gave me helpful advice on how to make small adjustments. This has also helped me to see my portfolio through a slightly different lens and I feel I am able to look at all of my future illustrations in this way. We also worked together on two book dummies and he helped to edit these.”
Similarly, Valya Papadopoulou sought to get more specific guidance on Fashion Illustration – an area she’d been looking to grow in:
One of the goals that we had set at the beginning of the programme was for me to be able to create more impactful fashion illustrations. With my mentor we decided to work on a brief where I would create three different beauty illustrations as part of a series of a beauty routine of my choice. For each of the illustrations, Montana came with very constructive feedback where she would show me how to add elements that would make the illustrations even more unique. It was very eye opening. The end result was a series of illustrations to add to my portfolio which I am really proud of.
Valya Papadopoulou, mentored by Montana Forbes
Securing freelance work with one of her first ever editorial client,s Al Majalla, was a really special moment for mentee Yusra Na’im. “It was something that once felt so out of reach a year ago and was a main goal that I wanted to achieve during the mentorship scheme. In the build up to getting my first client Matt Muphy helped me strengthen my portfolio and I discovered a real love for doing editorial illustrations (something I had never even thought of doing before!)”. Even more excitingly, by the end of the membership gained the courage to finally quit her full-time job to focus on her dream of being an artist/illustrator!
I used to hesitate when reaching out to clients, but now it feels like a natural routine of my job.
Jilll Tran, mentored by Claudine O’Sullivan
Finding support and community
Throughout the process, the mentees recognised the value of meaningful conversations, giving them the needed boost to step out of their comfort zones.
On this, Skye Baker expands: “Sean helped me realise the importance of putting myself out there through emailing art directors and applying for funding for personal projects.”
Mentee Sandra Grbic touched on the importance of communicating with their mentor: “The mentorship provided accountability, as I could discuss my progress with someone who understood the industry (in my case Ryan Claydon from A Human Agency), pushing me to challenge myself and stay on track.” Mentee Sam Jones also agrees: “Having to be accountable to someone else for monthly tasks and deadlines was a great motivator!”
The joy of the AOI Mentorship isn’t only to receive 1-1 guidance, but to go through the journey alongside the rest of the talented mentees from across the world. This practice can, in fact, be key to break away from self-imposed doubts. “Kingsley Nebechi listened to my concerns and offered practical advice and wisdom that truly broke the cycle of negative thinking and anxiety that I had.” shared Mumbi Munyua. “Through insights from my mentor and witnessing the development of my fellow mentees, I was inspired to overcome this mindset.”
Being a part of the mentorship made me feel supported and that I had someone to share doubts with and discuss career-related topics with.
Aislinn F, mentored by Ngadi Smart
It was a bit harder at first to share my thoughts and sentiments but when I realised that so many others were dealing with the same issues and asking the same questions, it really helped me to come out of my shell and participate wholeheartedly.
Re-establishing confidence
It is a lonely journey to become an illustrator, because everyone has a different path. No one’s journey is the same. The mentorship program is like a lighthouse, guiding boats in the right direction. It makes everything effectively come true.
YuHua Ho, mentored by Rachelle Panagarry
It’s well known how prevalent imposter syndrome can be amongst creatives, which can be further accentuated when working in isolation. Many of the mentees have valued the Mentorship’s support, which’s directly impacted on their confidence and sense of validation and purpose.
“As a self taught and unpublished illustrator and carer it’s easy to get discouraged or think you are not ready or you do not have the time” shared Sam Jones, who seemed to expand on her children’s illustration portfolio. “Rachelle Panagarry was brilliant at showing me that my work was absolutely good enough for submissions, and that I didn’t need an MA in Illustration to do it. She was so encouraging and completely changed my mindset from ‘IF I get published’ to ‘WHEN I get published’”
For some, it also signified a turning point in their career trajectories. “I’ve gained clarity about the kind of illustrator I want to be, the type of work I aspire to create and the power of having a network to rely on in moments of doubt.” affirms Mumbi Munyua, who was painted with mentor Kingsley Nebechi.
“This shared time inspired me to pursue a much more focused career and to build confidence as I further contact clients and other artists”, adds Roger Peralta, who was mentored by Marcus Marritt over the past 6 months.
Ultimately, the only opinion that truly matters is my own.
Sandra Grbic, mentored by Ryan Claydon from A Human Agency
Looking towards the future
This may be the end of the AOI Mentorship for the 2024 cohort, but it’s not the end of their individual illustration journeys. “I plan to keep working on my goals, knowing growth is gradual.” reflects Besher Alyoussef. “The mentorship pushed me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to seek more opportunities that challenge me. Although I hesitated before applying, it turned out to be an invaluable experience.”,
My key takeaway from this mentorship was to lean into my strengths more. While it’s fine to widely develop your skills, true creative fulfilment comes from creating from a place of enjoyment.
Aisha Stoll, mentored by Ari Liloan
Going through the process and having to answer some tough but necessary questions, I have a much better understanding of who I am, and where I want to take my career, and I feel much more confident in creating and sharing my work, as well as approaching potential clients.
“One key takeaway was discovering how much I love the texture of traditional media. Moving forward, I’m excited to incorporate more of this approach into my work.”, says River Jiang, mentored by Viola Wang.
We want to thank mentees Yusra Na’im, Skye Baker, Roger Rigol, Sam Jones, Bruno de Almeida, Carlos Toro, Besher Alyoussef, River Jiang, Hannah Megee, Valya Papadopoulou, Jilll Tran, Sandra Grbic, Aislinn F, Roger Peralta, Mumbi Munyua, Aisha Stoll for collectively taking part in this joint interview and feature.
With special thanks to our mentors for sharing their support and expertise with mentees.
Interested in being a 2025 mentee? Applications are open now until midnight on 17th March 2025.
Find all the information, including our list of mentors here.
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