ITSme Illustration Mentorship Program

Fall Mentorship Begins September 9th, 2024.

This is a 12-week development program to improve and expand your current portfolio. You will graduate the program with industry insights, professional contacts in the field, and brand new illustrations developed alongside a professional artist agent from: Advocate, Astound, Illo, IQ, or Yeon Agencies. This is not a general mentorship, this is a highly curated and individualized experience designed to help you know where you currently stand, make a plan for you future, and actively work to advance your creative career.

More About the Mentorship

This mentorship program simulates the process of working with clients. Over the 12 weeks, you will have multiple deadlines for each stage in the illustration process, sketches, colors, and finals, with your mentor giving feedback at every stage. While you work on your illustrations, you will also have supplemental videos that add to what you are learning from your mentor. If you have any questions about the mentorship program, please email us at [email protected].

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome Letter

    2. Welcome and Orientation

    3. Mentorship Schedule

    4. Discovery Call Prep

    5. Writing Your Artist Biography

    6. Look to the Movies Presentation from CEO Edward Burns

    1. Industry Terms Glossary Page

    2. Academy Video: Character Studies and Character Eyes

    3. Academy Video: Illustration for the Editorial Market

    4. Academy Video: Getting into Greeting Cards

    5. Info about upcoming live webinar

    1. Mentorship Work

    2. Academy Video: Layout for Kids Books

    3. Academy Video: Illustrating for Packaging

    4. Academy Video: Traditional vs. Contemporary Christmas Cards

    5. Instagram reminder/ Social media

    6. Academy Video: Comp Shopping

    7. Academy Video: How to Appeal to a Broad Range of Clients

    8. Academy Video: Characters for Cards and Products

    9. Academy Video: Marketing for Illustrators

    10. Final Art Due

    11. Final Meeting with Mentor

    12. Thank You!

    13. Sharing your Work

About this course

  • 24 lessons
  • 2.5 hours of video content
  • New illustrations created for your portfolio
  • 1-1 Coaching with an industry professional
  • Live Webinar and Portfolio Reviews

Testimonials

Want to know what others think about the mentorship program? Hear directly from our alums, via testimonials!

Koustubha Jagadeesh

3 month mentorship program alum

“I would 100% recommend it to fellow artists. It would have taken me a lot longer to get where I am today without this mentorship. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Bhavi. The briefs were very helpful. I was able to create characters and full work without losing the main focus. Overall, it was an amazing experience.”

Sara Ly-Tan

3 month mentorship program alum

"I feel like there’s more direction and clarity with how to proceed toward my goals, thanks to your guidance, feedback, and all the resources shared through the program. So thank you very much as it was such a pleasure and wonderful experience to work with you. And I really hope to work with you again in the near future."

Akiva Bakst

3 month mentorship program alum

“My experience doing the ITSme Mentorship program was an amazing learning opportunity that has expanded my skills sets in such a short period of time. I was pushed by my mentor to go outside of my comfort zone to further expand my artistic potential. I truly felt that I had the resources and guidance to succeed. With my new knowledge and connections, I’m confident that I can take the steps in the right direction with my career as a professional illustrator.”

Eszter Miklos

3 month mentorship program alum

"The Illustration Mentorship was a fantastic opportunity to develop my portfolio with the help of my lovely mentor, Bhavi. I truly recommend this program for illustrators who are ready to take the next big step in their career."

Gabriela Grave

3 month mentorship program alum

"This Mentorship gave me the right insights to work on my portfolio and improve my art style! I developed work more aligned with myself and the illustration market. I would recommend this Mentorship to anyone looking for some professional reviews and guidance."

Francesca Cosanti

3 month mentorship program alum

“I finally had the opportunity to work on briefs for different clients than usual, with topics that interest me a lot. Thanks to this I was able to give my best and demonstrate how I work with interesting commissions. Being able to interface with a professional like Amy and follow her suggestions was the best.”

Alysha Dawn

3 month mentorship program alum

“Amy was extremely helpful with noticing my strengths and what things were missing from my portfolio that will help me be better situated to get more work. Thanks so much for this opportunity and great experience! I would absolutely recommend this program to other artists!”

Saulo Santana Cabrera

3 month mentorship program alum

"My experience in the ITSme program has been invaluable. I’ve noticed significant growth in my work and have been able to go deeper into portfolio development with your videos from the ITSme team. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all members of ITSme, with special recognition to my mentor Amy."

Peyton Sharp

3 month mentorship program alum

“It was a massive help to have guidance in each step with foundational feedback that I can use to help further my skills. I have learned so much from how to properly prepare characters and draft pieces to keeping the final touches and details in mind. I feel that I have improved significantly in my skills.”

Sebastian Timpe

3 month mentorship program alum

“Having a brief to follow was very helpful. Having my mentor tailor the briefs specifically to missing pieces in my portfolio really helped bring my portfolio together in the end. The briefs were both open ended enough that I could creatively work with them but specific enough that I knew how to produce the image my mentor was looking for.”

The Application

Our get to know you application is quick and easy!

Please fill out the application to be considered for the mentorship program. The application includes some questions about your illustration history and a place for you to send us your portfolio. We use this information to ensure we have the right mentor to help you develop your work! We match each mentee with the best person suited to enrich their future career and develop their skillset.