The Austin SCBWI chapter is proud to offer the Emerging Voice Illustrator Mentorship. The winner will receive a year’s mentorship with a local published illustrator to help bring their work to the next level.
Illustrators entering the Portfolio Showcase at the Austin SCBWI Conference are eligible to apply. The mentor will choose an illustrator based on the portfolios in the Showcase.
The 2020 Emerging Voice Illustrator Mentor is Don Tate.
Don Tate | Photo: Sam Bond Photography
Award-winning author/illustrator Don Tate, whose books include Strong As Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became The Strongest Man On Earth; Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions; The Cart That Carried Martin; Hope’s Gift; Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite; It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started To Draw and many others. Don has been a featured illustrator and speaker at numerous book festivals and conferences (SCBWI, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Texas Writers League) and has traveled extensively to speak at schools and libraries.
Don Tate is presenting at the 2020 Writers & Illustrators Working Conference.
Mentors in this program rotate each year. Our other mentor is:
Vanessa Roeder is an author, illustrator, and crafty mess-maker. Her obsession with picture books grew from the long hours she spent helping her mom shelve books at the local library. Her first picture book, LUCY AND THE STRING (Dial Books for Young Readers) debuted in August 2018. Her second book, THE BOX TURTLE (Dial), released February 2020. Vanessa makes her home in Austin, TX, with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. In her spare time, she likes to hide from her kids, practice her Australian accent, and train her dogs to fold the laundry—failing miserably at each. Find out more about Vanessa on her website.