Welcome, 2014 SCBWI-LA Illustration Mentees!

Welcome to the six new illustrators chosen for the 2014 Illustrator Mentorship Program! These illustrators are (going left to right in the photo above): Kathryn Ault Noble, Ana Aranda Balcazar, Jeslyn Kate Cantrell, Dorothia Rohner, Suzanne Kaufman and Robin Rosenthal. 

You can read a short bio about each Mentee plus explore portfolio and social media links at the 2014 Mentees page.

Some of the Mentors along with the Mentees. Photo: Rodolfo Montalvo.

This year, the Mentors were members of the SCBWI Illustration Committee -- along with one guest judge: Cecilia Yung (Art Director, Penguin), Priscilla Burris, E.B. Lewis, Paul O. Zelinsky, Laurent Linn (Art Director, Simon & Schuster Children's) and David Diaz. Laurent's been my art director for picture book projects at S&S, so I was excited to see that he was the guest judge this year!

First meet-up of the Mentors and Mentees. Photo: Debbie Ridpath Ohi.

During the Portfolio Showcase. Photo: Debbie Ridpath Ohi.

Congrats also Portfolio Showcase winner Cindy Derby as well as Honor Award winners Kara Kramer and Pedro Antonio Piedra.

Even if you didn't win an award for your portfolio at the Showcase, keep in mind that many industry people looked at your work. I've heard of illustrators getting contacted months and sometimes years after their work was seen at one of these Showcases, because someone in the industry picked up one of their postcards or remembered their portfolio.

New Mentee Jeslyn Kate Cantrell. Photo: Debbie Ridpath Ohi.

It was great getting a chance to chat with some of the new Mentees at the conference, and I look forward to following their work and careers.

Don't forget to check out the brand-new page about the 2014 SCBWI Illustration Mentees! You can also find out more about each Mentee at the links below:

Photo: Debbie Ridpath Ohi.

Robin Rosenthal - Website - Twitter

Ana Aranda Balcazar - Website - Twitter

Suzanne Kaufman - Website - Twitter

Kathryn Ault Noble - Website - Twitter

Jeslyn Kate Cantrell - Website - Twitter

Dorothia Rohner - Website - Twitter

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Debbie Ridpath Ohi has illustrated books by Michael Ian Black and Judy Blume. Upcoming book projects include SEA-MONKEY AND BOB written by Aaron Reynolds, and WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? written and illustrated by Debbie, both coming out from Simon & Schuster Children's in 2015. Twitter: @inkyelbows.