Getting Into the ITSme Mentorship to Learn about Illustrating Children's Books in Publishing (And Why I said Yes!)

Let's talk about the ItsMe Summer Mentorship 2025 I participated in.

On June 30, 2025, I tried to contain my excitement as I grinned from ear to ear when I let my supportive partner know I received the email acceptance from the ITSme Summer Mentorship!

ItsMe group shared that they only accept about 20 percent of applicants, selecting artists they believe will truly benefit from 1:1 mentorship.

That part stayed with me.

Not because it felt exclusive, but because it made the intention of the program clear. This wasn’t designed to be passive. It was designed to be focused; and that, is what I needed.

At that point, I was already creating consistently, but I felt pulled in multiple directions.

I was mainly working in an anime style, which I still love and didn’t want to let go of. I also wanted to better prepare myself for opportunities in the publishing industry in a formalized manner, and, of course, network! At the same time, I was becoming more interested in:

• children’s book illustration

• surface pattern design

• greeting card design
  

I had range, but I didn’t have clarity.

I kept thinking:What direction actually makes sense for my portfolio? Do I need to choose one style? How do I expand without losing what makes my work mine?

More than anything, I wanted guidance from someone who understood how this translates into real opportunities, especially agency representation.

The program cost $700, so I took time to think about it carefully. I am blessed to be supportive by my employer who invests into my skill set. I am also grateful that all the skills I would learn would allow me to authentically support students (and adults in my numerous community) as well.

For me, it came down to this:I could keep experimenting on my own, or I could step into a space where someone could help me shape all of this into something more intentional.

I decided to invest.

Before the program began, I had to submit:

• a curated portfolio as individual images (12–20 pieces)

• a short artist bio

• work that reflected direction, not just skill
  

Even that process felt different. It made me look at my own work more critically.

When I met my mentor, Min (Minhae Kim), we made a clear decision early on.

Instead of trying to do everything at once, I would focus on strengthening my children’s book illustration portfolio. That became the main priority.

If I had time, I could also explore an additional brief centered around greeting card design, which allowed me to still touch on my interest in surface design and product-based work.

That balance mattered.

I didn’t feel like I was abandoning my anime roots. I was expanding my skill set in a way that could open more doors, while still keeping my voice.

Looking back, that clarity alone made the experience worth it.

Not because everything was solved, but because I finally had direction. For a visual goodie: You can see my "normal" style (anime focus), and how I am learning how to work with textures and not refining art so much with the final colored drafts to be shared with future posts.

I love to draw creates, but typically I had worked in Photoshop or ClipStudio Paint on a drawing tablet for crisper lines and my "anime" art style work flowl

While this is created in Procreate, it is still a very clean graphic (that could easily be vectorized). Not quite what is best for children's book illustrations (unless I focus on board books).

Another drawing of my own character, Reka, also created in the anime style.

Now, take a look at some the sketches for this program. It's so different (even if these are just drafts)!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/6e8247_571831f5cf7d4474a3e1a3fa29b4571e/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

I had to clean up my sketches to present to my mentor. Usually, I work in a very messy manner for sketching.

I think axolotls need more love! This is the first sketch of the card before feedback.

Mina's character design. She is from a Cambodian refugee family, so I could connect with her.

This is the original cover sketch.

Originally, I only added a few characters n the background.

In this original draft, I added many items that may realistically be near a bustling classroom.

I really liked this brief. I imagined Mina's classmates being proud of her finishing a presentation although she is rather shy.

Follow Along I’ll be sharing the full breakdown of this experience, including the timeline, feedback, and what actually changed in my work afterward.

If you’re navigating multiple styles or trying to figure out how to turn your art into something more structured, this series will walk through it step by step.

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