Advanced Course: Picture Book Mentor Groups

A year of online group mentor sessions to motivate, guide and support you in launching or rejuvenating your career as a picture book author and/ or Illustrator.

During these sessions, I will help you identify your unique picture book superpowers, guide you in strengthening your written and illustrative skills, provide feedback on your storyboards and advise you on crafting your best portfolio to flaunt your individual style to industry professionals. Plus new for 2026-27 an agent or publisher will visit to give a talk and provide feedback on your artwork.

In this safe, creative space, numbers are limited to allow time for vital feedback on your work and to air questions or challenges you may have.
You will:

• Receive personalised, one-on-one feedback on your work during each session 
• Gain invaluable Industry feedback on your finished portfolio from an established agent or publisher, near the end of the course.
• Share your work in a supportive small group setting to receive constructive feedback and motivation from myself and your peers.
  
• Upload your current portfolio to identify any gaps in content and explore effective ways to present your work, helping you captivate publishers and tell your unique story.
  
• Refine your unique style by strengthening your characters, colour palettes and compositions.
  
• Get detailed appraisals of your texts and storyboards, including advice on which synopsis to develop for maximum impact.
  
• Receive industry advice about approaching and working with agents and publishers
• Complete homework assignments designed to build your portfolio and enhance self-marketing techniques.
  
• Set achievable goals with clear timelines, and receive ongoing support and accountability to ensure your progress.

Who Are These Courses For?

For those who have completed an intermediate-level course on writing and/ or illustrating picture books, or for professionals already working in the field who want to rejuvenate their portfolios and develop storyboards.

Testimonials

"I've learnt so much from Claire's mentorship and it has transformed my picture book portfolio over the last year. I have really benefited from having Claire critique my work and from her industry knowledge. This course was exactly what I needed to help me progress with my dream of illustrating picture books." Emma Block

"I have enjoyed this year’s mentor sessions as always. I love having a regular group that is so supportive and encouraging where I can share my work regularly. The feedback from Claire is always so helpful. She has the ability to look at a picture and suggest ways to improve it which you just couldn’t see yourself. She always strikes the perfect balance between encouraging and offering useful critique. She has so much useful knowledge and is so generous in sharing it. I wholeheartedly recommend her courses and mentor groups." Lemady Rochard

"Claire's Mentor group came at the perfect time for me. I had reached a point in developing my portfolio, that I felt stuck, on my own and needed guidance. Claire's course gave me exactly what I needed at an affordable very reasonable price. I will be coming back for a second year! Thank you Claire!" Tamasin Warnock

"I have gained so much confidence in not just illustrating for picture books but writing too. My development has been huge and I can't wait for what the future holds as I am enjoying it so much." Harkiran Kalsi

Meeting Times

Groups meet every month apart from August and December. Sessions are up to three hours long, depending on the number of attendees. You can sign up for a Monday or Tuesday group, which run from 18.00 - 21.00, or a Saturday group from 10.00 - 13.00, UK time. The groups are not interchangeable.

Applications

Applications for places will open in June 2026 for a September 2026 start. If you would like full course details, please sign up for my newsletter here and email me by return. If you would like to apply for a place, please email me samples of, or a link to your artwork (or stories if you are a writer), along with a brief outline of your picture book journey so far and what you hope to achieve so I can check if the course will be helpful to you. If I have accepted you into a group and given you a code, please pay by clicking on the payment bar.

Fees

£410  (Pay in three interest-free payments with Paypal)
Please note: Fees are non-refundable. In the case of course cancellation, a refund will be given.

Looking to gift a course, workshop or a mentor session? Click here and find Gift Vouchers at the top of the page.