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Kirsti Beautyman has been named as illustrator of the year by picture book mentoring scheme Picture Hooks.
Picture Hooks was set up in association with Creative Scotland to support aspiring picture book illustrators by pairing them with established professionals.
Beautyman, who graduated from both Newcastle and Edinburgh Colleges of Art, was mentored by Helen Stephens, author and illustrator of the series, How to Hide a Lion (Alison Green), and was chosen by the judges as illustrator of the year.
Judge Libby Hamilton said: "The standard of talent is unbelievably high making this an incredibly difficult job. I was drawn in by the storytelling in her illustration and the page layouts and incredibly impressed by her development over the year. I think she sums up everything we hope Picture Hooks can produce.”
This year the other mentors were authors and illustrators Steve Antony, Patrick Benson, Ross Collins, and Debi Gliori. The mentors were paired with Beautyman, Hazel Dunn, Rachel Everitt, Anders Frang, Kirsti Beautyman, and Hlin Davidsdottir. An exhibition of the work produced during this year-long partnership is to open at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art this week, before going on to tour the UK.