The Children's Books Blog for Illustrators has some great tips for aspiring picture book illustrators. Among them is this gem:
If you want to illustrate a picture book, send samples of work that looks like it could go into a picture book. Avoid art that looks to commercial or cartoon-networky (this varies from publisher to publisher). Subjects need to be appropriate for children's books, not for a business meeting (for example, a man in a suit). Your artwork should tell a story without words.
I can't tell you how many times I've received a sample that looks like it fell out of a Disney cartoon. I put those samples directly in the trash. We want to see examples of your unique style, not the styles of your teacher or your biggest inspiration.
