Taina Almodóvar, an illustrator from the Dominican Republic who lives in Spain, attended this year’s Summer Camp in Illustration, courtesy of our Jerome Weisman Scholarship for illustrators.
Taina’s Retreat Experience:
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to receive feedback on my work from both my mentor and fellow participants. Learning from their experiences and insights was an extraordinary gift. All of this took place in an idyllic setting, surrounded by nature and children’s books to analyze and learn from. It was the perfect space to disconnect in order to reconnect with my life’s purpose and return to my work inspired, ready to put everything I learned into practice.”
Lessons She Learned at Camp:
“I learned so much about how to apply different techniques in my work and how to choose what’s most effective—both in developing my own style and adapting to the needs of each project. Through my mentor Lala and my teacher Katie, I also gained valuable insights into my strengths as an artist and the areas where I can grow to take my work to the next level of quality and move closer to finding representation. Hearing the personal stories of how each of the instructors achieved their professional goals gave me countless ideas and a huge dose of motivation to keep working on my own path and nurturing my love for books and art.”
Taina’s Scholarship Experience:
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Jerome Weisman family and The Highlights Foundation for giving me this incredible opportunity to receive this scholarship. I cried tears of joy when I read that first email with the news. The journey to this point has been long and filled with many ups and downs, but my love for my work has kept me persevering and hopeful in pursuit of my dreams. It means so much to me that you saw something beautiful and valuable in my journey. Being part of such a wonderful community feels like a true privilege—a dream come true.”
About Taina
Taina Almodóvar is an illustrator from the Dominican Republic who lives in Spain, specializing in promoting reading and a love for art among children and young people.
Through her picture books, she explores themes such as environmental care, human rights, and anti-bullying, using storytelling and illustration as powerful tools to teach values through art and literature.
She earned an MA in Children’s Literature: Children’s Book Illustration in 2014, which marked the beginning of her collaborations with various publishing houses in Latin America and Spain.
Her picture book What Good Friends Do was selected for the 2023 IBBY International Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities and was showcased at the IBBY Stand during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
Another of Taina’s books, L’home de color blau brillant (The Man in Brilliant Blue), was awarded Best Illustrated Book in Spanish and Catalan at the Liber Book Fair in Barcelona, Spain.
Her work has been exhibited in renowned spaces such as the Altos de Chavón Gallery (Dominican Republic), MACBA, CCCB, and the Museum of Design (Barcelona), Centro Cultural Conde Duque (Madrid), and the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (Cali, Colombia), among others.
Website: tainalovestodraw.com
Instagram: @mymagicillustrations
Facebook: @tainaalmodovarilustracion
Support a Scholarship at the Highlights Foundation
Our Special Scholarships are donor-guided scholarship funds. The creators (donors) of the scholarships help guide decisions about the fund, including the type of program they can be used on and who can be awarded the scholarship.
There are two ways to support our special scholarships:
1) Support an Existing Fund – Does one of our special scholarships already serve a purpose you’d like to support? All our existing scholarship funds accept donations to increase their impact and ensure their longevity.
2) Establish a Special Scholarship – You can also create your own scholarship fund. Here’s how: Options start at $1,500 per year with a minimum commitment of five years. As the fund creator, you can design the scholarship, designate who it supports, and set other criteria. Contact us to discuss options.
In addition to special scholarships, the Highlights Foundation also provides general scholarships. Supporting our general scholarship fund is another great way to support storytellers here at the Highlights Foundation.
