Creative Sketchbooks for Illustration Projects

A course by Manuel Vargas , Illustrator and Designer

Illustrator and Designer. Mexico City, Mexico.
Joined December 2019

Explore creative techniques and use a sketchbook as a reference for your digital illustrations

99% positive reviews (173)
2,070 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Explore creative techniques and use a sketchbook as a reference for your digital illustrations

How many times have you had a good idea and find it difficult to visualize, capture its full potential, or explore its possibilities? Learn illustrator and designer Manuel Vargas’ secrets and how he experiments in a sketchbook to create a wide repertoire of original drawings and unique references.

In this course, learn how to use a sketchbook as a tool for creating visual resources that can inspire your next graphic projects. Discover an easy way to create an idea book full of textures, materials, and clippings. Once finished, you can use it to apply past ideas to your next creative project.

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What will you learn in this online course?

15 lessons & 15 downloads

What will we do in the course?
5 minutes, 15 seconds
The notebook, our portable study
13 minutes, 38 seconds
Steal a drawing
12 minutes, 13 seconds
The shapes of the world
17 minutes, 54 seconds
  • 99% positive reviews (173)
  • 2,070 students
  • 15 lessons (3h 11m)
  • 15 additional resources (6 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish
  • Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create a series of three pieces using the material and elements captured in your sketchbook. Learn to digitize your work, make a digital montage of your illustration, and prepare it as if it were a commission.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is designed for illustration students, hobbyists, and anyone looking to enter the world of illustration.

Requirements and materials

To take this course, some basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, curiosity, and a desire to be creative are required.

The materials needed include a notebook, pencils, a black marker, India ink, some brushes, scissors, black cardboard, grease-proof paper, a scanner, and a computer with Photoshop installed.


Reviews

2,070 Students
173 Reviews
99% Positive ratings

Manuel Vargas

A course by Manuel Vargas

Teacher Plus
Illustrator and Designer

Manuel Vargas grew up in a very small town in Venezuela, where popular culture includes fantastic stories of nature. His youth inspires his work, where the jungle, animals, and mystery are recurring themes.

After earning a degree in Design, Manuel’s career quickly turned to creative direction and illustration. As an illustrator, he has collaborated on a variety of projects including magazines, books and book covers, and other unique pieces for brands and events. He is the co-founder of a design studio called OCHODÍAS. His work has been seen in galleries and exhibitions throughout Europe and America.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • Presentation
    • Influences
    • What will we do in the course?
  • U2

    My Notebook: Portable Study

    • The notebook, our portable study
    • Steal a drawing
    • The shapes of the world
    • They are not stains, they are textures 1
    • They are not stains, they are textures 2
  • U3

    The notebook as a project log

    • From motif to image
    • All manual, little digital
    • The Art of Assembling 1
    • The Art of Assembling 2
  • U4

    Illustration with value

    • Your unpublished illustration series
    • Adaptations to digital and print formats
    • I illustrator! Show your work
  • FP

    Final project

    • Creative Sketchbooks for Illustration Projects

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Creative Sketchbooks for Illustration Projects. Illustration course by Manuel Vargas

Creative Sketchbooks for Illustration Projects

A course by Manuel Vargas
Illustrator and Designer. Mexico City, Mexico.
Joined December 2019
  • 99% positive reviews (173)
  • 2,070 students