Introduction to Children’s Illustration
A course by Adolfo SerraIllustrator
A course by Adolfo Serra, Illustrator
Learn to illustrate a classic story using manual and traditional techniques
Combine your passion for drawing and reading literature by creating illustrations that are "worth a thousand words". In this course, illustrator Adolfo Serra teaches you how to illustrate a classic children's story, providing a personal vision of the text through images. He shows you the essential steps for taking on a children's illustration editorial project based on a story, from creating first sketches and experimenting with new techniques to the creation of your final illustration.
What you learn in this course can be applied to any illustration assignment or challenge that involves illustrating for text. It will help you start or expand your portfolio as an editorial illustrator and involves exploring different workflows to create unique illustrations with both manual techniques.
What will you learn in this online course?
13 lessons & 18 downloads
Creativity. From the inside out
9 minutes, 55 seconds
The story
7 minutes, 42 seconds
Test, trial and error?
4 minutes, 18 seconds
The ink
20 minutes, 17 seconds
Monotype
15 minutes, 47 seconds
Collage
9 minutes, 2 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Adolfo Serra's work in-depth, his professional career, his projects and some books he has published. He shows you what a day in the life of an illustrator is like and the importance of drawing as a tool for fostering creativity.
To create three different illustrations, which will serve as a sample of your potential for being a children's illustrator, Adolfo Serra explains different tips and methods for being creative when interpreting and illustrating a story.
Next, he takes on illustrated books and albums as the foundations for children's illustration. He explores the relationship between the words and images, the sequence and narration, and the book's rhythm. Adolfo shows you some examples of albums he finds especially interesting.
He looks at classic piece of literature and show you how to take advantage of it, emphasizing the strengths of traditional stories and their validity today compared to other story types.
Then he explains how to analyze and conceptualize a text, extracting the main ideas and showing you how to transform words and ideas into sketches that will be your future illustrations.
He explains several illustration techniques for using in your projects: ink, monotype, and collage. See his method for creating three different types of illustrations.
Find inspiration by experimenting with different pictorial techniques and ideas. Once finished with this course, create a series of three finished illustrations from the same project or story that will serve as the starting point for a book, or form a part of your portfolio as a children's illustrator.
What is this course's project?
Just like Adolfo Serra does with Alicia in Wonderland, you will interpret a classic tale or story of your choice, using your vision as an author and illustrator.
Create three illustrations with a unique and coherent style that will serve as a starting point for creating your own illustrated book or as part of your children's illustrator portfolio.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
The course is aimed at creative people who want to explore the world of children's illustration through a classic text, tale, or story.
This is a course for those who love stories and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, as well as illustrators and designers looking for new techniques.
Requirements and materials
To complete this course you will need, above all else, the desire to draw, experiment, and put aside your fear of blank pages.
You will need a notebook or mixed media paper appropriate for the final illustrations, a notebook or sketching paper, ink, paintbrushes, wax, pencils, an eraser, oil, a small print roller, scissors, glue, papers of different weights, and acetate. A small box of watercolors or colored pencils is also nice to have.
Reviews
- ka_hermannPLUS4 days ago
Ich fand den Kurs sehr anregend und ermutigend. Ich habe jetzt große Lust, ein eigenes Projekt auszuprobieren und mir sind durch die Technik-Beispiele viele neue Ideen gekommen. Ich fand den Kurs sehr gut!
- 17 days ago
MUY BUENO
- 25 days ago
ESTE CURSO ES SIMPLEMENTE INCREIBLE! MUY BUENO, YO LO TENGO Y VUELVO A EL CADA CUANTO, PORQUER ENTREGA REALES HERRAMIENTAS DE ILUSTRACION, FELICITACIONES AL PROFESOR.
- 2 months ago
excelente curso, consegui pegar várias referencias
- 2 months ago
Brilliant class! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on how to have some freedom while creating :)
He loves to experiment with techniques, play with materials, and, above all, tell stories with his art. He considers himself a trailblazer of blank pages who maps uncharted territory with illustrations for children and young adults.
His illustrations have been featured at the Bologna Children's Book Fair (Italy), Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (Slovakia), Sharjah Children's Book Fair (United Arab Emirates), Ibero-American Illustration Contest (Mexico), CJ Picture Book Awards (Korea), and the International Exhibition of Illustrations for Children in Sàrmede (Italy).
His wordless version of Little Red Riding Hood has been published in Spain, Germany, France, and Mexico, and has won numerous awards. He also won the 19th A la Orilla del Viento Award for illustrated album from the Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Introduction
- Influences. From the outside in
- Creativity. From the inside out
- U2
Once upon a time…
- The book
- The story
- The text, the sketch and the interpretation
- U3
Through the looking glass. Processes, experimentation and techniques
- Test, trial and error?
- The ink
- The ink II
- Monotype
- Collage
- U4
And they lived happily ever after...
- Time to make decisions and draw
- Creating images, lighting up the story
- FP
Final project
- Introduction to children's illustration
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
PLUSIf 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
You'll learn techniques like ink, collage, and monotype; how to create characters, sketch books, reinterpret classic tales, and develop your own style for illustrating children's and youth stories.
This is an intermediate-level course, perfect for those with basic drawing or illustration skills who want to deepen their knowledge of techniques and visual storytelling for kids.
You'll need ink, brushes, paper, pencils, watercolors, scissors, glue, collage materials, and a sketchbook. It's recommended to have a variety of papers and some reusable materials.
Yes, you'll build a portfolio featuring original concepts, characters, sketches, and compositions that showcase your style and versatility as a children's illustrator.
The course covers ink, collage, monotype, watercolor, watercolor pencil drawing, mixed media, composition, and experimenting with textures and cutouts.
You'll learn to analyze and reinterpret classic stories, exploring fresh visual perspectives and adapting literary characters and icons to your own style.
It's not required. The course focuses on hands-on techniques and experimenting with physical materials, though you can digitize your illustrations if you want.