Watercolor and Mixed Media for Illustrated Books

A course by Juan Camilo Mayorga , Illustrator

Illustrator. Bogota, Colombia.
Joined November 2020

Give life to a children’s story by creating an illustrated universe using digital and analogue techniques

100% positive reviews (35)
756 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Give life to a children’s story by creating an illustrated universe using digital and analogue techniques

To create visual universes that are full of excitement and original stories, we have to overcome our fear of technique, get experimental, and use error as a method of expression. That's how Juan Camilo Mayorga, an illustrator specializing in children's books, tackles all his projects for publishers such as Cataplum libros, Rey Naranjo, Loqueleo, Norma, and writers like Jairo Buitrago, Candelario Obeso, Beatriz Helena Robledo, and many more.

In this course, learn a creative approach based on intuition to analyze and interpret a narrative text and use it to illustrate a universe with a mixture of materials, combining analog and digital techniques with watercolor as the main player.

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What will you learn in this online course?

12 lessons & 13 downloads

The text
9 minutes, 59 seconds
Picture grammar: storyboard
6 minutes, 7 seconds
The materials
2 minutes, 41 seconds
Open and closed stain
8 minutes, 40 seconds
Color palette
6 minutes, 3 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (35)
  • 756 students
  • 12 lessons (1h 25m)
  • 13 additional resources (4 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 three final illustrations based on a text analysis that tells a particular story, experimenting with materials and techniques.

Who is this online course for?

Illustrators, artists, and anyone who'd like to get started in the creative process of illustrating books.

Requirements and materials

You need basic knowledge of drawing and Adobe Photoshop.

As for materials, you need a computer with Photoshop, watercolors, gouache, a cloth and a container of water, a mixing tray, brushes, coloring pencils, pencils, oil pastels, dry pastels, paper of different textures and colors, scissors, and some other material that Juan explains in the course.


Reviews

756 Students
35 Reviews
100% Positive ratings
  • More reviews

Juan Camilo Mayorga

A course by Juan Camilo Mayorga

Teacher Plus
Illustrator

A native of Colombia, Juan Camilo Mayorga studied Graphic Design at the National University of Colombia, where he developed an interest in illustration, art, and a special taste for book illustration, especially the picturebook format, for the creative freedom that the illustrator has in interpreting a story.

After graduating from college, he published his first book Nicolás Aprende Los Números (SM, 2012), where he was able to put into practice the experimentation he had been doing with watercolor. This was the beginning of several collaborations both locally (Colombia) and internationally with the publishing companies including SM, Castillo, Rey Naranjo, El Naranjo, Loqueleo, and Norma.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • Presentation
    • Influences
  • U2

    Ideas first

    • The text
    • Picture grammar: storyboard
    • The materials
  • U3

    The technique

    • Open and closed stain
    • Color palette
    • Characters, setting and mixed media
    • Final composition on paper
  • U4

    From paper to screen

    • Digitization and adjustments
    • Digital collage
    • The possibilities of illustration
  • FP

    Final project

    • Watercolor and Mixed Media for Illustrated Books

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.
Watercolor and Mixed Media for Illustrated Books. Illustration course by Juan Camilo Mayorga

Watercolor and Mixed Media for Illustrated Books

A course by Juan Camilo Mayorga
Illustrator. Bogota, Colombia.
Joined November 2020
  • 100% positive reviews (35)
  • 756 students