Illustrated Picturebooks: Create Poetic Vignette Imagery
A course by Cecilia Ruiz , Author, Illustrator, and Graphic Designer
Learn to tell non-linear, visual stories by crafting compelling images that resonate with people of all ages using both analog and digital tools
Learn to tell non-linear, visual stories by crafting compelling images that resonate with people of all ages using both analog and digital tools
Illustrated concept books are a great way to explore complex themes like memory or grief with more nuance than text alone. Through her books and illustrations, author, illustrator, and graphic designer Cecilia Ruiz aims to make intimidating subjects approachable for people of all ages. She has written and illustrated three books of her own and collaborated with clients including Google, Penguin Random House, and The New York Times.
In this course, she teaches you how to come up with a theme and structure for a concept book of your own. Create your first illustrated vignette in the medium of your choice and make a plan to develop it into a completed book. Tell compelling stories through bite-sized illustrated moments.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 17 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (57)
- 1,103 students
- 15 lessons (2h 30m)
- 17 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Develop a concept for an illustrated picturebook and create your first vignette using a combination of analog and digital tools.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in visual storytelling who would like to learn how to improve their illustration skills and create vignette imagery.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills and knowledge of Adobe Photoshop are recommended.
Cecilia uses stamping tools and Photoshop to create her illustrations but you are welcome to create your vignettes in a medium of your choice.
Reviews
A course by Cecilia Ruiz
Cecilia Ruiz is a Brooklyn-based author, illustrator, and graphic designer from Mexico City. Growing up in a family of creatives meant she was encouraged to explore her artistic side from a young age. Inspired by her aunt, in particular, who was a graphic designer, she went on to study a degree in the subject before working as a graphic designer herself for a number of years. After initially working in web design, she shifted to the world of editorial design where she discovered a love of telling stories through images. Cecilia completed a diploma in illustration in Mexico City and later moved to New York to study for a master's in illustration at the School of Visual Arts.
After graduating, she published her first book with Penguin Random House, The Book of Memory Gaps. Since then, she’s written and illustrated two other books and collaborated with clients including Google, The New York Times, Atlas Obscura, and Fast Company. She and her work have also been featured by publications like Design Sponge, DART Sketchbooks, and more.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
The Vignette Picture Book
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Concept Picture Books for Adults
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Substance and Form
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The Vignette: Relationship Between Image and Text
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Disecting an Image
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U3
Creating a Concept Picture Book for Adults
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Brainstorming
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Settling on a Theme and Structure
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Creating the Master Vignette
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Printmaking
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U4
From Analog to Digital
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Cutting the Shapes Out in Photoshop
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Color the Images
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Combining Image and Text
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U5
Planning for the Future
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What to Do Next
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Tips and Tricks for Being a Freelance Illustrator
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FP
Final project
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Illustrated Picturebooks: Create Poetic Vignette Imagery
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Adobe Photoshop
blue_rose_emerald
with so many character and picturebook illustration courses, this has helpful guides in english too. I hope Domestika can make available all other foreign language documents from the courses, also available in english text too, as some of us have english as our 3rd languge, not spanish unfortunately.
slourenco13
It is an interesting course. I recommend it a lot.
contatovaz
Muito inspirador. As explicações são claras e os processos são bem interessantes. Indico fortemente.
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indiaa
yes
florenciamfoos
Me resultó muy enriquecedor el curso! La profesora con todos sus consejos, me hizo pensar que es posible dedicarse a la ilustración! Sólo hay que crear nuestro propio camino.
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