Picturebook Illustration: Explore Color and Composition

A course by Melissa Castrillón , Illustrator and Designer

Illustrator and Designer. Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.
Joined June 2021

Develop eye-catching illustrations for picturebooks by using harmonious structures and a consistent color palette while experimenting with textures and media

100% positive reviews (133)
5,335 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Develop eye-catching illustrations for picturebooks by using harmonious structures and a consistent color palette while experimenting with textures and media

Children’s book illustration offers the freedom to create visual worlds that have never been seen before. Melissa Castrillón, an award-winning illustrator specializing in picturebooks, uses a unique blend of vivid colors and playful compositions that invite readers on an adventure from the first page. She’s illustrated over 25 book covers and more than ten picturebooks, including three of her own, which have been translated into more than 20 languages.

In this online course, learn color and composition techniques to draw eye-catching picturebook illustrations. Melissa teaches how to design an imaginary character and setting based on a story idea, as well as how to captivate the reader’s attention and guide them on a visual journey using harmonious structures and vibrant layers of color. Create bold compositions that stand out on the bookshelves.

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What will you learn in this online course?

16 lessons & 33 downloads

Visual Devices
17 minutes, 26 seconds
Creating a Composition
20 minutes, 47 seconds
How to Find a Story
10 minutes, 34 seconds
Creating the Setting
14 minutes, 22 seconds
The Artwork: First Layer
17 minutes, 38 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (133)
  • 5,335 students
  • 16 lessons (3h 35m)
  • 33 additional resources (7 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

What is this course's project?

Create a double-page illustration for a picturebook with a balanced composition and harmonious color palette.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Anyone who wants to learn how to create vivid illustrations for picturebooks.

Requirements and materials

No previous knowledge is required to take this course, but experience in illustration or Photoshop will be helpful.

As for materials, you need basic drawing tools, a scanner, and a computer with access to Photoshop.


Reviews

5,335 Students
133 Reviews
100% Positive ratings
  • More reviews

Melissa Castrillón

A course by Melissa Castrillón

Teacher Plus
Illustrator and Designer

Melissa Castrillón is a freelance illustrator and designer with a mix of English and Colombian roots. Growing up in a creative family, she knew from the age of five that she wanted to draw for a living. While studying an MA in children’s book illustration at the Anglia Ruskin University, she discovered screen printing, and with it, a new way to approach her artwork, focusing on color and composition.

Melissa has illustrated over 25 book covers and more than ten picturebooks, collaborating with publishers like Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Bloomsbury, and Scholastic. She has also written three of her own, Mighty Min, The Balcony and Can You Keep a Secret?, which have been translated into more than 20 languages. In 2019, she was awarded the Gold medal by the Society of Illustrators in New York for The Balcony. That same year, she was asked to redesign the covers for Philip Pullman’s popular trilogy His Dark Materials.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Taking a Closer Look

    • An Introduction to Picture Books
    • Visual Devices
    • Creating a Composition
    • Using Colour
  • U3

    Inspiration and Design

    • How to Find a Story
    • Creating the Setting
    • Developing the Character
  • U4

    The Illustration

    • Arranging the Final Composition and Colour
    • The Artwork: First Layer
    • The Artwork: Second and Third Layer
    • Making It Digital
    • Last Touches
  • U5

    A Gateway

    • Developing It Further
    • Promotion
  • FP

    Final project

    • Picturebook Illustration: Explore Color and Composition

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.
Picturebook Illustration: Explore Color and Composition. Illustration course by Melissa Castrillón

Picturebook Illustration: Explore Color and Composition

A course by Melissa Castrillón
Illustrator and Designer. Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.
Joined June 2021
  • 100% positive reviews (133)
  • 5,335 students