Story Illustration with Paper
A course by Estrellita CaracolVisual Artist and Illustrator
A course by Estrellita Caracol, Visual Artist and Illustrator
Explore the possibilities of paper and learn to illustrate using collage techniques
The field of illustration covers a huge range of materials and techniques that offer endless creative possibilities. Achieving a specific result depends largely on your chosen medium, which is why experimentation is key. Artist Estrellita Caracol specializes in illustration using collage. Although she studied design, her passion for both collage and paper led her to children's illustration using collage, an area that was uncharted territory for her at the time. When the chance arose, she picked up her paper and scissors and began to teach herself until it finally became her area of expertise.
In this course, Estrellita Caracol shows you how to develop a series of illustrations step by step to express your personal style through collage and tell a story in pictures.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 10 downloads
What will we do in the course?
1 minute, 18 seconds
Materials and tools
6 minutes, 53 seconds
Search and production of references
8 minutes, 18 seconds
Your way to trim
8 minutes, 13 seconds
Create your own imagination
3 minutes, 1 second
Page and sketch design
13 minutes, 12 seconds
What's included in this course?
Kick off the course by hearing a little bit about Estrellita Caracol, her artistic background, and her journey so far. She talks about her career change from design to illustration as well as her work and her biggest creative influences.
Next, take a closer look at the materials and tools you need for your editorial illustration. Discover the importance of reading the reference text several times and searching for inspiration materials thoroughly.
Move on to the paper-cutting phase, using this time to experiment and see what works best for you and your project.
Estrellita shows you some exercises to help you with your creative process. Learn to put together a mood board of ideas to use as a reference to illustrate a series or story. Then, examine the context of your project closely to define the aesthetic.
Analyze possible formats and their advantages depending on the project and the components that make it up, such as color, and address different reading levels. Now take a look at basic color theory and decide on a color palette before going any further.
Estrellita Caracol explains how to produce your own paper pieces using a range of tools to achieve different textures and shows you how to paint them using acrylics.
Once everything's ready, start building your first cityscape piece by piece. The first step is to sketch your composition in pencil and then get to work on the foundations of the collage. Find out why adding the pieces and arranging the colors in a certain order is important for your piece as a whole. Your teacher guides you every step of the way to help you achieve the desired depth and effects.
Finally, compose your second and third collages following the same process. It's a good idea to work with your first illustration in front of you to help maintain visual coherence between all three pieces and bring your series together.
What is this course's project?
Think up, design, and compose a series of three paper illustrations of a cityscape using collage.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, designers, students, painters, artists, and anyone interested in learning experimental illustration techniques, as well as those who want to broaden their collage skills.
Requirements and materials
You don't need any previous experience to take this course, just come ready to cut up and play with colored paper.
In terms of materials, you need scissors, glue, paints, regular card, thick card, and different types of paper. A pair of watchmaker's tweezers and acrylic paints would be useful, but are not essential.
If you'd like to digitize your compositions, you also need a camera, tracing paper, and a computer with Adobe Lightroom and, if possible, Photoshop.
Reviews
- 2 months ago
Um curso que ensina a realizar. É muito mão na massa sem perder a delicadeza. Nos convida a concretizar nossos projetos. Super indico
- 5 months ago
Professora excelente, sua empolgação ao ensinar e experimentar possibilidades de criação usando materiais de forma expressiva e mostrando diferentes técnicas é encantadora.
- lilyrosibel08PLUS6 months ago
exelente curso . lo amo. me encanto
- 9 months ago
Netter Kurs ums sich mit dem Thema Collage zu beschäftigen. Allerdings war der Kurs weniger Informativ als inspirierend
- 9 months ago
I thoroughly enjoyed this course and learnt a lot about the collage process. The course has a lot of content. I would recommend watching all the videos for all the units before beginning the tasks to avoid doing any of the tasks incorrectly. I think school teachers who want to teach collage to their students would really enjoy this course.
Her illustrations have been featured in books and magazines from a range of publishers like Atlántida, Edelvives, MacMillan, Puerto de Palos, Estrada, Treintayseis, Gerbera, and Kalimat from the United Arab Emirates. She has also participated in numerous exhibitions. In 2013, her illustrations were chosen to compete in the Fourth Ibero-American Illustration Contest and the Guadalajara International Book Fair. She currently works as a freelance artist, designer, and illustrator and teaches workshops on collage and illustration for both adults and children.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
Plans and project
- Materials and tools
- Search and production of references
- Your way to trim
- Create your own imagination
- Page and sketch design
- U3
The foundations
- Color palette
- Own paper production
- U4
The construction: Illustrations in collage
- Assembly of the first illustration
- Assembly of the second illustration
- Assembly of the third illustration
- We present our city
- FP
Final project
- Illustration of stories with paper
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
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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.
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.
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FAQs
The collage technique with painted papers involves cutting and assembling pre-painted papers to create unique illustrations, especially valuable in children's books and projects for their rich visuals and expressiveness.
The course is aimed at people with intermediate illustration skills, but motivated beginners eager to learn new techniques and experiment creatively are welcome to join.
You'll need a variety of papers, acrylic paints, scissors or a craft knife, glue, brushes, cardstock, sponges, and basic cutting tools. Having access to a camera or scanner to digitize your illustrations is also recommended.
You'll learn how to create original illustrations using collage techniques with painted papers, develop your own visual imagination, and discover how to plan, assemble, and digitize your work for editorial or personal projects.
You'll explore strategies for transforming songs and short stories into visual narratives, combining cutouts and composition to create picture books with a unique identity and coherent storytelling.
Yes, the course includes methods for painting and texturizing papers using acrylics, sponges, and household tools to achieve unique, personalized effects in your illustrations.
You'll learn how to digitize your illustrations and adjust color, contrast, and format using editing software, enhancing the presentation and quality of your final pieces.