Children's book illustration: summer school intensive

What is the course about?

Welcome to the world of children’s books! You will learn how to collect and use reference material, develop ideas for stories, design characters, and create illustrations in response to a given brief. You’ll explore image and text layout, and experiment with different materials.

What will we cover?

• Character design and development
• A range of research and idea development methods
• The relationship between image and text
• Current children's book market overview and how it targets different age ranges
• A range of image making techniques including pen and ink, watercolour, crayon, pencil, charcoal, and pastel.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Conduct visual research, collecting relevant drawing and photographic reference material
• Using reference material, develop ideas in response to a given brief
• Practice the main principles of character design and development
• Manipulate image and text to create effective layouts
• Identify target age ranges and their importance in the children's book market
• Recognise appropriate skill training options to further your interest in children's book illustration.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

No previous experience is necessary. This course is for anyone with an interest in children’s book illustration. Suitable for complete beginners to illustration and for illustrators who wish to develop skills in children’s book illustration.

You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion. You should be able to use numbers and be able to do simple measurements and calculations.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will be taught using a range of techniques including workshops, demonstrations, practical exercises, group and individual assistance. The teaching will focus on guided practical work on individual projects and informal discussions and peer and tutor feedback.
This course is supported by Google Classroom as a Virtual Learning Environment. When you log on you will be able to access course material, presentations, and handouts etc. and may be asked to complete learner progress records. You can find help via the student help centre on the City Lit website.
Please note it is important that you sign up and log in to your course Google classroom prior to the first session. Joining detail will be sent to you via email (check your junk/spam folder).

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Basic materials and equipment are provided. We advise you to bring a notebook/sketchbook for drawing, experimentation and recording of ideas (A5/A4/A3 size).

Need art supplies? Our partner London Graphic Centre has everything you need from pencil to printing services, at 15% off.
To get 15% LGC discount, students will need to show proof/ confirmation of enrolment of them being a student at City Lit. You can apply in-store or by simply emailing info@londongraphics.co.uk with a scan or photo of relevant confirmation. The student discount does not apply to products that are already discounted or on offer. More information can be found here- https://www.londongraphics.co.uk/student-discounts/.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

We recommend looking at our programme of Children’s Book Illustration courses as a next step in your progression. In addition, we offer a range of courses and specialist workshops within graphic design, illustration and graphic novels.

For more information about any of the courses on offer, please visit our website.