5 great online illustration courses for picture-book illustrators

An illustration from the iconic *Rosie’s Walk* by Pat Hutchins.

If I had all the time and resources in the world, I would be a professional full-time student and take one illustration course after the other.

However, in the (current) absence of time and resources, I live my best vicarious life by drooling over the online illustration courses in which I wish I was enrolled.

Read on to join me on my vicarious journey through picture-book illustration-course heaven.

‘Introduction to Children’s Illustration’

Good old Domestika! It has something for absolutely everyone, and "Introduction to Children's Illustration" is no exception.

This course is perfect if you’re looking for an economical way to brush up your skills, or to dip your toe in the water for the first time.

Led by experienced illustrator Adolfo Serra, the course guides you through the process of illustrating a classic children's story, helping you to analyze and conceptualise a text, extract the main ideas from a story and turn words and ideas into pictures. From initial sketches to the final illustration, you learn about the essential techniques and workflows specific to children's illustration.

While it’s a perfect first step for aspiring illustrators, it’s also great for non-beginners, but perhaps a bit basic for anyone who has actually illustrated a picture book.

What you WILL learn are valuable insights into the craft of visual storytelling. The course not only focuses on manual and traditional techniques but also encourages experimentation and the exploration of new artistic approaches.

WHERE: this course is offered by Domestika, a leading online platform for creative education. If you’ve never heard of it, now is the time to familiarise yourself with this mouth-watering trove of creative learning opportunities.

WHEN: The course is self-paced, so you can do it any time, and at your own pace.

HOW MUCH: economical

Pros:

Super affordable, even with fluctuations in the exchange rate
Learn from an experienced illustrator, Adolfo Serra
Video teaching for an in-person touch
Flexible, self-paced learning
Access to a community of fellow creatives

Cons:

Course fees will vary slightly in line with fluctuating exchange rates, but the differences are minimal
Limited in-person interaction, as the course is conducted online, and the number of participants can mean the feedback can be brief and general in nature

While we’re here, there are several other picture-book illustrations on Domestika. Taking ALL of them would add up to a thorough education! Here are two more.

Narrative Illustration: Create a Children's Picturebook: a course by Pablo Bernasconi

Sketchbook Techniques for Children's Illustration - A course by Ema Malyauka

Drawing children for children's book illustrations

Whether we’re expressionists or realists, we all need to study the basics, either as beginners or as a refresher. This course is perfect for both if you’re wanting to improve how you illustrate characters.

Ann Thomas, with her wealth of experience and expertise, shares valuable insights and practical tips for getting the proportions, postures, gestures and emotions right.

You also learn how to create lifelike facial features (so easy to get wrong) and youthful expressions (so easy to mess up). Whether you're a beginner or an experienced illustrator, investing in this course provides valuable practice in getting children right, whatever your style.

WHERE: "Drawing Children for Picture Books" is offered online through Craftsy.

WHEN: As an online course, Craftsy allows you to access the course materials anytime.

HOW MUCH: USD$40 as a one-off for this course, or USD$10/month membership for access to all Craftsy courses forever. The price includes access to video lessons, downloadable resources, and the opportunity to learn from an award-winning illustrator and instructor.

Pros:

Learn from an award-winning illustrator and instructor, Ann Thomas
Step-by-step instruction for drawing lifelike children for picture books – which is perfect if you want to draw lifelike children
Techniques for capturing facial expressions and using watercolor and coloured pencils
Flexible, self-paced learning that fits your schedule
Access to a community of artists and illustrators through Craftsy

Cons:

Could give you the idea that ‘lifelike children’ is the only way to illustrate children, whereas there are many ways to illustrate other than ‘lifelike’
Limited in-person interaction, as the course is conducted online

Book Illustration Online Short Course

This course is not for the faint-hearted, nor for those with short pockets.

Designed to help you explore materials, gain confidence in character development, layout, and composition, and understand the crucial relationship between illustration and text, the course not only helps you refine your drawing skills but also gain a comprehensive understanding of the book illustration industry.

With the guidance of experienced tutors and inspiring insights from a practicing illustrator, this course offers a drawing-based curriculum that serves as the foundation for your artistic aspirations. Note that it is an intermediate level course, meaning you’re expected to have some proficiency with materials and tools, and experience in mark-making.

WHERE: offered by Chelsea College of Arts, part of University of the Arts London (UAL)

WHEN: this is a short and intensive online course: the classes run for just one week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. In 2023 the course was available the week of July 24 – 28.

HOW MUCH: £700 – a hefty fee that indicates the quality tutoring for which this university is famous.

Pros:

Learn from an award-winning illustrator and instructor, Ann Thomas
Step-by-step instruction for drawing lifelike children for picture books – which is perfect if you want to draw lifelike children
Techniques for capturing facial expressions and using watercolour and coloured pencils
Flexible, self-paced learning that fits your schedule

Cons:

on the expensive side for many illustrators’ budgets
Classes are live in UK time, so if you want live interaction in real time, be prepared for some off hours if you’re not living in the right time-zone
Limited in-person interaction if you can’t make the live classes
It’s a full-time one-week course, meaning you need this slab of time to fully devote to study
One week is possibly not enough to fully absorb the knowledge you need, but some alumni have gone on to be published and win awards

Children's Book Illustration Course

This course is offered by the School of Visual Storytelling. With a team of 3 professional, experienced illustrators as your tutors, it lookis like being every bit as comprehensive as it claims to be.

Each session of course runs for 10 weeks. Enrolments are not always open, but you can sign up for a subscription so you’re on the list for when it is next offered.

The subscription is USD$24.95 a month, or USD$249 annually, and for this you get access to loads of lectures and courses, not just the Children’s Book Illustration Course.

PROS:

Prides itself on being created for illustrators by illustrators (though most illustration courses can claim this)
Claims to be the most comprehensive course of its kind ever made – and it certainly does cover a lot of ground
Covers everything from your first scribble to self-publishing or submission to traditional publishers
Offers several bonus courses about basic drawing skills

CONS:

The subscription format means you’re paying even when you’re not participating – so to sign up for this school you need to be sure you’ll keep diligently pressing on. Make sure you have the time and resources to fully dedicate yourself to the course.

Illustrating Characters and the Stories They Tell

Some courses throw everything into the picture-book sandbox, but this course drills down to One Key Thing: characters.

And not just characters as such. Characters need to be more than one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs because well-developed characters are central to any captivating story.

What this course does is make you think about characters in terms of their stories, so it’s really about character-driven storytelling. The power of storytelling then becomes a driving force in your character creation process.

Well-developed characters are also essential for a portfolio, where characters need to be much more than simply a line-up of figures with different outfits and facial expressions.

WHERE: this course is one of multiple courses available through the online school www.creativelive.com

HOW MUCH: you can either buy a single course for USD$24 (apparently on sale from $49 at time of writing), or you can subscribe to www.creativelive.com for USD$13 a month.

PROS:

Affordable
Your tutor is a design professor and a successful artist, author and picture-book illustrator
The specialised focus on characters and their stories will infuse all your illustrating practice with storytelling

CONS:

Limited direct access to the tutor

Your tutor, Mary Jane Begin, offers other classes in this www.creativelive.com , including “Developing characters, environments and storyboards” . Well worth a look!

How to make the most of your picture book illustration portfolio

Although I mentioned 5 courses in the title, I can’t leave without mentioning Pitch-perfect Portfolio, which is my very own online course for illustrators.

Your illustration portfolio is your calling card, and you want it to be impressive and irresistible, so in Pitch-perfect Portfolio we focus on raising the quality of your portfolio to the level where it makes a great first impression on whatever publisher, editor or art director you approach.

What makes Pitch-perfect Portfolio different from other illustration courses is that it is science-backed.

All art has roots in human biology, and this means illustrators need to know the science-based WHY of those elements that make an illustration irresistible.

Find out more and see samples of students’ work here.