Get all the tools and training you need to become a professional children's book illustrator!

In this comprehensive 10-week course we will show you a clear path to illustrating your own children's book.

In this class you will learn:

  • Designing and Stylizing Characters, Interior and Exterior Environments for Children’s Books

  • How to organize a manuscript

  • Composition Guidelines including how to create Spots, Pages, and Spreads

  • Process for Creating a Book Dummy

  • How to Design a Children’s Book Cover

  • Prepping files for Print

  • Submitting Manuscripts to Publishers and Self-Publishing

  • Weekly Video Lectures

  • Social Group on Discord

  • Weekly Assignments

Course Curriculum

  1. 1

    • 1.1: Teacher Introduction
  2. 2

    • 1.1: Overview of Children's Book Pro

    • 1.2: Amazing Books

    • 1.3: Types of Books

    • 1.4: Anatomy of a Children’s Book

    • 1.5: Children’s Book Map

    • Chapter 1 Lecture References

    • RESOURCE: Children's book breakdown pdf

    • HOMEWORK 1A: Amazing Books!

    • The Children's Book Map
  3. 3

    • 2.1: Manuscript Introduction

    • 2.2: Manuscript Breakdown

    • HOMEWORK 2A: Working with your Manuscript

    • Manuscript Visual Breakdown PDF

    • Pagination Assignment
  4. 4

    • LECTURE 3.1: Analyzing Characters from Different Children's Books

    • LECTURE 3.2: Drawing Kids vs Adults

    • LECTURE 3.3: Character Consistency

    • LECTURE 3.4: Stylizing Characters

    • LECTURE 3.5a: Character Design (Lee)

    • LECTURE 3.5b: Character Pose Sheet (Lee)

    • LECTURE 3.5c: Character Pose Sheet pt 2 (Lee)

    • LECTURE 3.6a: Character Design: Awesome Man Design (Jake)

    • LECTURE 3.6b: Character Design: Awesome Man Demo (Jake)

    • LECTURE 3.7a: Character Design: Skeleton Design (Will)

    • LECTURE 3.7b: Character Design: Skeleton Demo (Will)

    • LECTURE 3.8: Drawing realistic Animals

    • LECTURE 3.9: Drawing Anthropomorphic Animals

    • LECTURE 3.10: Drawing Stylized Animals

    • Chapter 3 Lecture References

    • HOMEWORK 3A: Character Interview

    • HOMEWORK 3B: Design Your Characters

    • HOMEWORK 3C: Character Structure

    • HOMEWORK 3D: Character Pose Assignment

    • HOMEWORK 3E: Animal Pose Assignment

    • OPTIONAL HOMEWORK 3F: Anthropomorphic Animal Design Practice
  5. 5

    • LECTURE 4.1: Exteriors vs Interiors

    • LECTURE 4.2: Structure and Volume in environments

    • LECTURE 4.3: Stylizing Environments

    • LECTURE 4.4: Drawing Props

    • DEMO 4.5a: Little Red Riding Hood Exterior (Lee)

    • DEMO 4.5b: Exterior of Jack's House (Jake)

    • DEMO 4.5c: Kitchen Interior (Will)

    • Chapter 4 Lecture References

    • HOMEWORK 4A: Design an interior and exterior from your manuscript
  6. 6

    • LECTURE 5.1: Spots, Pages, and Spreads

    • LECTURE 5.2: Composition Guidelines

    • LECTURE 5.3: Focal Point

    • LECTURE 5.4: The Peg-Leg Pig

    • LECTURE 5.5: Little Bot and Sparrow Case Study

    • NO HOMEWORK: CATCH UP WEEK
  7. 7

    • LECTURE 6.1: Process and Procedures

    • Lecture 6.1b How to Paginate

    • LECTURE 6.2a Basic Indesign (Lee)

    • LECTURE 6.2b: How to use the templates (Lee)

    • DEMO 6.3a: 3 Little Pigs (Will)

    • DEMO 6.3b: 3 Little Pigs (Jake)

    • DEMO 6.3c: 3 Little Pigs (Lee)

    • HOMEWORK 6A: Create a THUMBNAIL dummy

    • RESOURCE: Photoshop and InDesign Templates

    • Picture Book Breakdown: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

    • RESOURCE: DUMMY LAYOUTS
  8. 8

    • LECTURE 7.1 You Got This! Keep going!

    • LECTURE 7.2 Book Dummy Process with Lee: This Pretty Planet

    • Lecture 7.3 Book Dummy Process with Will: Boneparte Plays Ball

  9. 9

    • Week 8 Introduction

    • LECTURE 8.1: Production Process

    • LECTURE 8.2: Design Your Cover

    • LECTURE 8.3: Prepping Files for Print

    • LECTURE 8.4: Adding a Dedication

    • RESOURCE: 7-Step check list for prepping photoshop files

    • HOMEWORK 8A: Illustrate a Spot

    • HOMEWORK 8B: Illustrate a Page

    • HOMEWORK 8C: Illustrate a Spread
  10. 10

    • LECTURE 9.1: Building a Portfolio

    • LECTURE 9.2: Making Your Website

    • LECTURE 9.3: Social Media for Illustrators

    • LECTURE 9.4: Submitting Manuscripts to Publishers

    • LECTURE 9.5: Self Publishing Your Book
  11. 11

    • LECTURE 10.1: Final Thoughts

    • Week 10 Lecture References

Instructor(s)

Illustrator/Cartoonist

Jake Parker

For the last 19 years Jake has worked on everything from animated films to comics to picture books. For several years he worked for Reel FX and Blue Sky Studios on such projects as Horton Hears a Who, Rio, and Epic. He is the creator of the popular Inktober drawing challenge. Jake currently works as an illustrator and cartoonist on children's books and comics. He works out of his home studio in Arizona.

Illustrator Extraodinare

Lee White

Lee White is a children's book illustrator based in Colorado. He has been illustrating books for the past 20 years and has over 30 titles to his name. His latest book, This Pretty Planet, was released in November 2020. He also teaches all his painting secrets at SVSLearn.com and workshops around the country.

Illustrator

Will Terry

Will Terry has been a freelance illustrator for 26 years. He got his start working for magazines and newspapers in the Washington D.C. area. His early clients include publications such as Time, Money, WSJ and ads for Sprint, Pizza Hut, Fed Ex, and Master Card. He has illustrated about 30 children’s books for a number of publishers, including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and Penguin. When he's not mountain biking, hiking, or snowboarding he works out of the svslearn.com office in Provo Utah.