SOLD OUT FOR MAY 2019

80Class Size: 16 seats

Start Date: 5/7/19

Duration: 10 amazing weeks

Cost: $450 for subscribers, $500 for nonsubscribers

Class Description:

Picture yourself in a bookstore. You’re aimlessly browsing the shelves when one you decide to take a closer look at one particular book. In the sea of other books around it, what piqued your interest about that one particular book?

Chances are you picked up the book because of the cover. Book covers are an exciting area in the illustration world and comes with its own special techniques and opportunities. 

In this 10 week course, noted illustrators Lee White and Jaime Zollars will help you explore the process of creating covers for a variety of books. 


In this class you will learn:

  • Drawing and design techniques specific to illustrating book covers

  • How to capture a larger narrative in a single image

  • How to use type and illustration together in a dynamic way

  • How to generate creative content that is interesting and tells a story

  • How to work with clients. This includes presentation techniques as well as business advice on pricing and what to expect when you get hired to do a professional cover

  • How to overcome your own individual problems, with weekly feedback from Jaime and Lee

How It Works:

This is an interactive class, with homework and personal feedback. Every week, Jaime and Lee will release a video lecture and homework assignment. Students will then have a week to watch the video and turn in the homework, which Jaime and Lee will critique individually via video. This format allows for a very flexible schedule - students can stream the lectures and do the homework on their own time, so long as the homework is turned in by the deadline.

Refund Policy:

  • cancellation up to 14 days before class starts: full refund
  • cancellation 1 - 13 days before class starts: 75% refund
  • cancellation during the first week of class: 50% refund
  • cancellation during the second week of class and after: 0%


Please Note: When you enroll, we are reserving your seat, and others are not able to sign up. Because it can be challenging to fill seats when there are last minute cancellations, we only offer partial refunds once we are within 13 days of the class start date. However, if you are able to sell your seat to another student, we are happy to give a full refund.

About the Instructor

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Jaime Zollars — Lee White

Jaime Zollars Jaime's work can be found on everything from books, to wallpaper, to ad campaigns. Her clients include Random House, Clarion, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Scholastic and Simon and Schuster. Her art has been recognized by the likes of American Illustration, Communication Arts, The Society of Illustrators, Creative Quarterly and the SCBWI. She has taught in both the undergraduate and grad illustration programs at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She got her start in the second grade, drawing unicorns for nickels.Lee WhiteLee has illustrated a number of children's books, including Love, Santa and Emma and the Whale. He also does commercial work for various clients, including Marks & Spencer, Amazon, Laika, United Airlines, Verizon, Disney and National Geographic. When not busy with client projects, Lee creates his own personal work, which is shown at various galleries and art fairs throughout the year. Many of these images are included in a fancy coffee table book of his artwork, which came out in August 2017. When he's not painting, he's training to be a competitive disc golf player.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Intro

    • Intro to Class Shell

    • Introduce yourself!

    • Why make Bookcovers
  • 2

    Week 1 Lectures: Dynamic and Creative Thumbnails

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Book Cover process

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Books we Like

    • Marker comp demo

    • Digital comp demo

    • WEEK 1 LECTURE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

  • 3

    Week 1 Homework Assignments and Crits

    • VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS: Homework 1, Rough sketches

    • PDF DOWNLOAD: Homework 1- Rough Skteches

    • PDF DOWNLOAD: Homework 2: Book covers you like

    • VIDEO INSTRUCTION: Homework 2: Book Covers You Like

    • HOMEWORKS QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

    • HOMEWORK TURN IN

    • Homework Crit 1
  • 4

    Week 2: Making a Dynamic Book Cover

    • Lee and Jamie Book Cover process 2

    • Video Lecture: Framing Devices

    • QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
  • 5

    WEEK 2 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND CRIT VIDEOS

    • Homework 3: Framing Devices

    • HOMEWORK QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

    • HOMEWORK UPLOADS

    • Homework Crit Intro Video

    • Crit Video 1

    • Crit Video 2
  • 6

    Week 3: Business Lecture and Project 3 Sketch Crit

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Book Cover Business Topics

    • Questions and Comments
  • 7

    WEEK 3 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND CRIT VIDEOS

    • Homework questions and comments

    • Homework Uploads

    • Business Q&A video

    • Note about Lee's crit video

    • Lee-week 2 crits

    • Jaime week 2 - crits
  • 8

    Week 4: Framing Device Clean Sketch crit/color studies

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Jaime and Lee Color Comps

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Intro to David and Lee's color video

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Lee and David Color Theory

    • WEEK 4 Questions and Comments
  • 9

    WEEK 4 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND CRIT VIDEOS

    • HOMEWORK: Color Studies

    • HOMEWORK QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

    • Homework Uploads

    • week 4 crits
  • 10

    Week 5: "A Modern Classic"

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Covers, Reimagined

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Book Cover Process- Classic to Modern

    • VIDEO LECTURE: Dual Shape & Metaphor

    • WEEK 5 QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
  • 11

    WEEK 5 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND CRIT VIDEOS

    • Book cover homework week 5

    • PDF: Homework 4- Updating a classic

    • Homework Questions and Comments

    • Homework Uploads

    • Homework Crit Videos

    • Lee Crits

    • Jaime Crits
  • 12

    Week 6: "A Modern Classic" Sketch Crit

    • VIDEO LECTURE: References and Resources

    • Font/Template Links

    • Agent Search Resources
  • 13

    WEEK 6 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND CRIT VIDEOS

    • HOMEWORK QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

    • HOMEWORK TURN IN

    • Crit notes!

    • Week 6 crit 1

    • Week 6 Crit 2
  • 14

    Week 7: "A Modern Classic" Tight Sketch With Color

    • Lee_Interior lecture

    • Jaime_interior lecture
  • 15

    WEEK 7 HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND CRIT VIDEOS

    • Final Homework Instruction video

    • Homework 5: Final Cover and Interiors PDF

    • HOMEWORK QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

    • HOMEWORK TURN IN

    • Crit Info Video

    • Dates!

    • Week 7 Crits

    • Laura
  • 16

    WEEK 8: WIP covers and interior sketches

    • HOMEWORK TURN IN

    • HOMEWORK QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

    • Final Week Info video!

    • Lee_ Crit Group 1

    • Jaime_Crit Group 2

    • Jaime_Crit Brooke
  • 17

    Week 9 FINAL CRITS

    • QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

    • HOMEWORK TURN IN

    • Final Crit 1

    • Final Crit 2
  • 18

    Week 10: Final Thoughts/questions/etc.

    • Questions & Comments

Subscribe to SVSLearn and we will show you how. 

Our videos are custom made to show you how to get the skills necessary to break into the dynamic field of illustration.

Learn More