BASIC COURSE IN PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION

In this crash course in picture book illustration, you will explore how to best tell a story with illustrations. You may want to work on your own story, or it may be a “remake” of an existing story. Each week will focus on a different part of illustrating a story.

Ellen Vesters is a cum laude graduate of the master’s degree in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge and now head of our Visual Storytelling Programme herself. She loves to convey to you what she has learned in all her years studying the craft.
After these seven lessons, you will go home with a detailed storyboard for the construction of your story (don’t worry if you don’t yet have an idea of what you want to tell, that will come during the course) and at least one worked-out illustration, to build on yourself. Experience is not a requirement, but you must have the courage to draw.

In the course, each class will go through the topics listed below. We will cover the various topics at different entry levels, do short exercises and discuss everyone’s work. Most of the drawing work for your book is done at home.

• week 1 introduction to picture books
• week 2 shaping character(s)
• week 3 storyboarding
• week 4 composition
• week 5 experimenting with materials
• week 6 colour
• week 7 review of work made

Want to get the most out of the course? Then actively participate in the private forum and complete the homework given in between.

Ellen’s courses are rated an average of 9 and often sell out quickly.
Join now and take your drawing work to the next level!

To take our creative courses and/or for our mentoring programs, you can apply for financial support through PPO Werktuig.
Apply quickly for an allowance of 1/3rd of our course fee (for Amsterdam residents and Nijmegen residents even 2/3rd until the end of 2023)!
Check out the website for more information.

Do you hold a U pass? Then you can also spend your credit with us. Email us as soon as possible to reserve your spot and indicate how much of your credit you want to use (emailing does not guarantee that there is still room, sometimes things can go fast!).

“Ellen is a super fun teacher and an inspiration!”