Illustrating Children's Books Diploma (D6)

Tutored by Maggy Roberts

Course Overview
The course is tutored by Maggy Roberts who is a very successful Children's book illustrator. Maggy is an excellent tutor who builds good rapport with her students and who really enjoys helping them succeed. Have fun using your imagination! Here is an opportunity for aspiring illustrators to build expertise and technique as they learn to create excellent children's book illustrations including drawing, composition and picture planning.

Learn the skills of illustration and how to approach requests from publishers for illustrations. A creative and practical course showing all aspects of children's book illustration, from drawing, composition and picture planning.

Course Prices
Please visit our 'Prices and Buy Now' page to view the course prices and to purchase your course. UK residents can purchase courses on this page via instalments, please scroll down to the relevant section to pay a deposit.

Critiques
If you have scanning / photography facilities, students are able to upload their artwork to the Artwork Submission Area on our website. Each student is given a unique username and password on enrolment for their own private section in this area. Students can upload their artwork to this area for the tutor to collect and critique. The tutor will then upload feedback for the student to download or read.

Critiques via Regular Mail
If you do not have any facilities to upload your artwork, you can send your work in the normal way to the tutors centre and receive your artwork back with your critique. It is essential you label all packages/artwork your student number.

Support
All our courses are written to be complete in themselves. However we realise that students may appreciate being able to get clarification about various things as they work through their programme as well wanting reassurance that they are putting techniques into practice effectively. The tutors provide the technical support to deal with relevant queries.

Most courses have their own dedicated Tutor. The tutor keeps the course up to date and relevant to today's students. They are available to the individual student for advice and encouragement. Each course has regular exercises and assignments that are constructed in such a way as to give the student the opportunity to practice the techniques learnt on the course and to test themselves as they go along. The student is encouraged to submit the assignment work to the college for the tutor to critique. The student's work will be returned together with the tutor's personal critique. On many courses the assignment work may be suitable for inclusion in a student's Portfolio of Work that could be very useful later. The college will use the assignments submitted as the basis for any award of a letter, certificate or diploma.

Materials list
The college does not provide materials with its courses as most students can obtain what they will need locally at lower cost. However, if for any reason you can't find what you need locally, we do recommend suppliers who give special discounts to our students. If you have not received this list, please contact the college and we will send the list to you.

For this course we suggest the following rough guide to the materials you will need :
A range of Graphite pencil 2B – 6B
Soft eraser or putty eraser
Marker pens
Cheap sketchbook for practicing mark making

Dip pen and ink (waterproof for use with washes and water soluble for use alone) and more detail on pens on page 34 of the course materials.

Pad of cartridge paper - try different types for different media
Water colour paints in half pans
Brushes
Board

Watercolour paper - a Not surface to begin with and then experiment with Hot pressed and a Rough surface
Other materials may be suggested to you individually as the course progresses.

Duration
The expected duration of this course is approximately 1 year although the college allows students up to two years to complete their studies.

Overview
Previous experience is recommended for students taking this course. The following is an overview of some of the areas that are covered in the course.

Testimonials from Students

Dear Maggy,
I have received my diploma and i am delighted.I want to thank you for all the critique and advice you have given me which has been very helpful.I have enjoyed the course and learnt a lot from taking it. I thought i would let you know that i have had the opportunity to do some voluntary illustration work for Diana Coopers kids website which is good experience.Through this i have made connections with some authors and am illustrating some short stories for them.Hopefully this will lead to other things in the future.
 Very best wishes,
 Maggie. (Illustrating Children’s Books – D6)

I have loved doing the course Maggy and feel that my imagination is coming on in leaps and bounds. When I first started the course I felt very much out of my comfort zone and wondered if I would actually be able to do it but reading and re-reading the course notes helped me to pick up a lot of useful tips. In fact I think I will always refer back to them as I hopefully continue along this path. I have also really loved seeing other people¹s work on the forum and sharing mine with them. It¹s brilliant to share with like minded people and also to see all the success stories under the college news tab.

I¹d like to thank you for all your comments and advice on my previous exercises and assignments and just wanted to say I¹ve loved doing the course.

Paula Tollerton (Illustrating Children’s Books – D6)

Thank you for my certificate which I am very proud of.
Angela Davis (Illustrating Children’s Books – D6)

“I am really enjoying the course I love using my imagination"
Andrea - (Illustrating Children’s Books – D6)

"I know I will really miss doing this course. I found your advise and encouragement invaluable. You have given me a new confidence and you never know you may see me in print one day"!
Niamh Fahy (Illustrating Children’s Books – D6)

"We have come to the end of our journey together which I have really enjoyed. I learnt so much during the course and it has kept the creative juices flowing. Thank you for all your help, I am truly grateful, your comments have encouraged and guided me, thanks again. Whilst doing the course I have been writing and illustrating picture books of my own. I have sent the first one to publishers and had a very positive reaction. An Irish publisher wants to publish it and I an waiting contracts.
Anne Marie Mcarthy (Illustrating Children’s Books – D6)

“I studied your art work in a Children’s lit class I took at Uni! I am absolutely thrilled to be working under your guidance".
Rebecca Ulyatt (Illustrating Children’s Books – D6)