Children's Book illustration Diploma 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.

Support
Students on this course have the benefit of Maggy's considerable experience as a well known and very successful Children's Books Illustrator. The course includes detailed advice and guidance about how to get published as well a lot of information about painting and drawing for children. Basic drawing skills and some experience of working with watercolours is advised for this course. Working 4-6 hours a week it normally takes around twelve months to finish the course, although the college allows students up to two years to complete their studies.

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.

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 recieved 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 practising mark making

Dip pen and ink (waterproof for use with washes and water soluble for use alone) and more detail on pens on page 35 of the course book

Pad of cartridge paper - try different types for different media
Water colour paints in half pans(details on page 56)
Brushes details on page 61
Board (details on page 62)

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.

This is an overview of what is covered in the course and is not a complete list

Testimonials from Students

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 Childrens Illustration Course

Thank you for my certificate which I am very proud of.
Angela Davis Childrens Illustration

“I am really enjoying the course I love using my imagination" Andrea - Childrens Illustration course

"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 (childrens Illustration)

"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 (childrens Illustration)

“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 (Children’s Illustration)