Illustrating Children's Books Online Art Course (D6)

Tutored by Maggy Roberts

The Illustrating Children's Books Course is a Diploma Course. 

Illustrating Children's Books by Gina Maldonado
Student Artwork by Gina Maldonado

Bring your favourite children's books vividly to life with the Illustrating Children's Books course from London Art College.
This course, written and taught by successful illustrator Maggy Roberts is for anyone interested in illustrating children's books.

Develop your imagination, style and techniques with exercises, assignments, feedback and advice. Learn how to respond effectively to a specific brief, and discover more about each stage of the whole process of illustration.

This is a focussed creative and practical course, that is designed to develop your skills as a children's illustrator.  You will receive encouragement and constructive criticism in response to each assignment from Maggy. You can also receive support from other students from across the world, using our friendly online forum - The Common Room.

On this flexible distance learning course you will be able to study at your own pace, working with a wide variety of exercises and briefs. Your confidence will grow alongside your skill so that you enjoy the process of learning.

The course builds on previous practical experience in drawing and painting, therefore some previous art experience is desirable.

By the end of the course you will have a growing body of work and a great set of new skills.

Hi Maggy, Can't believe this is my last submission for this course. I have truly enjoyed the ride and have learn't so much from the exercises and from your helpful comments. Thank you for all your help and support over the past year. This is my second course with London Art College and it's been great! With my new found confidence to delve into art again, it has given me the push to go back to college. I'll be starting an Art and Design Course in September and am thinking of going to University after. Thank you and to London Art College for helping me do this. Warm Thanks Jen :)

Jennifer Khatun

Purchase your Illustrating Children's Book Online Art Course

If you would like to purchase your Illustrating Childrens Book Diploma Course, you can buy it online and get started today!

Purchase Your Illustrating Children's Book Online Art Course 

Prices & Buy Now

Visit our 'Prices and Buy Now' page to view all of the course prices. UK residents can purchase courses via instalments, please scroll to the relevant section to pay a deposit.

PRICES & BUY NOW

Critiques online or via Regular Mail

Students are able to upload their artwork to the 'The Art Room' on our website. Each student is given a unique username and password on enrolment for their own private section in The Art Room.

Students can upload their artwork for Maggy to collect and critique. Maggy will then upload feedback for students to download. If you do not have facilities to upload your artwork, you can mail your artwork to the tutors centre and receive your artwork back with your critique. It is essential you label all packages/artwork with your student number.

Your Personal Tutor

Maggy Roberts

Maggy Roberts is the tutor for the Illustrating Childrens Book's Diploma Course. Maggy has written the courses to be complete in itself and students can work through the course without the need for sending in work. However students may appreciate being able to get clarification about various things as they work through their course.  They can also get reassurance that they are putting their techniques into practice effectively. Maggy provides support and guideance to all of her students.

Maggy keeps the Illustrating Children's Book Diploma course course up to date and relevant to today's students. The course has regular exercises and assignments that are constructed in such a way as to give students the opportunity to practice the techniques learnt on the course and to test themselves as they go along.  Students are encouraged to submit their assignments to the college for Maggy to critique either online or via the regular mail.

Student's work will be assessed and returned with Maggys personal critique. The assignment work may be suitable for inclusion in student's portfolios that could be very useful if students are looking to further their career in children's book illustration. The college use the assignments submitted as the basis for your final grade.

Student Artwork by Estelle Van Eeden

Student Artwork by Estelle Van Eeden

Dear Maggy, Thank you so much for your prompt response again to my last submission. Iam very grateful for the support you have given over the duration of the course. Your reliable and constructive feedback has been invaluable. I do think that I have progressed a lot and there is a marked difference between my first and last submission. Best wishes.

Karen

Materials list

The college does not provide materials with its courses as most students can obtain what they will need locally at lower cost.

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.

Maggy's recommended reading material  -
Children's Picture books: The Art of Visual Storytelling
Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles
ISBN-13: 9781856697385
This can be purchased online and we have added two links below of the book on Amazon. 

Amazon UK
Amazon USA

 

Illustrating Children's Books Gallery

Why not head on over to our dedicated student gallery which displays some of our current and past students artwork. we hope that you find it inspiring! 

Illustrating Children's Book Student Gallery

Student Artwork by Judy Wilson

Student Artwork by Judy Wilson

Dear Maggie, I've enjoyed this course immensely and thank you so much for your kind and helpful comments and advice.

Christine Towndrow

Duration and Experience and Course Content

The expected duration of this course is approximately 1 year although the college allows students up to two years to complete their studies. Previous art experience is recommended for students taking this course. The following is an overview of some of the areas that are covered in the course.

Media: Equipment used

Subject: Areas covered

Techniques: Skills developed

Pencil
Pen & ink
Watercolour
Acrylic
Gouache

Drawing for toddlers children
Animals
Cartoons
Caricatures
Imaginative places
Imaginative animals
Lettering
Book covers

Composition
Perspective
Textures
Colour Mixing
Developing ideas
Developing your own style

Samples pages and Images from the course

Click the download icon below to view a pdf sample course page which will open in a new tab. Alternatively right click and save the file. Please be patient for it to load. Below are a few images from the course itself illustrated by tutor and illustrator artist Maggy Roberts.

DOWNLOAD

Course ArtworkCourse ArtworkCourse Artwork

Testimonials from Students

Read more testimonials on our Testimonials and Sucess Stories page

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Tutor, Maggy for commenting on my work and guiding me through the course. It was overall great experience, very pleasing learning curve and I had fantastic time trying to make a good use of my imagination. I am now seriously considering the 'Follow up' course in Illustrating Children's Books or perhaps another course as many of them sound very interesting! Thank you, Kind Regards.

Marta Brzezinska

I have honestly loved the course so much! You have been brilliant - your feedback has always been above and beyond what I expected and I wanted to thank you for this. I hope to do the follow on course and possible the digital illustration one as you have suggested. It is a pleasure to keep learning and developing ones skills and am so grateful that London Art college exists for people that have families and jobs and can't take on full time education! Just wonderful!

Jamie Saunders

"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

I enjoyed this last chapter of the course and it feels a bit sad that this course will end now. This course has given me so much and I feel I have developed my skills and knowledge. I can honestly say that this course has been the most awarding course I have taken so far! I thank you so much for the great constructive feedback this year. I would love to continue with the extension course you have this spring if it is possible!

Julia Davis

Purchase Your Illustrating Children's Book Online Art Course

If you would like to purchase your Illustrating Childrens Book Diploma Course, you can buy it online and get started today!

Purchase Your Illustrating Children's Book Online Art Course