Thursday, August 20, 2015

Children's Book Illustration Course

I am excited to share that I will be teaching two classes and a workshop this coming Fall and Winter at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA. Housed in what used to be a women's prison, the Workhouse is now home to six huge artist studio buildings, classrooms spaces, galleries, and more. It is really a unique place, and I look forward to contributing to their offerings.

The first course that I am scheduled to teach is called Illustrate a Children's Book. It's for anyone who has ever wondered what is involved in illustrating a children's book, and is geared towards adults and young adults of all skill levels. Students will learn about visual storytelling, the layout/design of children's books, and the process of conceptualizing a book from start to finish. Everyone will choose a story to work with (or write their own), and ultimately create a book dummy and a finished illustration sample (if there is time).

Students will learn about storyboarding...

And rough sketching...

 And everyone will create a book dummy for their story!

We will also discuss how to pitch a book to publishers, agents, and the option of self publishing. A lot of info will be crammed into these six weeks! I hope to make the course really fun and informative.

If you or someone you know might be interested in this class, please share!

Here are the details:
Illustrate a Children's Book
Fall Quarter (6 weeks) - Classes meet on Sundays, 2-4pm
First class meets on Sunday, Sept. 20th. No class on Oct. 25th
Tuition: $165
To Register CLICK HERE

You can also check out the other course I am teaching in the winter, Drawing Animals, and a December workshop on Basic Pen & Ink Techniques. I will be writing individual descriptions for these as we get closer to the time.

Thanks for looking (and sharing)! If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to ask.

I am currently knee-deep in illustrating my second book for Cengage Learning. I can't share images yet, but I can say that it's set in the late 18th century, and it involves a shipwreck and lots of animals, so I am definitely having a lot of fun doing the illustrations!