Editorial Illustration: From Concept to Published Artwork

Get started by meeting your teacher, illustrator and cartoonist Tim Peacock. Learn a bit about his professional background and how he got started out in the field. Get to know Tim’s artistic influences by taking a look at a variety of different comic artists. Then take a look at the course content and learn what to expect.

Dive into editorial illustration with a quick introduction to its history and the roles of those you may need to collaborate with. See what an email from a prospective client looks like and the information you need to get started. Discover the elements of a good illustration and explore multiple approaches to a topic.

Understand what thumbnail sketches are and what a client expects when seeing them. Delve into Tim’s creative process for producing visual concepts that offer a fresh perspective and connect with a text. Talk about character creation and see how to give more life to people and objects.

Go through Tim’s process for creating your illustration’s final linework. Refine your chosen sketch and learn how to add the fine details. Then, take a look at some more traditional techniques and the tools preferred by professionals. Finally, learn how to properly scan and prepare your work for coloring digitally.

Apply the color and finishing touches. Add basic blocks of colors and incorporate textures to use in your final image. Use color masks, shadows, and highlights to create added texture and effects to your illustration.