Experimental Techniques through Children’s Illustration

Meet illustrator Kayla Stark as she talks about how she came to work full-time in the illustration industry. She shares what influences her work before giving an overview of what to expect from the course and the final project.

Begin the preparation stage by first exploring your materials. Then, start brainstorming and mindmapping what you want to illustrate as Kayla guides you on how to build on an initial prompt or idea. Learn to group things together and find patterns or connections in your mind map to refine the concept and details of your final illustration.

Explore your materials further to understand the value of experimenting. Play with water and paint ratios to see their effects before diving into layering both traditionally and digitally. Kayla shows you methods for layering different material combinations as you make notes on the orders and variations you are drawn to. Next, discover a method for playing with color combinations, textures, and managing layers in an easy way by creating a graphite drawing and adding color digitally in Procreate.

Learn to understand composition and mood by sketching thumbnails of a film that inspires you.Then analyze the shapes, colors, and structure of these sketches to help plan out your final work. Return to your mind map and create a new set of thumbnails based on your initial idea, then choose the three strongest ones and develop them into more detailed sketches. Look over previous exercises and incorporate elements of them into your work to create a finished piece. Then, do this twice more using different approaches, colors, and styles to increase your visual vocabulary and broaden your skills. Choose and scan your final piece, as Kayla shows you how to add the final touches digitally in Procreate.

End the course with Kayla’s advice on how to keep momentum going post production. She discusses how to create a picturebook dummy, share your work on social media, and reach out to a publisher or agent.