Narrative Techniques for Illustrated Stories

To start, Paula introduces herself and explains how her professional career has been, her interests, influences, and the power that stories have not only as a source of inspiration but also as a creative engine.

Any illustrated book contains a series of elements to take into account, such as the story, a narrative structure, the dimensions and characteristics of the publication, and of course, the image. Paula explains three of these elements and how they relate to the image: the parts of a story, the changes in time, and the possibilities of the book as a physical object.

Next, delve into the components of the image, from its composition to its relation with the text. See how the images that belong to a narrative system are sequential, they depend on each other; and how each element of an image can have a second reading that adds to the narration.

Select some elements to narrate the chosen story in a different way, playing with it and transforming it. Learn various sketching techniques such as the storyboard, how to apply color in watercolor and create mini-books to understand the sequences. Paula shows you examples so that later, you can start to make a story.

After working your creative muscle on various exercises and having experimented a little, carry out your final project: a short story in book form. Paula gives you the guidelines to create it, make the colorization and to carry out the finalized model’s assembly.