Published illustrator Shadra Strickland guides you through the foundational techniques you need to create strong visual stories. Delve into various picture-book structures and select the best format for your work. Discover Shadra's secrets for using simple shapes to build complex, expressive characters. Gain critical insight into book pacing, imagery and text placement by creating a storyboard. Develop thematic boards and color studies to give your illustrations the depth they deserve. Plus, learn industry tricks to prepare your book for proposal. Bring your creativity to life in a picture book that will delight.
The Art of the Picture Book
Unlock your inner storyteller and illustrate a picture book that will captivate children and publishers alike.
Trailer
01: Generating Ideas
Meet your instructor, children's book author Shadra Strickland. Then dive into an exploration of how text and images work together to create meaningful stories.
20 min
02: Character Development
What qualities bring a character to life? Strickland guides you through everything you need to know, from how to identify with your character through various ways to develop compelling stories and meaningful imagery.
21 min
03: Gesture, Emotion & Setting
Learn how to infuse emotion into your illustrations with realistic expressions, postures and composition ideas that will continue to breathe life into the characters on the page.
22 min
04: Book Structure
Robust characters need a carefully designed book to live in, so follow along as Strickland explains self-ended and separate-ended layout options for picture books, including notes on trim sizes and other technical considerations.
14 min
05: Storyboard Pacing & Composition
Discover how to turn an ordinary story into an extraordinary adventure as you push yourself to add more depth, dimension and movement into your illustrations.
38 min
06: Critique & Mood
Every project needs a strong critique, and Strickland shares the best tricks of the trade for revising your work with fresh eyes. You'll also discover ways to experiment with mood and color that can improve your story with as little as one change in your palette.
32 min
07: Final Art & Book Dummy
Strickland wraps up the class with a tutorial on creating and submitting a dummy for a publisher, including tips on how to create a dummy for self-publishing or personal gifts. You'll leave the class wanting to run straight for the drawing board in pursuit of your next story!
16 min
Overview Course No. 70120
About
Shadra Strickland is a Baltimore-based illustrator who specializes in children’s picture books. Currently, she teaches illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Strickland frequently collaborates with other illustrators and authors, an endeavor that has earned several publishing accolades, including the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Award. When she’s not teaching Craftsy classes, Strickland enjoys conducting workshops and sharing her craft with children and adults across the country.
