Artist's Sketchbook for Illustration Projects
A course by Aleix Gordo HostauIllustrator
A course by Aleix Gordo Hostau, Illustrator
Document your creative process to the final sketch and use your sketchbook as a personal archive
Researching, collecting, planning... that's the key to learning and laying the foundation for any creative process. What if it all resides in your sketchbook? Go back to this handmade process and collect your notes together with the sketches to see, step by step, your creations come to life on paper. Illustrator Aleix Gordo Hostau, known for his comics, designs, murals, and illustrations for clients such as Nike, Converse, Vans, Porsche, or Amazon, is also a teacher and will show you how important the sketchbook is in his projects.
In this course, he challenges you to materialize an illustration project through the use of a sketchbook. He emphasizes both the process of documentation and the elaboration of the project and the tools to develop it. Finally, see how to take it to another format, for example, to a mural.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 16 downloads
What will we do in the course?
2 minutes, 20 seconds
materials
9 minutes, 8 seconds
The notebook
11 minutes, 36 seconds
Briefing: the concept
7 minutes, 23 seconds
Mood boards
10 minutes, 43 seconds
The composition
10 minutes, 53 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet Aleix and learn about his career as an illustrator of murals and comics, among other projects. He shares with you his creative influences and briefly explains what you will be doing during the course.
Start by reviewing the material, the importance of the sketchbook, and see how to approach a creative project from a briefing: what questions should be asked and how to answer them through documentation and mood boards.
Get a theoretical introduction to composition, how to approach it and, in a practical way, you learn how to work with it. This will help you in the first sketches of your illustration project: character, background, and color.
Focus on the character, their appearance, and facial expression, trying out different options. Then, work on the poses and actions that they perform, using the mood board as a creative compass for the project. Then focus on facial features, hair, clothing, and all the relevant details to execute the final illustration.
Move on to the final sketch, with all the material you've collected. Aleix shows you a real example of how to move your project from the sketchbook to the mural, including the digital coloring process.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create a sketchbook that will serve as your personal archive of the entire development of an illustration project, until the final sketch and its proposed application (in Aleix's case, it will be a mural).
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For all creative people who want to enhance their visual background and define their projects—especially those related to the visual arts—designers of all kinds who want to contribute content and narrative to their designs, and to all those interested in planning and developing an art project.
Requirements and materials
Basic computer skills are required at a user level (Google, Pinterest, etc.), drawing skills with any tool and support, and having a basic skill level of Adobe Photoshop would be a plus.
In terms of materials, you will need a sketchbook, a pencil, paper, and a computer, tablet, or smartphone (ideally, you’ll have a computer with Photoshop installed, but it is not mandatory).
Reviews
- 1 year ago
Me sirvio para poder organizarme en mis proyectos, si bien hacia esa exploracion la estructura metodologica me ayudo a ordenarme. El se hace entender muy bien e inspira con su historia.
- 1 year ago
Me encanta este curso, junto con otros cursos estoy explorando un estilo mas libre y personal. Gracias por compartir
- lauraldiezPLUS2 years ago
¡Fantástico curso!
- 2 years ago
Excelente curso!!!!
- 2 years ago
Buen curso para organizar y darte mejores ideas para tus proyectos creativos
Nowadays, he focuses his work in the field of painting and illustration, muralism, urban art, graphic design, and his own licensing brand.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- How i got here
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
Project preparation
- materials
- The notebook
- Briefing: the concept
- Mood boards
- U3
Let's do it!
- The composition
- Character 1
- Character 2
- Poses and actions 1
- Poses and actions 2
- Clothing 1
- Clothing 2
- U4
La Finale
- The final sketch 1
- The final sketch 2
- From notebook to mural: practical example
- FP
Final project
- Artist notebook for illustration projects
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn mural illustration techniques, graffiti, visual composition, how to use materials and tools, sketch creation, mood boards, and how to develop urban and editorial art projects from initial concept to final proposal.
The course is designed for students with intermediate drawing or illustration skills. You don’t need to be an expert, but basic experience with graphic techniques is recommended.
You’ll need an artist’s sketchbook, mechanical pencil, refillable brush pen, Uni Posca marker, Carbon Pen nib, watercolors, suitable weight paper, metal ruler, and access to digital devices for visual research.
The course teaches you how to document ideas, organize sketches, experiment with mixed techniques, and compile visual references in your sketchbook, making it a key tool for your projects.
It covers graffiti techniques adapted for comics, detailed drawing, open-plane composition, and the use of street art color palettes to enrich visual storytelling.
Yes, the course covers everything from planning to executing murals in both indoor and outdoor spaces, including materials, surfaces, and architectural adaptations.
You’ll be able to create murals, illustrations for ad campaigns, children’s books, audiovisual projects, and work in creative studios or independently.