Illustrated Stories: From Idea to Paper
A course by Alfredo CáceresEditorial illustrator
A course by Alfredo Cáceres, Editorial illustrator
Learn the whole process of drawing and coloring narrative scenes from scratch
Darkness, mystery, and magic define Chilean illustrator Alfredo Cáceres' style. Through his illustrations, he aims to generate a bond with the spectator, as if he were telling them a secret through his drawings, making them accomplices without the need for words. Specializing in editorial illustration, Alfredo has worked for newspapers such as La Tercera and El Mercurio (Chile), publishing houses such as SM Chile and Alfaguara (Spain), and audiovisual projects.
In this course, Alfredo teaches you how to make an illustration from concept to outcome, by showing you some simple exercises to conquer the process of creating an illustrated narrative scene based on a story. After the conceptualization process, turn your ideas into sketches, layout the images, before choosing one, and learn how to bring it to life with watercolors and fineliner pens.
What will you learn in this online course?
12 lessons & 21 downloads
What will we do in this course?
2 minutes, 25 seconds
The illustrator and his story
7 minutes, 46 seconds
The style
6 minutes, 42 seconds
Crafting an idea
8 minutes, 59 seconds
Materials
6 minutes, 11 seconds
Format and composition
6 minutes, 20 seconds
What's included in this course?
First, meet your teacher, illustrator Alfredo Cáceres—also known as Redolaf—who tells you about some of his career milestones, his work and influences, and what he teaches in the course.
How do you come up with ideas? Put your imagination to work together with Alfredo, who explains what to do when you think your ideas are not original enough. Learn to develop your personal style through exercises, and then, work on illustrating a scene from a story you choose.
Roughly sketch your ideas, until settling on the one you like. Afterward, create the final sketch by tracing the details you like best from your sketches onto the watercolor paper, creating the ideal composition for your scene.
Let's paint! Alfredo shows you how to proceed, first defining your color palette, then explaining some basic watercolor techniques by looking at the density, the water, the brushstrokes, and what to paint in each layer (base, tones, textures, and shadows).
Once your drawing is painted, move on to post-production. Learn how to fix mistakes or provide different finishes with fineliner pens and other materials.
What is this course's project?
Make an illustration that represents a story of your choice. Alfredo’s will be based on the story The Black Sheep by Italo Calvino.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to learn how to expand their drawings’ universe and learn how to split the creative process into different parts so that it does not become so overwhelming.
Requirements and materials
To take this course you only need a desire to draw and learn, because the main focus of the course is not in the illustration’s details, but in the creativity behind it.
As for materials, you will need white paper, watercolor paper (for example Canson Heritage Cold Press paper), graphite pencils, 0.3 and 0.5 Rotring fineliner pens, watercolors in tube or pans, paintbrushes in sizes 2, 4, and 6, and watercolor pencils in red and dark blue.
Reviews
- 4 months ago
Excelente creativo
- 5 months ago
I like this guy from the first course I bought made by him!
- 5 months ago
Las explicaciones del profesor son geniales. Un curso ameno que sin duda te hará creer como creativo.
- 7 months ago
Corso molto stimolante e ben fatto. Apprezzo molto il lavoro di questo artista e il suo modo semplice di spiegare. In più, Domestika ha finalmente inserito il doppiaggio audio in diverse lingue, inclusa la mia, così posso seguire i miei corsi senza distrazioni, ascoltando e guardando il video dell'insegnante.
- 8 months ago
Apenas estoy revisando las lecciones y realizando las prácticas que nos sugiere, aún no trabajo en línea, pero me ha gustado mucho. Lo encuentro necesario, en mi caso, siempre digo que quiero iniciar o reiniciar más bien, pues no lo hago, pero este curso me ha ayudado mucho! Lo recomiendo porque Alfredo es muy claro en sus comentarios y explicaciones y las prácticas propuestas son sencillas, lo cual nos anima a continuar. Saludos
He has worked for clients such as Simon and Schuster, Zoink games, E...
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in this course?
- U2
The idea and the sketch
- The illustrator and his story
- The style
- Crafting an idea
- U3
How to draw a thief, an honest man and a house
- Materials
- Format and composition
- From drawing to color
- U4
Last round
- Different types of finish
- How to deal with mistakes
- Last thoughts
- FP
Final project
- Illustrated Stories: From Idea to Paper
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
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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
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FAQs
This course is aimed at people with basic illustration knowledge who want to deepen their techniques and develop a personal style, making it ideal for intermediate level.
To get the most out of the course, you'll need a sketchbook, pencils, watercolor paper, watercolors (pan or tube), brushes, markers, a white gel pen, and masking tape. A lightbox is also recommended for tracing sketches.
You'll learn how to create sketches, develop original characters, adapt texts into illustrations, experiment with watercolor and pencil, refine a personal style, and finish illustrations with professional touches.
Yes, the course offers specific exercises and strategies to practice and enhance your sketchbook drawings, boosting creativity and drawing confidence.
Yes, it covers methods to develop a personal style through experimentation, self-assessment, and reinterpreting literary and visual influences.
The course covers the full process of illustrating a story, from brainstorming and sketching to coloring and final details.
You'll learn how to transfer sketches onto watercolor paper, control water and pigment, mix colors, create textures, and use pencil and markers for professional finishes.