Sketchbook Illustration for Collecting Ideas
A course by Catalina BuIllustrator
A course by Catalina Bu, Illustrator
Learn how to create detailed illustrations by experimenting and revealing your ideas
Learning to express your ideas through illustrations is like learning a new language, but with your hands: every stroke, line, or color is a personal expression of your creativity. With just a sketchbook of references and some exercises for practice, you can master the language of drawing with the illustrator Catalina Bustos Mendoza, better known on social media as Catalina Bu.
This course teaches you how to turn your sketchbook into an idea factory for creating stunning illustrations. Catalina walks you through the creative process step by step to help you understand how important it is for overcoming mental blocks and putting your vision of the world down on paper.
What will you learn in this online course?
12 lessons & 16 downloads
Opening your eyes, look beyond
9 minutes, 48 seconds
Collect Ideas
4 minutes, 37 seconds
Find the patterns
4 minutes, 39 seconds
Make decisions (materials and format)
17 minutes, 31 seconds
Important tips before creating
7 minutes, 33 seconds
Creating the sketchbook
11 minutes, 51 seconds
What's included in this course?
To start, get to know your instructor, Catalina Bu, and her experience, see how she molded her illustration style, and find out what her main influences are.
Then, Catalina gives you an overview of the project you’ll be working on throughout the course. She shows you some of her work and discusses why personal experiences are a wonderful source of inspiration when illustrating. Now for the preparation phrase. Look for reference images for your project, go through observation and design exercises, and decide on a theme for your sketchbook.
On your mark, sharpen your pencils . . . and draw! Explore all the materials needed to create your illustrations, learn composition, weight, and visual harmony techniques, and apply your new-found knowledge to fill up your sketchbook with your chosen theme.
In the last unit, you review your sketchbook and choose a concept for your final illustration. Catalina demonstrates how to compose your drawing step by step and shares some good advice on how to digitalize your creation and put the finishing touches on it. Finally, learn how to present your art in different formats such as prints for clothing, bags, mugs, zines and digital prints.
What is this course's project?
Use drawing exercises to practice overcoming creative blocks and transform your sketchbook into an illustrated idea factory. All your drawings are stepping-stones that lead you to the last exercise of creating a final illustration based on a topic of your choice.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For anyone interested in illustration, graphic design, art, and architecture who wants to explore new approaches to creative design.
Requirements and materials
No prior knowledge is needed to take this course.
The materials you'll need for this course include white printer paper (20 sheets), an A4 or A5 sketchbook (ideally 120 GSM or higher), a large drawing pad (A3 or tabloid, ideally 120 GSM or higher), different black ink pens (e.g., Uni-Ball, Sign Pen, Kuretake, Tombow), a graphite pencil and an eraser, scissors, a glue stick, and a computer or iPad for digitalizing your illustrations.
Reviews
- 1 month ago
fun course and art style. very practical and easy to follow
- 3 months ago
me gusta mucho el cómo te enseña a dibujar porque sí y no esperando nunca la perfección. ideal para iniciarse :-)
- 4 months ago
increíble curso!!
- 4 months ago
Me ha gustado mucho
- 6 months ago
excelnte
She has written four books (Diario de un Solo 1 and 2, Libro Libre and En Blanco) and co-authored another three (Gatos Gordos, Solo Necesito un perro and Un espacio vacío); her books have been translated to French and Portuguese. Her work also has been featured in individual and collective exhibits in Santiago de Chile, Madrid, Mexico City, Shanghai, New York and Bologna.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Where are the ideas?
- Opening your eyes, look beyond
- Collect Ideas
- Find the patterns
- U3
Ready, set ... Let's draw!
- Make decisions (materials and format)
- Important tips before creating
- Creating the sketchbook
- U4
And now what do I do with all this?
- Think (what will we do)
- Create (how we will do it)
- Polishing Tips for finishing touches
- Transform (your options)
- FP
Final project
- Sketchbook Illustration for Collecting Ideas
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
The course is designed for people with basic to intermediate illustration skills, but you don’t need to be an expert. It includes accessible exercises for those wanting to experiment and develop their personal style.
You’ll just need a sketchbook or pad, pencils, pens, an eraser, scissors, glue, and access to a computer or iPad for digital editing. Suitable paper and some basic drawing supplies are recommended.
You’ll learn how to use your sketchbook to develop ideas, create original illustrations, experiment with composition techniques, digitize your drawings, and self-publish personal fanzines and comics.
The course explores the creative process with sketchbooks, experimental illustration, fanzine creation, risography techniques, self-publishing, and integrating text and image in personal projects.
You’ll learn methods to digitize your illustrations, edit them on an iPad or computer, adjust contrast, clean backgrounds, and prepare files for printing or digital publishing.
Yes, the course includes an introduction to risography, color selection, and hands-on application in creating fanzines and standalone graphic pieces.
You don’t need perfect drawing skills. The course values personal expression, experimentation, and mistakes as part of the artistic process.