Drawing Workbook Methodology
A course by Manuel Bueno BotelloGraphic Designer and Illustrator
A course by Manuel Bueno Botello, Graphic Designer and Illustrator
Learn an exploratory system of themes and techniques to define your illustration style and apply the results to your projects
Drawing notebooks are a great way to experiment and stimulate your creativity, but they can also be a useful tool for recording your work and storing references. And for graphic designer and illustrator Manuel Bueno, they are also the foundation of his creative process, like interactive building blocks that lead to spectacular results.
In this course, Manuel teaches you his creative approach and how to work parallelly with multiple drawing workbooks that each have their own set of rules. Learn how to be organized, arrange your ideas, and analyze your creative process to look for ways to improve it. By the end of this course, you will have your own creative archive that you refer to over and over again.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 9 downloads
What will we do in the course?
4 minutes, 12 seconds
Preparation and differences 1
17 minutes, 19 seconds
Preparation and differences 2
3 minutes, 11 seconds
To the couch
8 minutes, 20 seconds
To the armory
7 minutes, 40 seconds
Notebook 1: ME in lines
13 minutes, 22 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know your teacher, Manuel Bueno. He tells you a bit about himself, his professional background, his interests, and how he cultivates his creative process. He also gives you an overview of the course content and explains the final project.
Jump into the theory by exploring the differences between a sketchbook and a drawing workbook and how to use each one during the creative process. Then, take an exploratory journey through your mind, your memories, and personal references to uncover your interests. Once you decide on a theme, warm up your hand with some exercises to practice drawing lines and shapes and working with colors and textures.
Now it's time to face the blank page: start drawing in your notebooks and let your creativity take the lead. Remember, this is a progressive progress, so you can't erase or cross out your work nor remove any pages. Continue to fill your notebooks following these rules to portray an unfiltered vision of yourself, your environment, and your surroundings.
In the last unit, create a dialogue between your work in each notebook to understand how they interact and build on top of one another. Finally, learn different techniques for presenting your work, from digital formats to printed pieces.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Use three different drawing workbooks to explore techniques, themes, and styles and combine the results to create a final piece.
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in creative processes and approaches to help them find their style and create a record of their work.
Requirements and materials
Basic notions of graphic illustration are needed to take this course. A working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop would also be helpful, but not necessary.
The materials include three notebooks, a sketchbook, and some drawing tools like pencils, markers, and erasers.
Reviews
- 8 months ago
me resultó muy interesante, creativo y util
- 2 years ago
A fun, crazy and hilarious journey!
- 2 years ago
Such an amazing course!! Manuel Bueno is so cool & spontaneous teacher! Thank you :)
- 2 years ago
Al principio me costó entender el uso de tantas libretas para poder recoger datos, pero luego me ha gustado mucho cómo explicaba el uso de cada una y su trabajo. Gracias
- 2 years ago
Buen muy interesante y con informacion util, creo que lleva un muy buen desarrollo y el maestro lo hace muy interesante
He founded the risograph printing studio Macolen, where he edited graphic works, and is currently in charge of iconography and illustration at the graphic design studio Plan Scusi. His work involves finding roads, pathways, and shortcuts to develop an idea using images.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
Minds at work
- Preparation and differences 1
- Preparation and differences 2
- To the couch
- To the armory
- U3
Let's do it
- Notebook 1: ME in lines
- Notebook 1: ME in time
- Notebook 2: Space Inside / Outside
- Notebook 2 and sketchbook: Inside / Outside remix
- Notebook 3: Biotic / Abiotic intentionality
- Notebook 3 and sketchbook: Biotic / Abiotic narrative
- U4
Dialogue and sample
- Pleasure
- Megazord
- Share
- FP
Final project
- Drawing Workbook Methodology
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.
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FAQs
This course explores creative uses of notebooks to develop graphic projects, visual identity, and risography techniques. It’s designed for people with basic drawing or design experience who want to deepen their organizational and creative methods.
The course is intermediate level. Basic knowledge of drawing, illustration, or graphic design is recommended to get the most out of the content and exercises.
You’ll need notebooks, pencils, fountain pens, markers, coloring materials, and some digital resources for printing. Professional equipment isn’t required, but you should be open to experimenting with different materials.
You’ll learn how to document creative processes, organize ideas in notebooks, create characters, and explore graphic identity. You’ll also get to know risography techniques, artistic co-editing, and strategies for exhibiting and distributing your work.
Risography is used as a printing technique to produce small collective art editions, letting you experiment with color palettes, ink separation, and collaborative graphic layouts.
The course distinguishes a notebook as a tool for organization and lists, while a sketchbook is a space to visually explore, create characters, and document your personal artistic process.
Yes, the course guides you in creating your visual identity through thematic exploration, using references, graphic humor, and selecting personalized color palettes.