Experimental Techniques through Children’s Illustration
A course by Kayla StarkIllustrator
A course by Kayla Stark, Illustrator
Find your artistic style by exploring various combinations of materials, mediums, and techniques to create special illustrations for children
“The way to find who you are as an artist is to lose the fear of experimenting” says illustrator Kayla Stark. She is inspired by observing the world around her, questioning everything, and playing with materials to keep exploring her artistic style. She has illustrated several children’s books, including an interactive board book she wrote, Friends at the Firehouse. Her work has appeared in magazines and on posters, and she has co-founded a working studio.
In this course, she shows you how to experiment with combinations of different mediums, develop your own artistic style, and expand your illustration techniques. Discover mind mapping exercises, and experimentation and analysis practices to produce three versions of your illustration, and learn how to digitally refine and edit your final piece. Dare to experiment in the wonderful world of illustration and see how far you can express your ideas.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 16 downloads
What Will We Do in This Course?
1 minute, 53 seconds
Materials
6 minutes, 30 seconds
Brainstorming and Mindmapping
7 minutes, 56 seconds
Finding Pattern and Connections To Plan for the Final Illustration
6 minutes, 2 seconds
Water!
17 minutes, 17 seconds
Layers Layers Layers 1
13 minutes, 15 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet illustrator Kayla Stark as she talks about how she came to work full-time in the illustration industry. She shares what influences her work before giving an overview of what to expect from the course and the final project.
Begin the preparation stage by first exploring your materials. Then, start brainstorming and mindmapping what you want to illustrate as Kayla guides you on how to build on an initial prompt or idea. Learn to group things together and find patterns or connections in your mind map to refine the concept and details of your final illustration.
Explore your materials further to understand the value of experimenting. Play with water and paint ratios to see their effects before diving into layering both traditionally and digitally. Kayla shows you methods for layering different material combinations as you make notes on the orders and variations you are drawn to. Next, discover a method for playing with color combinations, textures, and managing layers in an easy way by creating a graphite drawing and adding color digitally in Procreate.
Learn to understand composition and mood by sketching thumbnails of a film that inspires you.Then analyze the shapes, colors, and structure of these sketches to help plan out your final work. Return to your mind map and create a new set of thumbnails based on your initial idea, then choose the three strongest ones and develop them into more detailed sketches. Look over previous exercises and incorporate elements of them into your work to create a finished piece. Then, do this twice more using different approaches, colors, and styles to increase your visual vocabulary and broaden your skills. Choose and scan your final piece, as Kayla shows you how to add the final touches digitally in Procreate.
End the course with Kayla’s advice on how to keep momentum going post production. She discusses how to create a picturebook dummy, share your work on social media, and reach out to a publisher or agent.
What is this course's project?
Produce three different illustrations of the same scene, changing your techniques and materials for each one to show a different mood and style.
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in exploring their illustration style, and for illustrators interested in the children’s publishing world.
Requirements and materials
Experience with illustration materials, color theory, and artistic terms would be useful but is not essential.
In terms of materials, you will need gouache paints, colored pencils, water-soluble crayons, watercolors, paper, an iPad with access to Procreate, and an Apple Pencil.
Reviews
- 2 years ago
Just what I was hoping for, great class!
- 2 years ago
I really enjoyed this course. My dream is to write and illustrate a children's picture book and after watching through his course yesterday I spent the evening mind mapping and brainstorming ideas, and cannot wait to dive into illustrating some ideas!
- 2 years ago
Muy buen curso, muestra diferentes técnicas: acuarela, pasteles, crayones, grafito y uso de procreate. Además de mostrar cómo desarrollar la idea del libro infantil y su ilustración.
- 2 years ago
Kayla excels at building confidence, especially for beginners hesitant about starting illustration. Her warm, encouraging approach helps overcome initial fears. I'm glad this was my first course—it set a positive tone for my illustration journey! Each lesson is thoughtfully structured, accessible, and engaging. Kyla's guidance makes complex ideas manageable, creating a safe space to make mistakes and learn. This course gave me both skills and self-assurance; I highly recommend it for beginners!
- 2 years ago
Bon cours, bien expliqué, j'ai bien aimé ces echniques mixtes et je compte continuer à les utiliser
Since becoming a full-time freelance illustrator, working both digitally and traditionally across projects. Kayla has illustrated several books, including an interactive board book she wrote, Friends at the Firehouse, and her work has appeared in magazines and on posters. As well as this, Kayla sells her art prints online. Inspired by fellow illustrators, graphic designers and other creatives in her area, Kayla co-founded a working studio The Warren in Nashville, home to workshops, gallery shows, and other community events.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- What Will We Do in This Course?
- U2
Brainstorming and Mindmapping
- Materials
- Brainstorming and Mindmapping
- Finding Pattern and Connections To Plan for the Final Illustration
- U3
Playing and Mark Making
- Water!
- Layers Layers Layers 1
- Layers Layers Layers 2
- Graphite and Digital Color
- U4
Planning and Executing Your Final Illustration
- Go Turn On Your TV!
- Thumbnailing and Sketching Your Final Piece
- Illustrating Your Final Piece and Incorporating Experimental Elements
- Digital Touches and Prepping the Final File
- U5
What’s Next?
- Make It a Set!
- Submit Your Story
- FP
Final project
- Experimental Techniques through Children’s Illustration
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.
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate illustrators who want to deepen their skills in narrative art, character development, and mixed media techniques for children's books and related fields.
You'll need watercolor, gouache, colored pencils, Neocolor crayons, brushes, hot pressed watercolor paper, and access to a digital device like an iPad for editing. The course also explores other materials and mixed media options.
You’ll learn character development, storyboarding, manuscript breakdown, visual storytelling, mixed media techniques, digital editing, and how to prepare professional submissions for publishers and agents.
Yes, the course includes lessons on anthropomorphizing, capturing animal expressions, and developing unique animal characters for picture books and other narrative projects.
Yes, you’ll discover techniques for observing from nature and travel, collecting references, and organizing visual resources to support creative projects.
The course teaches mind mapping and brainstorming to help you visually organize ideas, find connections, and develop compelling story concepts for your illustrations.
Yes, you’ll learn how to edit and enhance traditional artwork digitally, using layers, blend modes, and brushes to refine your final illustrations.