Fantasy Illustrations for Children
A course by Julie BenbassatIllustrator
A course by Julie Benbassat, Illustrator
Learn to create mythical compositions inspired by the world around you through a combination of digital and traditional techniques
Illustration is an opportunity to use the world around you as inspiration and dare to draw with freedom. Illustrator Julie Benbassat specializes in creating illustrations for editorial and publishing clients. Her nostalgic and mythical style resonates with adults and children alike and has seen her work for clients including The New York Times, Boom! Studios and Cartoon Network.
In this course, Julie takes you through the steps involved in creating fantasy illustrations for children using a mix of references and artistic techniques. Find a story that inspires you and bring it to life on the page with a combination of traditional and digital media.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 17 downloads
Materials
7 minutes, 59 seconds
Finding Your Inspiration
4 minutes, 23 seconds
Sketching Your Theme 1
19 minutes, 5 seconds
Sketching Your Theme 2
15 minutes, 41 seconds
Composition Brainstorming
7 minutes, 40 seconds
Finalizing Your Composition
20 minutes, 6 seconds
What's included in this course?
Get to know Julie, illustrator, avid doodler, and your teacher for this course. She talks through her journey to becoming a professional illustrator, as well as the artists who influence her to create fantastical works of art.
Get familiar with the materials needed for this course and find out about Julie’s favorite supplies. Explore how to find inspiration in everyday objects before using them to decide on a theme and begin sketching your characters. Understand the basic rules of composition and how to use thumbnails to experiment with them.
Decide on a final composition for your illustration, then learn how to apply color and a light source. Explore Julie’s process for inking her characters and the different effects she creates with a ballpoint pen. Then learn how to ink your final illustration and discover the importance of your workplace and the paper you work with.
Scan and edit your work in Procreate before diving into how to create your own palettes, organize layers, and add color. Julie shares how to use paper textures to give your illustration a more traditional feel, along with her advice for exporting it to share online.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create a digitally colored, traditionally inked illustration based on your surroundings.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with a passion for drawing or children’s book illustration.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills are recommended, but not essential.
You will need sketching materials and an iPad Pro with the Procreate app installed.
Reviews
- 9 months ago
Julie's traditional art techniques are very inspiring. Taking something as simple as a ballpoint pen and turning her art into magic, is such an amazing talent. Her course is top-notch!
- 2 years ago
Curso muy completo con diversas técnicas. Me sirvueron mucho los tips que da para Procreate.
- moon24PLUS3 years ago
Excelente curso con diversas técnicas :) muy bien explicado
- 3 years ago
Me ha encantado. Bien explicado y muy ameno.
- 3 years ago
Ich habe viele neue Techniken dank dieses Kurses gelernt. Vir allem die Procreate Tipps waren sehr hilfreich und haben mich ein ganzes Stück weiter gebracht.
Julie combines traditional and digital illustration methods to create captivating artwork for clients including The New York Times, NPR, PLANSPONSOR, BOOM! Studios and Cartoon Network.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Let’s Bring Your Inspiration to Life
- Materials
- Finding Your Inspiration
- Sketching Your Theme 1
- Sketching Your Theme 2
- Composition Brainstorming
- U3
Composition and Inks
- Finalizing Your Composition
- Ink Practice
- Ink Your Characters
- U4
Coloring with Procreate
- Scan and Edit Your Ink
- Filling in Block Colors 1
- Filling in Block Colors 2
- Shading and Paper Textures 1
- Shading and Paper Textures 2
- Exporting Your Work
- FP
Final project
- Fantasy Illustrations for Children
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
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and covers foundational skills in both traditional and digital illustration, including Procreate and basic sketching tools.
You'll need Procreate on an iPad, basic sketching supplies like pencils, a ballpoint pen, colored pencils, and optionally watercolors. A scanner or camera is helpful for digitizing sketches.
You'll learn how to sketch, ink, and scan traditional artwork, then digitally color and texture it in Procreate, blending both methods for unique results.
The course teaches you to use layers for linework, color, shading, and textures, as well as naming and grouping strategies for efficient workflow in Procreate.
Yes, you'll explore techniques for drawing whimsical and fantasy characters aimed at children, including anthropomorphic animals and imaginative worlds.
The course covers sourcing reference images online, using museum databases, and taking your own photos to inspire and inform your sketches and compositions.
Yes, you'll learn how to export your illustrations in the right formats and resolutions for print, portfolios, or sharing online.