Magical Realism for Children’s Illustration
A course by Juanita Londoño Gaviria, Children’s Book and Editorial Illustrator
Joined October 2019
Learn how to illustrate a magical scene for a children’s book by exploring colors and textures with Procreate or Photoshop
Joined October 2019
The magic which lays in the pages of a storybook has the power to captivate young readers. Children’s book illustrator Juanita Londoño has been using elements of magical realism in her work to inspire young curious minds. In this course, she teaches you how to create magical illustrations for kids from scratch using both analogue and digital tools.
Combine your passion for magic and storytelling to create a children’s book illustration that catches the reader’s eye. Explore the enchanting style of magical realism in illustration, and create a memorable composition that could live in a storybook.
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 26 downloads
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Juanita and hear about her professional background as an illustrator. She shares some of her projects and books, and talks about the artists that have influenced her along the way.
Explore the elements of magical realism and discover how other artists have incorporated them into their work. Gather the main ideas for your illustrations by doing some brainstorming and mind maps, and use them as inspiration for a mood board. Then, see the digital tools Juanita uses to create her illustrations.
Let your imagination guide you through the initial sketch on paper before digitizing it on your editing software. Learn to add dimension to your illustration as Juanita takes you through techniques of value and tone. Get creative with your color palette and choose the colors that convey the mood of your illustration. Then add the finishing touches to your composition by working on detail, light and shadow, which add magic to your illustration.
Explore your options for sharing your work to give it more visibility. Juanita covers the best practices when sharing it on social media and online portfolios, but also goes through ideas like applying for contests or sending it to agencies or editorials to get new clients and illustration projects. You can even take your illustration a step further and create your own children’s book to continue your magical story.
- 99% positive reviews (84)
- 2,736 students
- 19 lessons (4h 7m)
- 26 additional resources (9 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish, Italian
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe Photoshop
ProcreateWhat is this course's project?
Create an illustration based on magical realism for a children’s book using the editing software of your choice.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is ideal for anyone who wants to learn magical realism illustration or anyone interested in creating a children’s book.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills and some experience using Photoshop or Procreate is required.
To take this course, you need a journal, a drawing pad or paper, a pencil, an eraser, and a computer or tablet with Photoshop or Procreate, but most importantly, the desire to create magic.
Reviews
Juanita Londoño Gaviria
A course by Juanita Londoño Gaviria
Juanita is a children’s book, editorial and commercial illustrator from Medellín, Colombia. She began her academic career studying fashion design at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, but after realizing her passion was in illustration, she went on to study animation concept art at the Vancouver Film School. The heart of her work is centered on children’s books, which have inspired her creativity since she was a young girl.
Her work has been recognized internationally, and she has worked with clients such as Target, American Greetings, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Quarto, and Maaji. She is currently represented by Advocate Art Agency, which has allowed her to take part in a variety of unique projects like illustrating the children’s books Health Heroes and The King and the Pearl.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Get All The Ingredients
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Magical Realism
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The Story
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Digital Tools
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U3
Make Magic
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Thumbnailing 1
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Thumbnailing 2
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Sketch 1
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Sketch 2
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Value and Tone 1
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Value and Tone 2
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Color Draft 1
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Color Draft 2
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From Big Areas to Small Details 1
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From Big Areas to Small Details 2
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From Big Areas to Small Details 3
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Light and Shadow
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U4
Share It
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Sharing Your Work
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Making a Children’s Book
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FP
Final project
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Magical Realism for Children’s Illustration
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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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.
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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.
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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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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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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 intermediate artists who have some foundational drawing or illustration experience and are looking to deepen their skills in digital illustration and magical realism for children's books and editorial art.
You should be comfortable with basic drawing skills and have access to Procreate or similar digital illustration software. Familiarity with digital tools and layers is helpful but not mandatory.
You'll learn how to create compelling children's book illustrations, covering character design, environment drawing, storytelling, color theory, and how to assemble a professional picture book project using digital tools.
Yes, the course explores magical realism illustration, showing how to blend fantasy with reality, incorporate symbolism, and create magical atmosphere through color, texture, and narrative elements.
Yes, you'll be guided through Procreate techniques, including using brushes, layers, blending modes, alpha lock, and tools for color and texture, to create polished digital illustrations.
Basic drawing ability is recommended, but the course covers step-by-step character development, posing, emotion, and environment creation for picture books, so you can grow your skills as you progress.
Key topics include composition, color storytelling, character and environment design, pattern and texture, magical realism concepts, Procreate workflows, and developing a professional illustration portfolio.
Adobe Photoshop
Procreate
This course is absolutely amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Juanita is incredibly detailed and covers all the essential aspects of Procreate from beginning to end. Additionally, she delves into references and other valuable topics, which are incredibly helpful. I highly recommend this course! :)
Me está encantando este curso. La forma en que se expresa Juanita y las referencias que da me son de gran ayuda. Con las explicaciones que da del uso de la luz y composición, me ha ayudado muchísimo a crear ilustraciones que expresen más y se noten más completas.
bueno!
невероятен курс, достъоен и много полезен
Juanita explains her inspiration and processes very well, with lots of detail regarding why she chooses particular values, colors and placement of shapes. I liked seeing her models of color theory, focal points and values tied to artworks from various eras.