Illustration and Design of Children's Books
A course by Carlos Higuera, Designer, Illustrator, and Art Director
Learn professional techniques to create and edit your own ABC books
As an illustrator and designer, Carlos Higuera specializes in children's illustration with a style that conveys a great deal of tenderness. He has worked both in advertising and in children's book publication with international publishers like Edelvives, Santillana, and Macmillan. In his previous Domestika course, Design of Kawaii-Style Characters, taught together with Azul Piñeiro—illustrator, designer, and co-founder of Estudio Kudasai—, you learned how to create adorable characters inspired by Japanese culture. This time around, Carlos teaches you how to create an ABC book from start to finish.
These books are aimed at children up to three years old and are usually printed on cardboard. Carlos reveals the process behind making them: everything from the sketch and the storyboard to the illustration and final design.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 15 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know more about Carlos's work, his passion for drawing, and how he became what he is today. He also shares his influences and what inspires him the most.
Move on to exploring some of his sketchbooks and some exercises to help you shed your fear of drawing and embrace your own style.
Next, Carlos explains how an ABC book is made and how to carry out an editorial project with these characteristics.
Start by writing a simple story, which will help you to establish the narrative plot for your book. Create the main characters, choose your color palette, and select the font that best suits the style of your project.
Once you've decided on all the elements of your book, design a storyboard and a work schedule.
Then it's time to create the illustrations and assemble the book.
To finish off the course, Carlos tells you about some legal issues that you should consider when dealing with this type of editorial project.
- 98% positive reviews (361)
- 6,460 students
- 14 lessons (1h 36m)
- 15 additional resources (5 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · Italian · French · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Create an ABC book aimed at children from 0 to 3 years old using your own illustrations.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, designers, and anyone interested in conveying stories through illustrated children's books.
Requirements and materials
You need some basic drawing and illustration skills to take this course.
As far as materials are concerned, you'll need paper and a pencil, a computer with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop installed, and a drawing tablet.
Reviews
Carlos Higuera
A course by Carlos Higuera
Carlos Higuera is a graphic designer and illustrator. He studied children's illustration and creative processes at the Sótano Blanco art school in Buenos Aires, Argentina and worked as an art director for Leo Burnett and Sancho BBDO. Together with Azul Piñeiro, he currently directs the Kudasai Design Studio. He also coordinates talks and online illustration workshops and is committed to creating illustrated books and mobile applications for children. His work has been published and exhibited in countries such as Japan, Germany, Spain, France, the United States, Argentina, and Colombia.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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U2
Draw and win
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The personal style
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Sketchbooks
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U3
The first steps
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How an ABC book is made
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The children's publishing market
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The stories
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Characters
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The color
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U4
Let's do it
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The storyboard
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Illustration
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U5
A new book has been born
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The montage
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The publication
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Contract
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FP
Final project
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Illustration and design of children's books
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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
The course is designed for people with intermediate illustration skills but is accessible to anyone interested in creating children's books and eager to deepen their knowledge of digital and traditional techniques.
You’ll need basic drawing skills, access to digital tools like Procreate, Illustrator, or Photoshop, traditional materials (paper, crayons, scissors), and a willingness to learn mixed illustration and editorial design techniques.
You’ll learn how to create characters, design ABC books, explore collage and paper-cutting techniques, graphic composition, color palettes, storyboarding, editorial layout, and strategies for publishing with children's book publishers.
The course covers the entire process of creating illustrated children’s books, from character design and visual composition to digital layout and publishing strategies with publishers.
You’ll be taught digital techniques (vector art in Illustrator, painting in Procreate, layout in Photoshop) as well as hands-on methods like collage, paper cutting, illustrated origami, quick sketching, and texture experimentation.
The course guides you through planning, creating characters and scenes, page composition, choosing color palettes, and professionally assembling and presenting an ABC book for kids.
Yes, you’ll learn how to prepare publishing proposals, contact publishers, understand contracts, negotiate copyright, and explore alternative publishing options beyond traditional channels.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
muy bien
I really enjoyed this course.
Achei o curso muito interessante,bem didático e inspirador,podem lançar mais cursos dele
Very interesting and useful! Easy to follow, great insturctions.
super recomendable. sencillo, entendible y muy practico!!!