Online Portfolio for Children’s Book Illustrators
A course by Marissa Valdez
Teacher
Plus
Children's Book Author and Illustrator.
Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Joined February 2021
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, Children's Book Author and Illustrator
Joined February 2021
Learn the fundamentals of children’s book illustration to create a playful portfolio ready to share with editors and art directors
- Best seller
- 99% positive reviews (171)
- 5534 students
- Audio: English
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch
Learn the fundamentals of children’s book illustration to create a playful portfolio ready to share with editors and art directors
Joined February 2021
- 99% positive reviews (171)
- 5534 students
- 18 lessons (3h 40m)
- 27 additional resources (9 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Starting a new career in illustration can be a daunting task, but with the help of celebrated illustrators like Marissa Valdez, the first step is made easier. With books like Ambitious Girl which was a #1 New York Times Bestseller under her belt, Marissa has valuable insight in the illustration industry.
In this online course, Marissa walks you through the process of creating a vibrant online portfolio to kickstart your career as an illustrator. Learn how to give shape to a colorful story that inspires young readers, and how to bring compelling characters to life.
What will you learn in this online course?
Course table of contents
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U1U1. Introduction
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U2U2. Tools for a Children’s Illustration Portfolio
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U3U3. Creating Illustrations for Your Portfolio
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U4U4. Presenting Your Portfolio
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FPFP Final project
Begin by getting to know Marissa. She shares with you her creative background and how she came to be a children’s book illustrator. Hear about her influences and her sources of inspiration.
Get an overview of the materials and tools needed for the course. Then, Marissa walks you through all the elements you need to consider when building a portfolio. Start developing your portfolio by drafting your characters, setting, and story.
Begin your character list by defining your story’s protagonist, expression sheet, and a setting that fits your narrative. Next, draw three rough scenes that form a cohesive story and finish up by adding watercolor, chalk brushes, and your own textures in Procreate.
See how to prepare the files for your online portfolio and get to know the different platforms you can use. Marissa shows you how to decide what to include and how to format your illustrations. She also gives you some advice for creating a physical portfolio.
What is this course's project?
Create three illustrations for an online portfolio to help kickstart a career in children’s book illustration.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for aspiring illustrators interested in building their careers.
Requirements and materials
Some illustration experience is recommended.
To take this course, you need sketching tools and access to Photoshop. An iPad or graphics tablet with Procreate is recommended.
Reviews
A course by Marissa Valdez
Marissa is a children’s book author and illustrator based in Houston, Texas. Drawing and illustration have always been present in Marissa’s life, which led her to study animation at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. After her studies, she went on to work as a preschool teacher, an art teacher, and a graphic designer. She later discovered children's illustration and decided to pursue her newfound passion as a career
She has since worked with publishers such as Hachette, Penguin Random House, and Macmillan. Marissa illustrated books like Ambitious Girl, which was on The New York Times bestseller list, as well as the books Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear and Esme’s Birthday Conga Line.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Tools for a Children’s Illustration Portfolio
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Materials and Tools
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Elements of a Portfolio 1
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Elements of a Portfolio 2
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Characters, Setting, and Storytelling 1
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Characters, Setting, and Storytelling 2
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U3
Creating Illustrations for Your Portfolio
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Creating a Character 1
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Creating a Character 2
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Creating a Character 3
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Creating the Setting
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Creating Narrative Scenes
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Finishing in Procreate 1
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Finishing in Procreate 2
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U4
Presenting Your Portfolio
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Preparing Files for Your Portfolio
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How To Format Your Online Portfolio
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Making a Physical Portfolio
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Tips for Presenting Your Portfolio
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FP
Final project
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Online Portfolio for Children’s Book Illustrators
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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
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
purityman
I'm really enjoying the course so far. It's fun and educational at the same time. Thanks, Marisa
stournemille
Excellent course! I found the structured exercises helpful for building my portfolio and I had so much fun developing characters.
valarodan
Me parecio un muy buen curso, interesante al momento de repensar el portafolio
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margot_cassart
Super conseils ! J'ai réalisé à quel point mon portfolio partait dans tous les sens et que, au final, je n'avais AUCUNE structure. Maintenant je comprends beaucoup mieux ce qui ne va pas dans mon travail. Un grand merci !
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miss.gancitano
Really interesting and stimulating ,perfect to focus on your skills and create the perfect portfolio!