Commercial Illustration with Colored Pencils
A course by Carmen García HuertaIllustrator
A course by Carmen García Huerta, Illustrator
Learn to create stunning illustrations from scratch, from the brief to the final artwork
Have you ever wanted to take your colored pencil illustrations to the commercial world? Professional illustrator Carmen García Huerta teaches you how to do just that by mastering a technique that is full of nuances.
Passionate about capturing the color and vibrations of nature with colored pencils and graphite, Carmen has developed her own style that has led her to collaborate with brands such as El País, El Corte Inglés, Lancôme, Cinco Jotas, Alhambra, Joyerías Suárez, and the festival of San Isidro 2017 for Madrid City Council, Spain. In this online course, she teaches you how to develop illustrations with professional techniques and tips, as well as how to manage a real commission, from the moment the brief arrives in your inbox to sending the final artwork to your client.
What will you learn in this online course?
21 lessons & 14 downloads
What are we going to do?
1 minute, 41 seconds
Brief history of commercial illustration
15 minutes, 8 seconds
materials
4 minutes, 22 seconds
Introduction to illustration with colored pencils
12 minutes, 8 seconds
Introduction to illustration with colored pencils II
13 minutes, 49 seconds
Receipt and analysis of the briefing and conduct of counterbriefing
7 minutes, 1 second
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know Carmen García Huerta, her career, and her collaborations with clients of all kinds, including illustrations for the press, fashion and jewelry brands, consumer products, institutions, and more.
Discover the influences that have inspired both her professional work and more personal projects, from furniture designers to icons from classic and contemporary art.
Next, get an introduction to the two focal points of the course. Look at commercial illustration, what it is, and some of its standout references before moving on to the materials: colored and graphite pencils. Carmen shows you how to use them as well as essential techniques, wrist movements, and other details.
After some basic pencil coloring exercises, dive into a simulated brief from a client requesting an illustration commission for a chain store (or department store). Study the information provided and use key concepts to make a mood board for inspiration.
Then, do the line sketch, send it for feedback, and, once approved (with possible modifications), draw it in detail.
Carmen shows you her two-step approach to professional projects and the techniques she implements in each. First, transform your sketch into a detailed drawing that includes all the elements of the illustration. Move on to the next phase and digitize your work, assembling the final composition in Adobe Photoshop with some last touches of color.
To wrap things up, prepare the finished illustration and adapt it to your final art's different formats.
What is this course's project?
Create an illustration with colored pencils based on a detailed client brief.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators who want to break into the commercial illustration market.
Requirements and materials
Previous drawing experience, regardless of the technique, is required, although this course focuses on colored pencils. A basic grasp of Adobe Photoshop is also necessary.
As for materials, you need colored pencils, graphite pencils, an eraser, a cutter, a special purpose pencil sharpener, paper for colored pencils, ordinary paper to protect the drawing, brushes of different sizes for shading and cleaning the drawing, a computer, and a scanner.
Reviews
- 22 days ago
Excelente curso. Explicaciones claras y creativas.
- 2 months ago
Apenas lo estoy comenzando, pero ya estoy muy contento con la compra. La profesora Carmen explica muy bien y he aprendido muchas cosas interesantes que me han ayudado en mis dibujos.
- 3 months ago
Un curso muy interesante, la ilustradora comparte sus conocimientos de forma que es de agradecer, transmite muy bien su pasión por el dibujo.
- 5 months ago
El curso es claro y didactico, muestra posibilidades, refresca la creatividad.
- javosanvalPLUS6 months ago
Es un curso muy bien llevado y muy ameno, la profesora lo hace ver tan facil que de verdad dan ganas de dibujar
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What are we going to do?
- U2
Context
- Brief history of commercial illustration
- materials
- Introduction to illustration with colored pencils
- Introduction to illustration with colored pencils II
- U3
Manual part
- Receipt and analysis of the briefing and conduct of counterbriefing
- Moodboard Preparation
- Sketch, presentation and feedback
- Drawing I part I
- Drawing I part II
- Drawing I part III
- Drawing II part I
- Drawing II part II
- Drawing II part III
- U4
The digital part
- Digitization and cleaning of the illustration
- Digitization and cleaning of illustration II
- Recomposition, last touches and completion
- U5
Presentation and adaptations
- Sending the final illustration
- Adaptation to the different formats
- FP
Final project
- Commercial illustration with colored pencils
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
You’ll learn how to blend traditional and digital techniques to create commercial illustrations—from briefing and concept development to digitizing, refining, and delivering final artwork across various professional formats and media.
This course is designed for those with intermediate drawing or illustration skills who want to become professionals in the commercial field, combining traditional and digital methods.
You’ll need graphite and colored pencils, artist-grade paper (like Schoeller Durex), an eraser, sharpener, flat brush, and a device to scan or photograph your drawings. Access to Photoshop or similar digital editing software is also recommended.
You’ll be able to take on illustration projects for magazines, fashion campaigns, packaging, advertising, cosmetics, jewelry, and editorial work for brands—adapting your art to different professional formats and media.
You’ll learn how to scan or photograph your illustrations, correct colors and details in Photoshop, organize layers, and prepare files for professional delivery in various formats and resolutions.
This course combines creative and technical processes for commercial illustration, teaching everything from interpreting the briefing and creating moodboards to adapting and digitizing artwork for multiple media.
The briefing outlines the client’s needs and expectations. You’ll learn how to analyze it, expand on it, and develop a creative counter-brief to enhance your visual proposals.