Visual Storytelling with Graphite for Beginners
A course by Siamés EscalanteIllustrator and graphic designer
A course by Siamés Escalante, Illustrator and graphic designer
Create illustrations that tell a story with a variety of graphite pencils
The combination of luck and hard work can pave the path to success, and Mexican Illustrator Siamés Escalante knows this very well; When she was a young girl, she entered an illustration competition for a jelly brand and although she didn’t submit it on time and didn’t win, the brand got in touch with her to congratulate her on her work. This unraveled her passion for telling stories through illustration. Her illustration style, full of innocence and melancholy, has led her to work with brands such as Vans, Disney, and Izzi Telecom, and editorials such as Penguin House.
In this course, Siamés teaches you how to create illustrations that tell a story without the need to use words. Explore graphite through a series of practical exercises, and learn the fundamentals of visual narrative to illustrate a story.
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 9 downloads
What will we do in the course?
1 minute, 17 seconds
Introduction to graphite
15 minutes, 19 seconds
Shading techniques
8 minutes, 39 seconds
Tonal values 1
16 minutes, 8 seconds
Tonal values 2
19 minutes, 2 seconds
Tonal values 3
7 minutes, 11 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course by getting to know Siamés Escalante, who will tell you about how she started in the illustration field, and her influences when illustrating a story.
Get to grips with your graphite pencils, understanding their characteristics: hard, soft, HB, and a graphite bar. Siamés outlines what you should consider when using them and goes through shadow techniques in practical exercises.
Then, explore visual narrative, and how to narrate your own story in one or a series of images. Learn Siamés’ step-by-step process, with or without text. Siamés will show you a practical exercise to unblock your creative flow and come up with ideas to illustrate, and focus on the visual language that you develop to convey a specific emotion or feeling with your story.
Land your ideas in some sketches and merge all your ideas into your final illustrations. Siamés gives you tips on the layout of your composition, for either one or a series of images, and then look for references to guide you towards your final illustration.
Lastly, learn how to work on light and see what pencils to use for mid-tones. Finish off the final details of your illustration until your idea or story is clear.
What is this course's project?
Tell a visual story using graphite and the techniques you learn throughout the course in one or more illustrations.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For anyone with a passion for drawing.
Requirements and materials
You will need basic drawing skills.
As for materials, you will need a set of pencils (H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B,2H, and 4H), paper from 190-gram for sketching, drawing or Bristol, a blender pen, round paintbrushes of different sizes, graphite bars (HB and 4B), a pencil sharpener, an eraser, an art eraser, a mechanical pencil (.5, .7, and .3), sandpaper, a craft knife, cotton, and a phone or tablet to do your research.
Reviews
- 5 months ago
Delightful!
- 10 months ago
Ottime spiegazioni!
- 1 year ago
най добрия курс
- 1 year ago
Lovely work and course. Unfortunately the extra Material is Not in Englisch.
- 1 year ago
Simplesmente encantador e inspirador. Professora e artista excelente!
She works in editorial as well as creating commercial pieces for clients such as Penguin Random House, Vans, Izzi Telecom, and el Palacio de Hierro. Her work has been exhibited in various art galleries.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
Let's do it!
- Introduction to graphite
- Shading techniques
- Tonal values 1
- Tonal values 2
- Tonal values 3
- U3
Visual narrative and creativity
- Visual narrative?
- Dusting off your creativity 1
- Dusting off your creativity 2
- Visual language
- U4
Narrating stories with images
- Approach and sketch
- Basic composition tips
- Conceptualization and search for references 1
- Conceptualization and search for references 2
- FP
Final project
- Visual Storytelling with Graphite for Beginners
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.
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FAQs
You’ll learn graphite techniques, composition, visual storytelling, character design, and how to tell stories through images—especially for children’s and commercial illustration.
This course is designed for those with basic to intermediate drawing skills, but you don’t need to be an expert to get the most out of it.
You’ll need pencils of varying hardness, a blending stump, eraser, mechanical pencil, suitable paper for graphite, and fixative spray.
Through exercises and studying references, you’ll develop a personal style and learn to express unique emotions and ideas through your illustrations.
You’ll practice shading, stippling, blending, gradients, texture creation, and controlling pencil pressure and angles.
Yes, it includes practical exercises and creative activities to spark your imagination and help overcome artistic blocks.
Yes, the course covers character design for kids, visual storytelling, and composition for illustrated books and book covers.