Children's Illustration with Watercolor
A course by Juliana RabeloIllustrator and Teacher
A course by Juliana Rabelo, Illustrator and Teacher
Learn to create visual narratives with watercolor compositions that delight your readers
Discover the power and versatility of watercolor with illustrator Juliana Rabelo, whose illustrations have been used for major international and Brazilian brands like Maurício de Sousa Produções, Marisa, Editora Record, Faber-Castell, and Ipanema.
In this course, learn to illustrate children's books that will delight your readers using watercolor. In addition to color theory and painting techniques, Juliana teaches you how to construct a narrative by exploring the connection between text and image. Finish the course by seeing how to add the final touches and prepare your piece to be shared.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 14 downloads
What will we do in the course?
2 minutes, 19 seconds
Materials
4 minutes, 44 seconds
Watercolor Exercises and Techniques
17 minutes, 39 seconds
Chromatic Circle in Practice
11 minutes, 38 seconds
Brainstorming
3 minutes, 55 seconds
Scene Composition
8 minutes, 16 seconds
What's included in this course?
First, get to know Juliana and her career, including her background and her main artistic references. She shares some of her work and tells you her views on the art of illustration and watercolor.
In the second unit, see the materials you need to start your project and start practicing different watercolor exercises and techniques. Juliana gives you tips for painting without errors and teaches you how to use a color wheel to get the right tone and atmosphere in your paintings.
Enter the composition phase and start brainstorming. Juliana shows you her entire creative process, from choosing and interpreting the text to creating your first sketches. Learn to design the layout by working with thumbnails of the illustrations.
Begin working with colors by creating custom palettes for your project, a process that can be done manually with watercolor or digitally with Photoshop. Then, Juliana teaches you how to transfer your drawing to watercolor paper using a light table.
In the last unit, apply the first layers of watercolor and paint your scene. Juliana shows you how to make overlays and finish your piece with colored pencils. By the end of this course, you will have created an original illustrated children’s narrative full of color and expressiveness.
What is this course's project?
Illustrate a page for a children's book using watercolors, making the necessary connections between text and image.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for beginning illustrators interested in watercolor and the publishing industry for children's literature.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, some basic knowledge of drawing, color, and illustration is necessary.
Regarding materials, you will need watercolor paper, watercolor paints in tablets or tubes, soft brushes, a plastic palette, a pad of paper, a pencil, a sharpener, an eraser, adhesive tape, a glass of water, and a drying cloth.
Reviews
- 2 months ago
Amei o curso! Estou ilustrando os primeiros livros infantis em aquarela e gostei demais de entender como a Ju trabalha. Sou fã.
- 7 months ago
I really enjoyed this course. The lessons are clearly structured and well explained, making it easy to follow along even if you’re new to the subject. I appreciated the calm pace and practical approach, which encouraged me to experiment rather than feel overwhelmed. It’s a great foundation and has given me confidence to keep exploring and practising.
- 7 months ago
Muy interesante y bien explicado.
- 11 months ago
El curso es bastante interesante, y aprendí técnicas nuevas para mi.
- 1 year ago
Gostei bastante desse curso
Juliana has published books and articles, and directed several events, conferences, and illustration workshops. Her client list includes brands like Maurício de Sousa Produções, Marisa, Editora Record, Faber-Castell, and Ipanema.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
Starting from the Beginning
- Materials
- Watercolor Exercises and Techniques
- Chromatic Circle in Practice
- U3
Composing the scene
- Brainstorming
- Scene Composition
- Experimenting with Colors
- How to Create the Color You Made on Your Computer with Watercolor
- Transferring the Drawing to the Watercolor Paper
- U4
Illustrating the Scene
- Applying the First Watercolor Layers
- Finishing the Watercolor
- Final Art
- FP
Final project
- Children's Illustration with Watercolor
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
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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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FAQs
The course is intermediate level, recommended for those with basic drawing or painting skills who want to deepen their illustration, watercolor, and visual storytelling techniques.
You will need watercolor paper, paints (tube or pan), a variety of brushes, a palette, pencils, an eraser, and optionally digital tools for final touches.
You will learn watercolor techniques, scene composition, integrating text and image, selecting color palettes, as well as developing visual narratives and interpreting texts to create expressive illustrations.
The course teaches how to create visual stories using facial expressions, body language, and graphic metaphors, so the story can be understood through images alone.
You’ll learn to use the color wheel, mix complementary and analogous colors, and experiment with combinations to create palettes that convey specific moods and settings.
Tube watercolors are more intense and easier to reactivate; pan watercolors are portable and handy for quick studies. The course explains the differences and how to choose based on your project.
Basic drawing skills are recommended since the focus is on advancing illustration, watercolor, and storytelling techniques—not on beginner drawing fundamentals.