Children's Picturebooks with Digital Techniques
A course by Guilherme Karsten, Writer and Illustrator
Discover the techniques and digital tools to create unique visual narratives by composing an illustrated album that evokes the curiosity of young readers
Illustrated children's books encourage both younger and older readers to immerse themselves in amazing adventures and identify with the story being told. Writer and illustrator Guilherme Karsten, author of five works who has been recognized with prestigious awards like the Golden Plaque (Slovakia) and the Golden Pinwheel (China), shares his creative process and guides you on a journey through the world of children's illustration.
In this course, learn to build visual narratives for an illustrated book in Adobe Photoshop. With the help of Guilherme, discover how to bring your ideas to life and convey your message through original compositions.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 24 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin this adventure by getting to know your teacher, Guilherme Karsten. He talks about his career as an illustrator and writer, shares the authors and artists that have most influenced him, and shows you his methods for finding inspiration in the simple things.
Learn what creating a picturebook entails and familiarize yourself with all its elements. After explaining the importance of conveying a message with your piece, Guilherme walks you through his creative process and shares his most-used tools in Adobe Photoshop.
Now it's time to get started on your own illustration! Using the text of your choice, look for references to help you plan your compositions. With the step-by-step guidance of your teacher, do some initial sketches, build up a storyboard, and then prepare your files to be finalized.
End your journey seeing how to combine manual and digital textures to make your illustrations stand out from the crowd. Select a color palette based on the emotions you want to evoke and choose the best brushes for your piece. Then hear some final tips from Guilherme on how to export your final artwork to send to an editor.
Now you have all the tools you need to create your own picturebook and a deeper understanding of best ways to share it with the world!
- 100% positive reviews (100)
- 1,604 students
- 17 lessons (2h 4m)
- 24 additional resources (9 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Portuguese
- Portuguese · Spanish · English · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Create three illustrations in Adobe Photoshop using a text of your choice.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, designers, and anyone interested in exploring how to express themselves through illustration.
Requirements and materials
Basic notions of Adobe Photoshop are necessary for this course.
In terms of materials, all you need is a computer with access to Adobe Photoshop. For a better learner experience, Guilherme recommends that you also have a graphics tablet and a scanner for creating textures, although they are not essential.
Reviews
Guilherme Karsten
A course by Guilherme Karsten
Writer and illustrator Guilherme Karsten produces all his pieces digitally from start to finish. For an illustration to be compelling, he believes it must contain a creatively bold message that ignites something deep within in the reader.
He received his degree in Publicity and Advertising with a major in Graphic Design and has published five works and illustrated over thirty books for other authors. He was awarded the esteemed Golden Plaque (Slovakia) and the Golden Pinwheel (China) and is also a two-time finalist for the Jabuti Award, the most prestigious Brazilian editorial prize there is.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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Course Proposal
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U2
Warming Up: An Introduction to the Picture Book
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What is a picture book?
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Book Anatomy
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Do I need to know how to draw?
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Materials and software
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U3
Hands-on: interaction between word and image
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Reading the text
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Search for composition
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storyboard
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File preparation
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U4
Hands-on: the submission
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texture creation
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Color palette
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Digital Techniques 1
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Digital Techniques 2
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Finished illustration and presentation preparation
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Get noticed!
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FP
Final project
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X Albums illustrated with digital techniques
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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
You will learn how to create illustrations for books, develop a visual identity, transform texts into images, use visual references, apply digital techniques in Photoshop, and build a professional portfolio for the editorial market.
You don’t need to be an expert, but having basic drawing skills or a strong interest in developing artistic abilities will help you get the most out of the course.
This is an intermediate-level course, recommended for those who already have some experience with drawing or design and want to deepen their skills in editorial illustration and visual storytelling.
You’ll need access to Adobe Photoshop; a graphics tablet is recommended, along with traditional materials like colored paper, stamps, and scissors for creative exercises.
Yes, the course covers all stages of illustrating children’s books, from interpreting the text to creating visual narratives and assembling your portfolio.
Yes, you’ll learn how to organize, assemble, and present an attractive portfolio, including mockups and tips to make your work stand out in the editorial market.
Yes, the course teaches essential Photoshop techniques like brush creation, texturing, line separation, and layout design for digital illustrations.
Adobe Photoshop
Um curso maravilho e incrivel! O Gui é ótimo em tudo. Admiro seu trabalho!
Hermoso!!
um ótimo curso de um grande ilustrador brasileiro
Adorei o curso
Curso com uma didática excelente, muito proveitoso e inspirador!