Lilla here. Today we’re going to create magic together! I’m going to teach you three great tricks to create depth (distance) in your artwork, and explain why you might want to do so. It’ll help give your artwork a fresh vibrant edge and be another tool in your ever-growing toolkit. Want more tools in your kit? Book one of my classes today.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been handing out FREE assignments to help you get ready for my LIVE online course, Illustrating Children’s Books, which starts THIS MONDAY, July 27th! There are still a few places available, so if you’d like to spend five weeks with me and my co-teacher, renowned children’s book art director and author, Zoë Tucker, learning everything there is to know about childen’s picture book illustration, then book your spot now!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve created a new character and explored fantastic new worlds – if you missed out then head over to the Make Art That Sells blog here to catch up. Thank you to everyone who’s shared their art on social media: I dig your wacky minds.

Here’s today’s mini class:

How to create depth in your artwork

Tip #1: Location

If you place something literally on the top of your page, it looks like it’s far away. For example, if you draw a little house toward the top of your page, it looks like it’s in the distance. That’s because our understanding of distance in art is that the higher up the page, the farther away. And then, by making the house tiny, it enhances the illusion of distance.

Art by Make Art That Sells student Cass Urquhart for Illustrating Children’s Books. Notice how the house on the right of the page looks further away than the house and character on the left.

The converse is also true: things at the bottom of the page are close to the viewer.

You can enhance this by altering the scale (size) of whatever it is you’re drawing.

Tip #2: Atmospheric perspective

Second, things in the distance are affected by what’s called atmospheric perspective. That means that things far away are more muted (slightly grey-out). This is because there are particles in the air (and maybe even fog), plus human vision is less acute for distance, so it’s going to be softer. So you draw the house less crisply, with less vivid color.

Art by Make Art That Sells student Eunji Jung for Illustrating Children’s Books. See how she’s created distance by making the city in the background lighter and softer.

Tip #3: Length

Third, if you draw something that starts at the bottom of your page, and travels up the page, we ‘read’ it to be moving to the far distance. For example, a road, river or a fence will progressively get smaller as it goes up the page. Try it!

Art by Make Art That Sells student Serineh Eliasian for Illustrating Children’s Books. Can you feel how the character has travelled along that wonderful winding road?

These are three powerful techniques you can use to create a sense of depth in your work.

Why is depth worth creating? Well, I want you to have as many tools in your tool box so should you want to create distance, you know how. For example, let’s say your character is traveling from a lake to a city. You want the reader to enjoy the travel experience.

Today’s assignment!

Today, I want you to take some elements from the work you’ve completed so far in our #MATSprep and have a go at creating some distance in your work. Move things around to make them seem closer or further away, or try fading out some of the details in the background and making the foreground clearer and sharper. Can you show a journey from one place to another, perhaps a winding stream or a path inviting us on an adventure?

Show us your art!

I absolutely love seeing your gorgeous art. In fact, to help us keep track, we’ve created a public gallery here on the Make Art That Sells site. Please feel free to add any of the work that you’ve created for this #MATSprep so far. I can’t wait to see it.

Of course you can keep sharing on social media as well if you want – don’t forget to tag @makeartthatsells and use the hashtags #MATSprep and #matskidbook.

My LIVE online course, Illustrating Children’s Books, starts MONDAY, 27th July. Sign up now and you can dive in right away with a choice of exclusive texts to illustrate and a quirky but informative Text Chooser Tool that will help you dig into your personality and choose the right text for you.

Plus: Big news! This time, you’ll get not three but FOUR original texts written exclusively for the course. They range from witty to tender to historical, which will spark your imagination!

Every day for five weeks, you’ll get a ton of awesomeness to help you grow your art. Sign up now! I can’t wait to help you kick butt as an illustrator and get some fantastic commissions, just like these that my former students have gotten!

Lilla’s Tip of the Day: What’s the deal with art trends? Who cares, anyway? You are your own unique mix. Make your own trends. Lead the way. I have never met two people that are the same. Every person I get to know is an amazing and unique constellation of qualities and personal history. And so are you. Be yourself and you will create your own ‘trends’. Better to be yourself and see where that takes you.

Are you ready to dive in and make a commitment to your success as a children’s book illustrator? Sign up HERE. Hurry! The last remaining spots are going fast!

Lots of love

Lilla xxx

P.S. Don’t forget, I’ll be joined by renowned children’s book illustrator and former Make Art That Sells student, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, for a FREE live event this Monday, 20th July at 12 noon ET/5 pm GMT. We’ll be discussing diversity in children’s picture books and more, and it’s going to be a fascinating discussion: join us!