Lilla here. Today I’m going to make you flip out, literally.
Over the past week or so, I’ve been sharing some FREE assignments that I created for you to get ready for my online course, Illustrating Children’s Books. I hope you’ll join us: class starts Monday, July 7th, so book your spot now!
How to give your picture book art more visual impact
Today I’m going to help you make some magic that will give your picture book illustrations more visual impact. Whether it’s dreamy, moody, whimsical or witty, digging deep into a manuscript and creating all those little details is one of the most rewarding parts of children’s book illustration.
Think about your audience. Children are so in touch with their imaginations: they are going to love the imaginative worlds that you create. In Illustrating Children’s Books, we spend a whole week on creating a dreamy full page spread for your picture book portfolio.
Art by Make Art That Sells student Tisha Lee, who was commissioned for a children’s book illustration job by Zoë after Zoë spotted her art in class. Want to get your art in front of a children’s book art director? Book your place here!
Here’s today’s assignment …
I want you to take the drawing you did for the last part of your assignment of the view out of your bedroom window, and flip the proportions of things. (If you haven’t done the last assignment yet, no worries: you can dive right in today.)
What do I mean by flipping the proportions? For example:
- Make huge buildings tiny.
- Make little insects huge.
- If the people were big, make them small. If they were small (like you’re looking down at the from the top floor of a building), then draw them huge.
You get the idea. It’s going to be crazy!
Little people and huge plants in my terrarium. Photo by Lilla Rogers.
This is a powerful tool that you can use to make your scenes pop. Play around with it. Experiment. Stay loose. Don’t worry too much about the end result. Find the joy in it.
Show us your art!
When you’re done, share your art on social media so I can see it. Make sure you tag us in using @makeartthatsells and the tag #MATSPrepICB12. I cannot wait to enjoy what you’ve done!
I’ve been obsessing over your incredible art on Instagram this week. Check the hashtag #MATSPrepICB12 to see the terrific art that has been created so far!
Lilla’s Tip of the Day: To be a great artist, you need to take risks and let people see your mind. You need to be willing to try new things, and try what you feel like drawing. Sometimes it’s baby steps, but keep pushing forward.
You’ll be creating some more scene magic in Part 4 on Thursday. I’ll be sharing a free mini art class all about how you can create depth or distance in your artwork and take it to the next level.
Ready to sign up? Click here!
- Monday, July 7th: Illustrating Children’s Books starts! Join your teachers, former top art agent Lilla and brilliant children’s book art director Zoë, for five incredible weeks where you’ll learn a ton about the picture book industry and create a ready-to-send pitch that contains everything an art director needs to see to give you work! Don’t miss out! Sign up here.
- Monday, July 7th: Join Zoë and me for a FREE live Zoom event at 12 noon EST/5 pm BST to celebrate the start of Illustrating Children’s Books and you could win a FREE place in class! You’ll find the link to join the Zoom in our Instagram and Facebook Stories and on the front page of our website on the day.
- Available NOW! Sign up for the Brilliant Kid Book Bundle and save a whopping 20% on art agent Lilla’s last two LIVE courses for the year, student-favorite Illustrating Children’s Books and the wonderful Assignment Bootcamp: Lettering. Find out more here.
- Next newsletter: Don’t miss Part 4 of your FREE five-part #MATSPrep warm-up illustration assignment for Illustrating Children’s Books!
Lots of love
P.S. Want to win a FREE place in class? Join me and my brilliant Illustrating Children’s Books co-teacher, children’s book art director and author Zoë Tucker, for a FREE live Zoom event on the first day of class, Monday, July 7th, at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST. We’ll be answering your questions, sharing tips we’ve learned from our decades in the industry, showing off some dreamy art and giving away a FREE place in class. Pop a Post-It on your ipad now!
