Want to crank out some portfolio pieces to get kid book work? Meet Illustrating Children’s Books’ laid-back kid sister!

The sixth run of our raved-about course, Illustrating Children’s Books, is in its final few weeks, and what an amazing ride it’s been! As well as being our biggest, busiest ICB ever, it’s also been phenomenal in terms of the work that our students have been producing. If you haven’t already seen then be sure to head over to our Instagram feed and check it out!

Whether you’re gutted you missed out, you already know you’re going to miss it when it’s gone, or you’re just ICB-curious, we know you’re going to love her kid sister: Illustrating Children’s Books PLUS!

What is Illustrating Children’s Books PLUS and how is it different than Illustrating Children’s Books?

Lilla created this course for you to help you make a fantastic portfolio piece in three weeks. You need several strong pieces to show an art director or agent that you should be commissioned to illustrate a children’s book, and this course will help do that.

Our new PLUS courses are a new format for us, and we’re super excited about them! In a nutshell, they’re fun-filled shorter-length courses that will let you dip your toe into fun new markets for your art, such as children’s book illustration or home décor, or give you a chance to try out different styles or media, or to create even more beautiful new pieces for your portfolio.

So what are the differences between Illustrating Children’s Books and Illustrating Children’s Books PLUS?

Length: ICB is five weeks long, ICB+ is just three weeks, from August 12th to September 1st.
Intensity: With daily drawing prompts, tons of content, weekly LIVE reviews and more, ICB is a gorgeous, intense rollercoaster of a course, in which your fabulous co-teachers, art agent Lilla Rogers and children’s book art director Zoë Tucker, teach you EVERYTHING you need to know about children’s book illustration. Whereas ICB+, with three Facebook Lives and two weeks of assignments, is super easy and manageable and fits into any schedule (and you definitely deserve a bit of end of summer downtime!).
Texts: In ICB, you get three exclusive full-length on-trend texts written fresh especially for the course by co-teacher and children’s book art director Zoë Tucker. In ICB+, you still get the choice of three texts, but they’re much shorter, just a few lines each, so you can get straight into the course and making gorgeous art.
What you’ll have by the end of the course: In five glorious packed weeks of ICB, you’ll end up with a brilliant professional pitch presentation which includes everything an art agent, publisher or art director wants to see, including character sheets, a full page spread and a front cover. You’ll also have tons of insight and info on how you can forge a career in the exciting world of children’s book illustration. ICB+, in comparison, is all about just cranking out an incredible portfolio piece that will strengthen and broaden your portfolio or simply open the door to children’s book illustration work, with the structure, support and LIVE reviews that you love.

And what’s the same?

You have the same beloved co-teachers for both courses: top art agent Lilla Rogers and renowned children’s book art director Zoë Tucker …
… which means that it gives you the same incredible opportunity to get your art in front of an art agent and an art director – don’t forget they’re always looking to scoop up new talent! (In just the last few months, Lilla has scooped up two new artists from MATS for representation, and if you caught our Facebook Live on July 2nd then you will also have heard that Zoë has recently commissioned two MATS students with kid book illustration work!)
You’ll still get weekly LIVE video reviews in which Lilla and Zoë will share their tips and advice and answer your pressing questions, and where you can interact with your fabulous teachers in real time.
As always you get inspiring evocative texts written exclusively for class which are especially designed to bring out the best in every student, and to suit every style of artist.
And of course you get Lilla’s unique playful teaching style, which breaks everything down to make it fun and easy!