Target Audience (Who this course is for):Beginner Illustrators: People who love drawing and want to turn it into a career in children’s publishing.
Graphic Designers: Professionals who know layout and color but want to learn how to draw characters and tell stories for kids.
Children’s Book Authors: Writers who want to illustrate their own stories instead of hiring someone else.
Art Students: Students looking to build a specific portfolio for the children’s book market.
Added Point — Parents and Educators: People who want to create custom, personalized picture books for their own children or students.

Prerequisites (What you need before starting)
To succeed in this course, you should already have:Basic Drawing Skills: You don’t need to be a master, but you should know how to draw basic shapes, simple human/animal figures, and understand simple perspective.
Basic Color Knowledge: Knowing the difference between warm and cool colors and how they make people feel.
Tool Familiarity: You should be comfortable using at least one art medium (like watercolor, gouache, colored pencils, or a digital app like Procreate or Photoshop).
Added Point — A Love for Reading: You should enjoy reading picture books and be willing to look at many children’s books for inspiration.

Expected Learning Outcomes (What you will learn to do)
By the end of this course, you will be able to:Understand Age Groups: Know the visual differences needed for a baby (board book) versus an older child (picture book).
Design Characters: Create characters that are cute, expressive, and look the same from page to page (consistency).
Draw Emotions: Show a character’s feelings (happy, sad, angry, surprised) clearly through their face and body language.
Leave Space for Text: Understand how to compose a picture so that important parts of the drawing are not covered by the story’s words.
Plan a Book: Break down a story and plan the pictures from page 1 to the end (storyboarding).
Added Point — Choose Color Palettes: Select the right colors to create a safe, happy, or magical mood that fits the story and appeals to children.

Assessment and Control Elements (How we check your progress)
We will use different ways to make sure you are learning:Weekly Assignments: Small, practical homework tasks (like drawing the same character in three different emotions).
Class Critiques: In class, we will look at everyone’s work together. You will give and receive friendly, constructive feedback. This helps you see art through an editor’s eyes.
Participation: Being active in class discussions and asking questions.
Final Project Rubric: Your final project will be graded using a clear checklist based on: 1) Storytelling flow, 2) Character consistency, 3) Art quality, and 4) Suitability for the target age.
Added Point — Progress Tracking: The teacher will check your sketchbook midway through the term to make sure you are practicing and improving your basic skills.

Final Output/Result (What you will take away)
At the end of the term, you will not just have theories; you will have real, tangible results:A «Dummy Book»: This is a rough, mini-version of a real picture book. It includes your cover, character designs, a full storyboard, and 3 to 5 fully colored, finished illustrations. This is the most important tool for getting a publisher’s attention.
Added Point — A Professional Portfolio: You will have the beginning of a professional portfolio specifically designed to show to children’s book publishers or literary agents.
A Step-by-Step Workflow: You will have a clear, repeatable process for how to start and finish illustrating any children’s book in the future.

Approximate Syllabus (8-Week Course Plan)
This is the week-by-week plan for the course:Week 1: Introduction to the Children’s Book World
What is a picture book? (Different types: Board books, Picture books, Chapter books).
How illustrations and text work together like a dance.
Understanding the child’s mind: How kids see pictures differently than adults.
Week 2: Text Analysis and Page Planning
How to read a story and decide where to put the page turns.
Finding the most exciting moments in the story to illustrate.
Understanding negative space (leaving room for the words).
Week 3: Character Design for Kids
Using simple shapes (circles, squares, triangles) to make friendly characters.
Drawing human and animal characters.
Character consistency: Making sure your character looks the same even if they are running, sitting, or crying.
Week 4: Facial Expressions and Body Language
How to draw clear emotions on a character’s face.
Using the character’s pose (body language) to show how they feel.
Added Point: Making the villain scary but not nightmare-inducing for a child.
Week 5: Storyboarding and Pacing
Sketching the whole book from start to finish (creating a map of the book).
Pacing: Slowing down the story with quiet pictures, and speeding it up with action pictures.
Camera angles: Looking from high up (bird’s eye) or down low (worm’s eye) to make the story exciting.
Week 6: Composition and Environment
Arranging things on the page so the reader’s eye goes exactly where you want it.
Designing the background/world where the characters live.
Making the background support the story, not distract from it.
Week 7: Color, Light, and Mood
Choosing a limited color palette (using only a few main colors) to keep the art looking clean and professional.
Using light and shadow to create a feeling of morning, night, or magic.
Added Point: How to use color to show the passing of time (e.g., from morning to evening) in a single spread.
Week 8: The Business and Final Presentation
How to put your Dummy Book together physically and digitally.
How to approach publishers and what they look for in a portfolio.
Added Point: Understanding basic copyright and how not to get scammed.
Final Class: Presenting your completed Dummy Book to the class!