Short courses
There are four two-day short courses in year one. Short courses will expose mentees to expertise and specialisms in four different forms, explore different ways to tell stories through illustration in each form, and provide opportunities to experiment. Each short course is co-designed by two illustrators, each bringing their own styles and approaches so that mentees gain from diverse perspectives. Illustrators are joined by editors and art directors they’ve worked with professionally, and by tutors with specialisms in those forms. In year two, mentees will specialise in one form through a five-day short course which will build on the two-day version – five-day course options will be available to choose from by autumn 2020.
Illustrated Fiction
Illustrating writing, whether for early readers, middle grade or classic fiction, requires a relationship with and interpretation of the text that’s quite different from the interplay of words and pictures in picture books. Mentees will explore different approaches to visual interpretation with two very different illustrators, both experienced at illustrating writing by other writers as well as their own.
Where
Manchester Metropolitan University
When
23.4.20 - 24.4.20
With
Hannah Shaw (Illustrator); Chris Mould (Illustrator); Becky Walker (Usborne); Ian Whadcock & Ian McCullough (Manchester Metropolitan University)
Picture books
Picture books offer routes to a lifelong love of reading for many children, and while designed to be as accessible as possible for the earliest of readers, they can be some of the most sophisticated narratives in literature, enthralling infants and adults alike. Mentees will delve into the complex, colourful world of picture book illustration with two of the most successful illustrators in the field.
Where
House of Illustration, London
When
09.05.2020
With
Chris Haughton (Illustrator); Emily Hughes (Illustrator); Ben Norland (Walker)
Illustrated Non-Fiction
From atlases to encyclopaedias, world histories to the natural world, the range of subjects offered through non-fiction is vast. Illustrating non-fiction for children is about making information accessible, compelling and evocative. Mentees will learn from two outstanding illustrators about their approaches to telling factual stories in the fields of biography, nature and the environment.
Where
Birmingham City University
When
22.06.2020
With
William Grill (Illustrator); Owen Davey (Illustrator); Sam Arthur & Emily Ball (Nobrow)
Comics & Graphic Novels
This form of illustration is possibly the most under-served by children’s publishing, despite the appeal of comics to young readers of all abilities, especially those most reluctant to read. Mentees will explore different types of comics styles, and learn from two very different artists how to work within the framing structure to create simultaneously simple, complex and compelling stories.
Where
Solent University
When
25.06.2020
With
Alice Oseman (Illustrator); Jonny Hannah (Solent University)
Online Photoshop course
Draw Color Click: A six week online course in Photoshop for illustrators, through which you will learn illustration skills, digital ‘how-to’s and tricks of the trade. The course combines handmade methods and digital techniques in several forms of illustration including editorial and reportage, with a final sequential illustration brief.
Where
Online
When
1.04.20- 22.05.20
With
Bill Wright
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