Every once in awhile I get an email or a DM about drawing classes, surface design education, book illustration how to’s, etc. And because the writer is generally at the mercy of a) how much coffee I’ve had or b) whether I’m in the throes of a deadline, it seemed easier to write a post about this and keep all of the information in one place.
That said, here’s a few learning resources I’ve used or can recommend:
If you’re interested in surface design:
Elizabeth Olwen’s classes on Skillshare: I took Elizabeth’s Pattern Design: Bring Your Artwork to Life on Products class a few years back and it was terrific. Based on that, I’d heartily recommend any of her courses. Elizabeth is enthusiastic, provides a huge amount of information succinctly and really, really knows her stuff. The above home collections mockup is one I created after taking her class.
Lilla Roger’s Bootcamp: If you need a monthly kick in the pants to make art for your portfolio, while learning about a range of different forms of illustration, I’d recommend this one. I took Bootcamp in 2014 and really appreciated the way the course focused on understanding and working with trends, color palettes and assessing the needs of individual markets. And where the assignments were monthly, it felt like just enough to keep me motivated, but not too weighty to cause a meltdown. It doesn’t look like Bootcamp is scheduled at the moment, but keep an eye out for when it does run again. Lilla also offers classes in picture book illustration, which I’ve heard great things about.
Spoonflower offers loads of free tutorials and resources, if you’re interested in learning how to create patterns.
If you’re interested in typography:
I can’t rave enough about Mary Kate McDevitt’s teaching. Seriously. When I took her class awhile back, life had kicked off and I unfortunately wasn’t able to finish her Vintage Hand-Lettering class (but I fully intend to at some point). Her explanation of the research process when exploring letterforms is top notch.
Get your hands on the Speedball Textbook (the older the better, in my opinion). While it’s still being published, I have a soft spot for the vintage editions and own a couple. Study, copy, make it your own: it’s a great way to get comfortable working with letterforms.
If you’re interested in illustrating or writing for children:
Harold Underdown’s website is a treasure-trove of information. When I was first getting started, I poured over his site, which offers a clear explanation of how publishing works and what’s expected of illustrators and authors in the book-making process.
Writing With Pictures: How To Write and Illustrate Children’s Books by Uri Shulevitz: I’ve had a copy for years and years and it’s well-worth the read.
Go to your library — seriously. Check out everything and anything written for children. Figure out what works and analyze what doesn’t. Understand how story is told both in words and images. And best yet: it’s free.
If you’re interested in drawing:
I haven’t personally taken any of the drawing classes on Craftsy, but have been told there’s some good courses over there. Ranging in subject, covering everything from sketchbooks, portraits, wildlife and more, there’s a bit of something for everyone there.
I started taking Stephen Bauman’s drawing classes last November and give them an enthusiastic five stars. My background is in graphic design, so I don’t have any kind of focused art education (aside from one college drawing class). I don’t think a lack of formal education is necessarily an impediment to professionally working in the arts, but at a certain point, it can only take you so far. Frustrated by repeated shortcomings I saw in my own work, I realized I needed to go back to basics and work on some foundational things. I’m four months in and I’m beginning to see a shift in the way I view form, light and line. I have a long way to go, but I’m really glad to have signed up for these.
