Learn to Illustrate a Children's Book: Next Steps

This 4-week Next Steps course is ideal for anyone who has completed the previous course or already has a picture book idea and is ready to start illustrating.

Whether you’re looking to bring your own story to life or build a children’s book-friendly portfolio, this course is designed with you in mind.

The main focus of this course is on illustration, allowing you to work in your preferred medium. You’ll have a refresher of the process of illustrating a picture book—from story development and pacing to layout and honing your individual artistic style.

The tutor will provide a mix of group sessions and one-on-one tutorials, offering tailored support and guidance throughout the course. As you will be working in your own preferred mediums, you will need to bring these to the class.

About the Tutor

Ellan Rankin is a Belfast-based Author and Illustrator. She graduated from Cambridge School of Art with an MA in Children's Book Illustration and was the winner of the Sebastian Walker Prize for Picturebooks 2020, the Carmelite Prize 2020 and was shortlisted in the New Talent category in the AOI World Illustration Awards. Her recently published book, The Secret Elephant, was shortlisted in the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year Prize 2024.

Ellan considers herself to be first and foremost an illustrator, but she has also become an author combining word and image to create immersive, magical stories. A huge animal lover, her work usually centres around animals and silly stories about them that she reads in the news. She is also inspired by cinema and history and loves nothing more than to create an environment using historical references- whether that be a 1980's jacket or a 1930's living room.