Design a Children’s Picture Book – Online Taster

COURSE CODE: OC2402023

COURSE DATES: Sunday 23rd March 2025

TUTOR: Rachael Ball

DAYS: 1

TIMES: 12:00pm – 1:30pm

EXPERIENCE LEVEL: Ages 18+, All Levels

FEE: £15

LOCATION: Online

Spark your creativity and be introduced to the fundamentals of character design and story-telling in this engaging and interactive online taster session. Through playful storytelling exercises, you’ll explore how flipping traditional character roles – such as swapping genders, ages, or time periods – can transform familiar narratives into something new and exciting. Whether you’re looking to take the next steps in developing a project or simply curious about the craft, this session will give you a taste of the techniques used in our full studio-based course. The session will cover:

– Creating expressive and engaging characters from simple shapes and exaggerated features.
– Altering key story elements to develop new narratives.
– Creative warm-ups to loosen up your drawing and encourage imaginative thinking.
– How traits like voice, movement, and clothing reflect identity.

This session will offer an insight into how shape and proportion can be used to contribute to storytelling, the transferral of initial ideas on to paper, and the ways in which personality and charm can be developed within your illustrations.

After the session, you may be interested in joining the full course where students explore memories and play ‘What if’ exercises to create unique and compelling picture book stories. Students go on to complete a storyboard, several page layouts, and an individual action plan to help turn their plans into a finished sample for a publisher.

Our tutor, Rachael Ball, is a published author and an experienced teacher. Her book, The Inflatable Woman, was a Guardian Best Graphic Novel in 2015. Her second YA graphic novel ‘Wolf’ was published in 2018 by SelfMadeHero to great acclaim.
She’s represented by James Spackman at the Books Agency and is currently working on a MG comic book for 6-8 year olds and her next adult graphic novel, ‘The Patsy Papers.’

Recommend booking by: March 9, 2025

All Levels

All attendees must be aged 18 and over.

This course is suitable for all levels. Students can move at their own pace depending on their experience, with as much support from the Tutor as they wish. This means an student from the following experience levels can join this course:

Beginner

Choose a Beginners course if you are looking for a broad introduction to the medium you are studying. Our Beginner courses are suitable for students with no prior experience.

Beginner +

Choose a Beginner + course if you are looking to hone your skills, focus on a specific subject area and build your confidence. These courses are suitable for those with some basic skills in and knowledge of the taught medium.

Intermediate

Our Intermediate courses are suitable for students who have considerable prior knowledge of the taught medium or have completed a Beginners/Beginners + course with the Art Academy.

Advanced

Choose our Advanced courses if you have considerable knowledge in the taught medium. You are expected to be able to work independently and have critical discussions around your work.

Participants will need plain paper (a small pile of photocopy paper is very handy), and a pencil (preferably a 2B-5B), and any favourite additional materials (e.g. colour pencils, felt tips.)

RACHAEL BALL 

Rachael Ball has been a cartoonist/ illustrator since 1988, an Art teacher from 2001- 2016. Since 2016 she has been running workshops on writing and illustrating unique stories for children and adults across London. Her first graphic novel, ‘The Inflatable Woman’ (published-Bloomsbury), was a Guardian Best Graphic Novel 2015 and was shortlisted for ‘The British Book Design and Production Award’ 2016. Her second book ‘ WOLF’ will be published by Self Made Hero in October 2018.

 

We aim to foster a productive environment. We do not tolerate the following:

  • Screen-shotting or screen-recording at any point of the course (without expressed permission from the tutor or owners of the work)
  • Deliberate disruption of the session/conversation
  • Harassment, bullying, intimidation

We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and bullying, which we define as:

  • Negative comments about race/ethnicity, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, physical appearance, citizenship, or other protected categories (alt: Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, xenophobic, antisemetic, Islamophobic and classist behaviour and language)
  • Intimidation or threats
  • Unwelcome sexual attention
  • Any activity meant to convey or cultivate hostility
  • Ad hominem insults or other attacks
  • Encouraging the above behaviour

Please also avoid interrupting the tutor and fellow students without cause.

Enforcement

If you violate the code of conduct we retain the right to eject you immediately from the lesson. Future participation will be discussed and you will be notified of the appropriate course of action.

  • Please ensure that at all times you follow our Code Of Conduct.
  • You will be sent a link for Google Meets and Padlet link one week before the start of your course.
  • Please note that the Art Academy cannot be held responsible for student’s technology and/or connectivity. If for any reason (including technical) students are unable to take part, we will not be providing compensation. We are not responsible for any subsequent cost accrued from high data usage.
  • You will need to have paid in full before the first session of your class. Your place is not guaranteed until we have received full payment. Please book early in order to guarantee your place on the course.
  • To find out more about what’s going on at the Academy follow us on Instagram, Facebook or twitter. If you’d like to share images from your course, your progress or your finished work we’d love to see them! Please bear in mind you must have the permission of tutors, other students and models to photograph them.
  • For further details please see our Short Courses Terms and Conditions page.

£15.00

Racheal Ball, Mollie, Design a Children's Book