Illustration for children's and and teenagers' publications

The importance of illustration is an undisputed truth in the sphere of teenagers' and children's publications: there are very few that do not use illustrations. It has been proven that without drawings, textbooks, children's magazines and even literature for children do not stand a chance in a highly competitive market.

This course offers the possibility of exploring and developing the individual registers of each student and adapting them to the specific characteristics of work for young people, and it provides participants with a broad, real and unprejudiced vision of what it means to become a “children's illustrator”.

→ Specialisation course in Illustration for children's and and teenagers' publications by the UAB
→ From 13 January to 16 May 2025
→ Mondays (some), Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 4 pm to 8 pm
→ Onsite - 15 ECTS
→ 2.250 €

→ Virtual information session Friday 31 of May at 3pm: sign up for it

Past editions featured the collaboration of Ricardo Alcántara, Arnal Ballester, Santiago Beascoa, Rosa María Budó, Anna Castagnoli, Teresa Duran, Sebastián García, Schnetzer, Flavio Morais, Helenio Picó, Imma Pla, Pep Rosell.

Programme

Analysis of drawing applied to illustration

The workshop will focus on the analysis of both the formal and the content characteristics of illustrations. The analysis will be made, on the one hand, through public comments of the portfolio with which the students gained admission to the course, connecting the style, technique, composition, line, colour, etc. with the narrative aims inherent in illustration work. In addition, there will be a practical exercise aimed at helping each student recognise the characteristics of their own work, with a view to enhancing it and locating the flaws that they have accumulated or the ones they commit through a lack of skill.

Magazine illustration

The course studies periodical publications aimed at children and young people. It describes the characteristics of the specific types (stories, games, pastimes, short stories, etc.). The practical part includes work on projects adapted to this medium.

Publications for pre-readers

Publications for pre-readers This subject looks at the understanding of the world of the child who has not yet fully established their reading and writing instruments. In the theoretical part, students will study the conceptual elements that help in the child’s development, while in the practical part, they will create a project.

Text books

Students study the determinants that text books have (concision, clarity, speed of understanding, etc.). They will analyse the difficult balance between the educational functions of the text book and the pleasing, original and often fun presentation that can aid school learning. In the practical part, students will work on various illustrations through this medium.

Illustration of teenagers' stories

Illustration project of a literary text for a teenage audience, paying special attention to the narrative resources used in literature (such as rhythm, viewpoint, emotional adaptation, character descriptions, the importance of settings and voice registers, etc.) and their translation into visual equivalents (or alternatives), that work well when establishing a good connection between the literary and the visual narratives.

Album analysis

The subject offers an approach to illustration for children and young people from its strictly narrative aspect. The theoretical part consists of the analysis of leading examples in the history of children's literature.

Ideas generation

The subject offers an approach to illustration for children and young people from its strictly narrative aspect, including a practical part consisting of a small writing workshop.

Illustrated children's albums

The subject studies the most ambitious and iconic illustrated product: the illustrated album. The theoretical part will investigate the peculiarities of this product, in which artistic quality plays such a leading role. In the practical part, students will work on a book project.

Registration