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Artwork by Cheryl Day

Course Prices

Inside UK

£400.00

Outside UK

£425.00

Instalments UK & International

£400.00 in 4 instalments at £100.00 each

International students will not be supplied with a paper copy

Illustrating Children's Books Online Art Course

Tutored by Maggy Roberts

Develop your imagination, style and techniques with exercises, assignments, feedback and advice designed to teach you how to illustrate for children. Learn how to respond effectively to a specific brief, and discover more about each stage of the whole process of illustration.

Unleash your creativity and bring enchanting stories to life with our Illustrating Children's Books course, expertly crafted and led by children's illustrator Maggy Roberts. Whether you dream of becoming a professional illustrator or simply want to create delightful illustrations for young readers, this course is perfect for you.

What You’ll Gain:

  • Develop Your Unique Style: Cultivate your artistic voice and refine your techniques through engaging exercises and practical assignments.
  • Master the Illustration Process: Learn how to effectively respond to specific briefs and understand each stage of the illustration process, from initial sketches to final artwork.
  • Create Captivating Characters: Bring imaginative characters to life and craft illustrations that resonate with children.

Course Highlights:

  • Expert Guidance: Benefit from personalized feedback and constructive criticism from Maggy Roberts, a successful children's book illustrator with extensive experience.

  • Flexible Learning: Study at your own pace with our online format, which includes a variety of exercises and briefs to enhance your skills.

  • Supportive Community: Connect with fellow students worldwide through our exclusive Facebook group, where you can share ideas, receive support, and collaborate.

  • Practical Experience: Build on your existing drawing and painting skills. While previous art experience is desirable, no formal qualifications are required. Confidence in translating your ideas onto paper is essential.

Course Details:

  • Media Focus: Primarily taught using watercolours, though you are welcome to use other media if you prefer.
  • Duration: Designed to be completed in approximately one year, with a flexible two-year timeframe to accommodate your personal schedule.

By the end of the course, you'll have a portfolio showcasing your work and a new set of skills that will boost your confidence and creativity as a children's book illustrator.

Ready to Inspire Young Readers?
Sign up today to start your journey with our Illustrating Children's Books course and bring your stories to life with vibrant, imaginative illustrations.

Students are able to upload their artwork to the 'The Art Room' on our website. Each student is given a unique username and password on enrolment for their own private area in The Art Room.

Students can upload their artwork for the tutor to collect and critique. The tutor will then upload feedback for the student to download. If you do not have facilities to upload your artwork, you can mail your artwork to the tutors centre and receive your artwork back with your critique.

It is essential you label all packages/artwork with your student number.

Student Artwork by Estelle Van Eeden

Comprehensive Course Support for Your Creative Journey

At London Art College, each of our courses is meticulously designed to provide an in-depth exploration of its subject matter. We understand the value of personalized guidance, and our dedicated tutors are here to support you every step of the way.

What You Can Expect:

  • Expert Guidance: Each course is led by a dedicated tutor who ensures that the content is current and relevant. Your tutor will provide personalized advice and encouragement, helping you to effectively apply the techniques you learn.

  • Practical Learning: Our courses feature regular exercises and assignments designed to reinforce your skills and challenge your progress. These practical tasks allow you to practice and master the techniques taught throughout the course.

  • Personalized Feedback: Submit your assignments online via digital photographs through your personal art room account. Your tutor will provide detailed critiques and feedback, which you can download and retain for future reference.

  • Build Your Portfolio: Many assignments are ideal for inclusion in your personal portfolio, showcasing your development and achievements. These submissions are also used to assess your progress and award your diploma upon successful completion.

Your Path to Success:

By the end of your course, you will have acquired new skills and knowledge that enhance your creative abilities and contribute to your personal and professional growth. Our goal is to support your development and help you enjoy the journey of learning and creating.

Embark on your artistic journey with confidence, knowing that our dedicated tutors and comprehensive support are here to guide you towards achieving your goals.



Student Artwork by Judy Wilson
Media: Equipment used Subject: Areas covered Techniques: Skills developed
  • Pencil
  • Pen & Ink
  • Watercolour
  • Acrylic
  • Gouache
  • Most assignments can be completed in media of your choice 
  • Drawing for Toddlers and Children
  • Animals
  • Cartoons
  • Caricatures
  • Imaginative Places
  • Imaginative Animals
  • Lettering
  • Book Covers
  • Composition
  • Perspective
  • Textures
  • Colour Mixing
  • Developing Ideas
  • Developing Your Own Style

Click the download button below to view a pdf sample course page which will open in a new tab. Alternatively right click and save the file. Please be patient for it to load.

Download Sample

Below are a few images from the course.


I really enjoyed studying this course I found the subjects interesting and felt it taught me different skills. My tutor was also amazing when it came to feedback that helped me improve my skills.

J Peckham


I loved this course. I already work in an artistic field but am looking to develop a career in children's book illustration, so this course was perfect. It really stretched my imagination.

C Day


I have recently completed the Illustrating Children's Books Course and gained a Merit Diploma. I found the course extremely interesting and Maggy's feedback was quick and very constructive and made me think about my artwork differently as well as giving me more confidence in my approach to each assignment, loved every moment of my journey through the course, especially assignment five.

T Bonnet


I really enjoyed the course and found Maggy's detailed critiques of immense benefit and will continue to refer to them long into the future.

B Flaherty


I thank London Art College and my tutor Maggy for a course that help me to use other techniques and skills to produce a good children's book.

S Sibomana


This was a worthwhile course for me. I learned a great deal and feel ready to apply for work with publishers.

R Bowman


An absolutely wonderful course from start to finish. I feel my skills have improved massively from the challenging and rewarding assignments. Maggy's feedback was really helpful, and I now feel much for confident in my art.

L O'Connell


I really Loved this course curriculum and learned a lot from this course. It really helped me improve a lot on my skills, as well as my thinking processes.

J Sanghavi


Having completed this final assignment, I have looked back over the journey. There is a lot of useful information in the study units and I’ll continue to look back over the course material because I’m sure that I can continue to learn from it. I have learned to persevere with a task and not to accept my initial efforts as the limit of my ability. I have shown myself that when I think I can’t draw… a person… a cow… a tortoise…etc, that it is possible if I do the required research. There is no room for laziness! Colour schemes work best when selected carefully to reflect the mood of the story. Composition is important and needs planning. I know that when I get sloppy or careless I regret it afterwards because that is when I make marks that don’t sit well in the image. I feel quite positive about the improvements that I can make in my illustration skills in the future and I think that I can continue to try different things to develop my own style. Thank you for your support and your valued comments.

S Roberts


I have enjoyed this course and I believe my artistic skills have improved due to Maggie Robert’s detailed feedback.

G Lyon

I have had a lot of experience with courses, exams, programmes etc in various fields and I found Maggys feedback to be exceptional. It was very fast, full, really helpful. Thanks so much for that.

S Tetley

Thank you for helping students in remote areas through the digital services you offer. It gave me the opportunity to develop my skills as an artist.

B Badenhorst

Maggie was great at helping me understand the course and the assignments at hand, giving me advice on what to improve on, super happy with her.

S Brandt

The college does not provide materials with its courses as most students can obtain what they will need locally at lower cost.

For this course we suggest the following rough guide to the materials you will need :

  • A range of Graphite pencil 2B – 6B 
  • Soft eraser or putty eraser
  • Marker pens 
  • Cheap sketchbook for practicing mark making
  • Dip pen and ink (waterproof for use with washes and water soluble for use alone) and more detail on pens on page 34 of the course materials.
  • Pad of cartridge paper - try different types for different media
  • Water colour paints in half pans
  • Brushes
  • Board
  • Watercolour paper - a Not surface to begin with and then experiment with Hot pressed and a Rough surface
  • Other materials may be suggested to you individually as the course progresses.

The course can be completed using digital media if preferred.  There is one assignment which required watercolour.

Maggy's recommended reading material  -

Children's Picture books: The Art of Visual Storytelling
Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles
ISBN-13: 9781856697385
This can be purchased online and we have added two links below of the book on Amazon. 

Amazon UK
Amazon USA