About PBIC LIVE
Embark on an illustration adventure with Nina in her immersive 8-week children’s picture book illustration program, kicking off on February 26, 2024. This unique experience goes beyond a mere workbook and pre-recorded lessons, offering live streaming sessions each week. Engage in lively Q&A sessions and receive invaluable live feedback on your coursework. As PBIC Live concludes, you’ll emerge with a well-rounded skill set, unwavering support, new friendships with like-minded creatives and the confidence and action plan to pursue a thriving career as a children’s picture book illustrator. Get ready to turn your picture book dream into reality!
Week 1. Delve into the physical mechanics of picture books and essential considerations before diving into your story.
Week 2. Create character maps, exploring age, size, proportion, groups, interaction, movement, and the significance of storytelling, experimenting with both animal and human possibilities.
Week 3. Navigate visual storytelling with thumbnail sketches, understanding page breaks, and unraveling the story arc’s impact on pace, rhythm, and flow.
Week 4. Craft your storyboard, considering page layout, design, text, and image placement while adding details to your characters and settings.
Week 5. Construct a dummy book.
Week 6. Set the stage for your final piece and explore various illustration techniques.
Week 7. Bring your final piece to life.
Week 8. Let’s celebrate your journey and discuss what comes next, setting the stage for your successful career as a children’s picture book illustrator.
As you walk through each week, anticipate growth, embrace the lessons, and watch your creativity flourish.
LIVE Interaction
Navigate with Clarity
Bid farewell to overwhelm as PBIC LIVE unfolds a clear, step-by-step blueprint. Accelerate towards your goals, ensuring a faster, more successful path to realising your dreams as an illustrator.
Cultivate Confidence
Tired of second-guessing your artistic choices? Join PBIC LIVE for skill-building, live feedback, and expert insights. Boost your confidence, embrace your unique style, and conquer the challenges that have held you back.
"Florence Fox Goes To School is a bit of a personal letter to my mischievous daughter – they do say ‘write about what you know!’ It’s also a fun tale with a strong female lead and few hidden messages – perhaps the pros and cons of fitting in, feeling a little bit at odds with the world and, most definitely, the importance of egg and cheese sandwiches."
Ben Whittacker-Cook
Author of the course manuscript
Frequently Asked Questions
Time Commitment Breakdown for PBIC Live 2024:
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Video Lessons: Expect two new lessons each week, featuring a video lesson and a video demo, with durations ranging from 10 to 20 minutes each.
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Weekly Library Visit: Dedicate time for your regular library exploration.
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Project Work: Plan for 6-12 hours per week on project-related activities. The exact time may vary based on your working pace and the desired level of detail for each project.
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Weekly Lives: Join the 1-hour live sessions each week. Don’t worry if you can’t make it live; recordings will be available.
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Engaging in the Community: Elevate your PBIC Live experience by actively participating in the community. It adds another layer to your creative journey.
You will have lifetime access to all of the PBIC video lessons and demos.
Timing FAQ for PBIC Live 2024:
Course Duration: PBIC LIVE runs from February 26 to April 18, 2024.
New Content Release: Fresh content is accessible every Monday at 8:30 am Australian Central Standard Time (ACST).
Converted Time Zones:
- Eastern Standard Time (EST): 5:00 pm Sunday
- Pacific Standard Time (PST): 2:00 pm Sunday
- Central European Time (CET): 11:00 pm Sunday
- Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 10:00 pm Sunday
Weekly Live Sessions: Tune in every Thursday at 8:30 am ACST for the Weekly Lives. The final live session will be on April 18.
Converted Time Zones:
- Eastern Standard Time (EST): 5:00 pm Wednesday
- Pacific Standard Time (PST): 2:00 pm Wednesday
- Central European Time (CET): 11:00 pm Wednesday
- Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 10:00 pm Wednesday
Lifetime Access: You will have lifetime access to the course content. Please note that the online community will be closed two months after June 18, 2024.
Illustrating a story is a journey that spans anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. In the 8-week duration of this course, the goal isn’t to finish a picture book; rather, view it as an opportunity to gain an understanding of your story. Utilise this time to expand ideas, map out characters, develop a storyboard, enhance your skill set, boost confidence as an illustrator, and forge connections within a supportive, like-minded community.
The beauty of picture books lies in the diverse array of styles and techniques they encompass. Throughout the 8-week program, my goal is to inspire you to draw inspiration from various sources, helping you uncover or refine your unique visual ‘voice.’
Whether your style leans towards naive, emotive, graphic, cartoon, or life-like, I encourage you to embrace and celebrate your individuality, infusing it into your story. While I’ll be illustrating and demonstrating in my style during the course—simply because it’s what I’m most comfortable with—if you’re still exploring illustration styles, you might find your work influenced by mine as you progress through the lessons and projects. This is entirely natural and an integral part of the learning journey. Over time, as you gain confidence, you’ll discover ways to assimilate what I teach and mold it into your distinctive style.
No! The PBIC online community is hosted on a private platform right inside the Hub.
This is your space to connect with fellow creatives, share ideas, and participate in ongoing conversations that enrich your picture book illustration journey. Your level of engagement in the community is entirely flexible, depending on the time you have available. Whether you decide to work independently while watching the videos and live sessions or actively participate in discussions, the choice is yours. It's a platform designed to enhance your learning experience and foster connections with like-minded individuals.
The Picture Book Illustration e-Course is inclusive and welcomes participants of all levels. Whether you’re a seasoned illustrator aiming to elevate your skills and find renewed inspiration, or an absolute beginner exploring the world of art, this course is designed for you. We’ve had a diverse range of participants, from published illustrators seeking skill refinement to authors gaining a deeper understanding of the illustration process. The course accommodates individuals with various backgrounds, allowing you to leverage your existing skill set and progressively build on it. It serves as an ideal companion for your creative journey, providing guidance, expanding your story ideas, and offering support as you develop both your skills and your picture book project.
For newcomers, I recommend commencing with the course manuscript, “Florence the Fox Goes to School,” as it provides a structured foundation for targeted feedback.
If you’ve completed PBIC before and wish to explore your own manuscript within the course structure, you’re welcome to do so. Please be aware that my feedback on your coursework will be visible to the online community.
Both options provide a valuable and personalised learning experience tailored to your individual needs.
It’s worth noting that some participants have initially taken PBIC, illustrating the course manuscript with a human-style main character, and later returned for a second round, focusing on illustrating animal characters.
This course offers profound learning, establishing a robust skill foundation applicable to diverse projects.
From Coursework to Published Book: Sue Rinaldi’s Picture Book Success
“All of the picture book skills from Nina’s picture book illustration e-course fed directly into projects that came afterward: shaping my portfolio, researching, layout, thumbnails, storyboards, and pacing. My first traditionally published book as an author/illustrator came as a result of a competition, for which I had to submit a whole dummy book. I used everything I’d learned on the course to help with the illustration side.” – Sue Rinaldi
Published by Clavis Publishers 2023. Available in Dutch in Belgium and the Netherlands, English version to follow.
"During PBIC, I learned 'the formula' to create vibrant and successful picture books. Since the course, my first picture book is due to be published this year. I am currently working on concepts for a second picture book with two further manuscripts waiting in the wings. Nina’s brilliantly structured and detailed course helped me realise my skills and gave me confidence to take the step into the world of picture books. I will be forever grateful."
Lesley McGee
Artist, Designer and Photographer
"“It was the best thing I’ve done for myself all year. Quality and intuitive instruction. Nina not only guides you through everything but has a way of teaching that makes you feel like you can accomplish whatever the task is. She gives you the unique tools and insight from her many years as an illustrator to be able to break down the process into manageable pieces. I loved it. I would do it again.” "
Nichole Wade
"The character design process really helped me with designing Florence. I’m not used to creating human characters and working with Nina and fellow participants I realised that the same principle that I use for my animal and bird characters could be transferred to human characters. It’s the little touches in a character that make the difference, the scraped knee, the untied shoelaces, all the little quirks that make up an animal also make a person. This course allowed me to make mistakes and keep pushing until I had a Florence [character] that I could imagine meeting and talking to on the street and possibly rolling my eyes at as she buried my sandwiches."
Liane Tancock
Teacher, Illustrator
"Picture book illustration has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Nina was a wonderful instructor who shared her knowledge and experience and took us through the process of illustrating a picture book from beginning to end, through very clear video tutorials. The online community was an invaluable part of the course and provided opportunities for learning from each other beyond many of our original expectations. It has been a life changing."
Belinda Ryan
