Illustrate a Children's Book
3 – 7 August 2026
This new, in person Summer School offers you a valuable opportunity to build practical, industry-relevant skills in children’s book illustration, guided by international award-wining picture book maker and mentor Claire Alexander.
With over 20 years of experience working with leading London publishers and agents, Claire will support you throughout the week with expert insight, structured guidance, and personalised feedback as you develop a book project.
Working from a set literary brief, you’ll gain hands-on experience of the full illustrative process—just as it happens in the industry. You’ll choose from a board book text (aimed at 0-3 years) or picture book text (aimed at 3-7 years), and be guided step by step to create character studies, a roughed out storyboard, and a colour illustration tailored to the current UK market.
We have a limited number of partial bursary places available for those facing barriers to entry, available on a first come, first serve basis. Please see below for more detail about how to apply.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to build confidence, an improver aiming to strengthen your portfolio, or an experienced practitioner exploring a new creative direction, this course will help you develop your visual storytelling skills and expand your professional practice.
Please note: this course focuses on illustration rather than writing, so you’ll work from provided texts rather than your own story.
Claire Alexander is an internationally award-winning children’s book author, illustrator and mentor.
She runs workshops, courses and talks focused on creating picture books, both independently and for Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. She has a number of author-illustrated books to her name including The Think-Ups and the A Little Bit Different series, and she has illustrated Dear Little One written by Mara Bergman, Puddling, written by Emma Perry, and The Snow Bear, written by Sean Taylor. Claire is represented by The Catchpole Agency.
Find Claire online at www.clairealexander.co.uk(opens in new window) and on Instagram as @claire_alexander_picture_books.(opens in new window)
Session 1 - Monday 3rd August, 10AM-4PM
Session 2 - Tuesday 4th August, 10AM-4PM
Session 3 - Wednesday 5th August, 10AM-4PM
Session 4 - Thursday 6th August, 10AM-4PM
Session 5 - Friday 7th August, 10AM-4PM
Day 1 - Understanding the market & generating ideas
Build your confidence with a clear overview of the UK children’s book market, and begin developing your own creative response to a live brief.
Day 2 - Bringing characters to life
Learn how to create engaging, expressive characters with strong proportions and personality that connect with young readers.
Day 3 - Visual storytelling & layout
Develop your storytelling skills through storyboard creation, exploring pacing, page turns, and effective layout design.
Day 4 - Developing colour artwork
Gain practical experience in creating a colour spread, including guidance on gouache techniques to enhance your work.
Day 5 - Finishing, presenting & next steps
Refine and present your project with confidence, and leave with a clearer understanding of how to approach publishers and agents.
By the end of the week, you’ll have a cohesive body of work, a stronger understanding of the children’s illustration process, and the confidence to take your next steps in the field.
Access to basic materials are available as part of this course. We advise bringing along an A4 or A3 sketchbook, 2B pencil, hot pressed (smooth) watercolour paints, and Gouache Paints. Please make sure you have a titanium (opaque) white.
We have a limited number of partial bursary places available to those facing barriers to participation. These are allocated on a first come, first serve basis. To apply, please fill out the form linked below. We will aim to get back to you within two weeks of the form being received.
We want our events to be inclusive and accessible. If you have any accessibility requests or questions, please email events@qbcentre.org.uk.
Ahead of your visit, you can find out more about Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration’s facilities and accessibility: Access at the Centre. (opens in new window)
