Illustrate a Non-Fiction Book
Do you have a keen passion, special interest or academic knowledge on a subject and want to bring it to life in a non-fiction book?
Learn how to create your very own non-fiction book in this 6-week online course. You will explore the process of designing your own project from initial ideas, research and sketches through to book layout and final artwork.
You will be guided through the process by award-winning illustrator and author Owen Davey, who has published more than 50 titles globally and spent much of his career focused on information books.
Together, you will develop your concepts and prepare your project ready to share with potential publishers.
This course might suit you if you are:
- An illustrator who isn’t working professionally but wants to build a project from the ground up.
- A working illustrator who wishes to explore the world of non-fiction books.
- A working illustrator wanting to push themselves through structured learning in a supportive creative environment.
If you are interested but unsure if this course is for you, feel free to get in touch - we’ll be happy to answer any questions.
Owen Davey is an award-winning illustrator from the UK, known for his bold graphic style used across various media. His many clients include National Geographic, Google, Disney and The Guardian.
Beyond his client work, Owen is a dedicated mentor, contributing to the illustration community through workshops, portfolio reviews, and talks. His commitment to sharing his knowledge reflects his belief in supporting the next generation of artists and his genuine love of the industry.
Week 1 – An introduction to information books and how to research effectively for your own project.
Week 2 – Explore your book structure and explore rough sketches for planning your pages.
Week 3 – Discover diverse illustration styles for inspiration and work on page
compositions within your own project.
Week 4 – Find useful references and use them to build your rough sketches into refined drafts for a dummy book.
Week 5 – Take an in-depth look at colour, and begin to explore the final artwork approach you will use in your book.
Week 6 – Explore book covers and how to best share your work to publishers.
By the end of the course you will have ground your idea into a project ready to share with industry professionals. You will have learned and developed tools for developing future book projects and know a step-by-step approach for creating a non-fiction book created with a commercial lens. There will be the opportunity to stay in touch with other participants and hold each other accountable with your own projects.
As the course is happening remotely, you will need access to a computer and the internet. You may use any traditional media you wish for your artworks, but a pencil and paper or drawing tablet is advised. You must be able to share your work digitally, whether through digital files or photos of traditional media.
We want our courses, workshops and events to be inclusive and accessible. If you have any accessibility requests or questions, please email events@qbcentre.org.uk.