Acrylic Techniques for Creative Illustration
A course by user2943546 surname2943546 , Illustrator and Author
Joined May 2020
Use your imagination to develop a conceptual illustration from start to finish using acrylic paints
Use your imagination to develop a conceptual illustration from start to finish using acrylic paints
Joined May 2020
The saying may go “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, but the truth is, audiences do react to an impactful illustration, which results in publishers consistently returning to the same illustrator for other eye-catching work.
Jon Berkeley has been illustrating magazine covers, newspapers, and book covers for almost 30 years. He has worked for L’Express, The New Statesman, Volkskrant, The Economist, and many others. Illustrating the message of a complex story is his expertise, and with this course, you will transform your illustrations into striking, professional work using acrylics.
See how to illustrate with acrylic paint to enhance your work through vivid colors and unearth a captivating image with Jon’s creative and unique methodology.
What will you learn in this online course?
20 lessons & 18 downloads
- 97% positive reviews (153)
- 4,068 students
- 20 lessons (4h 19m)
- 18 additional resources (15 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Learn how to paint with acrylics, while developing a strong professional-looking conceptual illustration based on a real brief from a leading news magazine.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in learning how to paint with acrylics while developing ideas for strong, punchy illustrations. No previous experience with acrylic is necessary, however, experienced painters can improve their painting and creative concept development skills with this course also.
Requirements and materials
Previous experience is not required to take this course, as Jon shows you how to paint with acrylics right from the basics.
As for materials, you will need soft pencils (2B, 4B), an eraser, layout paper or similar, acrylic paints, and synthetic watercolor or acrylic brushes (flat and round) in various sizes. Acid-free drawing paper (240-300 lb), a prepared canvas, or illustration board, a flat-bed scanner (or access to scanning service), a computer, and Adobe Photoshop. If you don’t want to do the final details of your piece digitally, you can take the course without the last two requirements.
Reviews
A course by user2943546 surname2943546
Jon Berkeley is an Irish illustrator and children’s author who has worked in the field for almost three decades and traveled to places like London, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Barcelona for illustration work. His passion for illustration began in his youth during the vinyl era, amazed by the artwork that adorned his favorite album covers, prompting him to further his intrigue and study Fine Art in Dublin, Ireland.
Most of his work is for editorial clients in major news and current affairs magazines like L’Express, The New Statesman, Volkskrant, The Economist, and others. He also works on major advertising campaigns and illustrates book jackets, packaging, as well as commissioned portraits for clients like Ted Baker, Vodafone, and Smirnoff.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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What Will We Do in the Course?
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U2
Preparation
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Materials You Will Need
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The Sketching Habit
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Painting Techniques 1
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Painting Techniques 2
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Painting Techniques 3
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U3
The Sketch Stage
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Preparing for Our Conceptual Illustration
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Who Let the Ideas Out? Concept Sketching
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Collecting and Shooting References
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Working Sketch
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U4
Creating Your Painting
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Outlining
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Painting the Background
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Blocking In
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The Main Feature 1
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The Main Feature 2
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U5
Spit and Polish
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Spit and Polish 1
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Spit and Polish 2
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Scan and Enhance Your Illustration
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FP
Final project
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Acrylic Techniques for Creative Illustration
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
Adobe Photoshop
displayname4680296
enjoying it. but its for really beginners :)
displayname13459819
A good course to start painting creatively with acrylic colors hosted by an exceptional illustration professional
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displayname575854
Wonderful course, I admire the professor's knowledge, thank you very much
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displayname5124882
enjoying it so far. jon's teaching pace is just right.
displayname5378766
The course is for beginners...
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