Create Magical Book Illustrations: Master Composition with Watercolor, Ink & Procreate
Discover the magic of book illustration with watercolor, ink, and Procreate!.. We’ll explore composition, fairy tale art, and practical skills like working with publishers, manuscripts, and scanning your artwork.
Have you ever felt a sudden spark of joy while flipping through a beautifully illustrated book? That’s the magic of book illustration…and that’s what we’re going to learn today!
An introduction to narrative illustration in ink, watercolor, and Procreate.
What You’ll Learn
How to work with a Publisher and Editor, and how to approach contracts and collaboration
Approaches for reading and working with a Manuscript
The 5 key elements of composition: space, line, depth, value, and rhythm (with practical warm-up demos)
How to develop concepts and thumbnail sketches
Ink and Watercolor layering techniques
Techniques for scanning your traditional artwork
How to apply textures, gradients, and magical effects in Procreate
This class is designed for illustrators, artists, art enthusiasts and visual storytellers who want to create images with narrative depth.
In this class, we’ll explore creativity with both traditional ink and watercolor techniques and digital painting in Procreate.
By the end of this class, you’ll be able to apply these skills in various creative fields from children’s book illustration and editorial projects to design, fashion, and your own personal art projects.
Book illustration is my true passion, and we’ll focus on one of its most essential skills: composition. Together, we’ll explore how to use space, line, depth, value, and rhythm to guide the viewer’s eye and create atmosphere in your illustrations. Even with just one object.
We’ll illustrate two timeless fairy tales Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella.
Class Structure
This 3-hour class is divided into 7 Chapters and includes 34 bite-sized videos. All the materials guide you step by step through the enchanting world of book illustration:
Getting Started. We’ll begin our journey. We’ll get inspired by modern and classic illustrated fairy tales and explore the materials (you can use anything!!)
Understanding Book Illustration. We’ll talk about working with Publishers and Manuscripts. We’ll also talk about why Book Illustration is such a unique art form.
Composition Principles in Depth. We’ll dive into traditional techniques. We’ll practice warm-ups for composition, explore space, line, depth, value, and rhythm and apply them in a Beauty and the Beast illustration.
Traditional Fairy Tale Illustration: Beauty and the Beast. Step by step Rose illustration using ink and watercolor. I’ll show you how to scan your work so it’s ready for high-quality results.
Digital Illustration in Procreate: Cinderella Slipper. We’ll explore digital painting in Procreate. We’ll use blending modes, gradients and textures to bring a Cinderella slipper illustration to life.
Wrapping Up. Your Assignment, Final Thoughts and ideas to keep developing your skills.
Downloads & Resources. All your brushes, outlines, textures, and references in one place for easy use.
Included Downloads
Line art outlines to save some time
Custom Procreate brushes
Color palettes
High-res textures and backgrounds
Ideal for
Artists of all levels, aspiring book illustrators, or anyone who loves fairy tales and mixed media.
Lifetime access
Download everything and learn at your own pace!
What Students Are Saying
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“Wow, what a lovely and amazing class to paint a beautiful, magical illustration. You have so much knowledge and you explain everything so clearly, dear Anna. Thank you so much for this beautiful class — I can’t wait to paint with you again!” — Sowmya Karthik
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“As always, Anna’s passion for art shines through in her instruction. Her love for art is a real motivator for artists both new and advanced. I highly recommend her courses without pause — it’s a joy to follow along each class she pours her heart and talent into. Her courses are not to be missed!” — Kalwynah Stryker
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“Anna’s course reflects her passion for fairy tales and the gorgeous illustrations found in classic story collections. Her teaching style and her art are simply fabulous!”— Luitgard Faehnle
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“Anna, as always, spreads her enthusiasm and magic in every class. More than just a class, it feels like an accelerated course in book illustration. The step-by-step exercises help you plan and bring any illustration to life. The lessons are full of tips, guidance, and inspiration — I loved it! Now I can’t wait to work on the final project.” — Noelia Fernandes
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“This was a fun class for someone who wants to dip their toes into book illustration without getting into the heavy business side. Anna clearly loves what she does and is engaging because of it. I appreciate the examples she gives, as they are easy to follow if you are uncertain about doing your own thing right away.” — Laura Landau
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Procreate to take this class?
Not necessarily. Procreate is demonstrated as one of the tools, but the class focuses on narrative illustration principles that apply equally to traditional and digital media. You can use any software or traditional tools. The digital illustration is painted in the second part of the class only.
Is this class suitable for beginners?
Yes. The class is accessible to beginners, while also offering depth and inspiration for experienced illustrators. If you’re a beginner, you’ll get an overview of what is possible, and if you’re an experienced artist, you’ll gain inspiration for your own creative practice.
Is the class more traditional or digital?
Both. I believe we should embrace the challenges of traditional art to grow as artists, and expand our creativity with modern tools. These two approaches can fuel each other. You’ll see inspiration from traditional techniques alongside digital approaches.
Is this a step-by-step tutorial?
All my classes include step-by-step demonstrations. However, they are not about copying a single image, but about learning how to think creatively and develop your own visual language. My hope is that you’ll gain valuable insight to bring into your own unique creative practice.