We are delighted to share some wonderful news from tutor Paul Weaver. Craig Brain has just completed our Illustrating Children’s Books Diploma Course with a Distinction, and it is thoroughly well deserved! Paul tells us that Craig really applied himself to the syllabus and has built up a great portfolio along the way. Congratulations, Craig!
Craig is no stranger to the London Art College. He has already gained his Diploma in Illustration with us, and has studied our Science Fiction and Fantasy and Watercolour courses too. He is currently writing and drawing both a comic book and a children’s book of his own, so this course has been a perfect fit, and it is lovely to see all of that experience coming together here.
What shines through Craig’s portfolio more than anything is his imagination. His pages are full of characters you instantly want to know more about. There is a friendly tortoise who turns up again and again, a sleepy sloth, a wonderfully odd blue bird in goggles with antennae, and a whole flock of brightly coloured parrots.
In one of our favourite scenes, the tortoise gazes at a parrot reflected in his own shiny shell, set against a tropical island with a purple volcano in the distance. In another, the tortoise and sloth row their little boat down the stream in a beautifully designed double page spread, with more boats sailing off into the sky above them. It is funny and full of charm, exactly what a picture book should be. Craig has explored lots of different techniques throughout the course. Detailed pen and ink cross hatching, collage and fresh watercolour work.
Huge congratulations once again on your Distinction. We can’t wait to see your own comic book and children’s book come to life!
If Craig’s work has inspired you, take a look at our Illustrating Children’s Books Diploma Course, or get in touch if you have any questions.
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