From Botanical Drawings to Narrative Illustration

A course by Elizabeth Builes Carmona , Illustrator

Illustrator. Medellín, Colombia.
Joined February 2015

Illustrate a story by exploring nature and discover new creative paths

98% positive reviews (129)
2,367 students
Audio: Spanish
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Illustrate a story by exploring nature and discover new creative paths

Ready to approach illustration from a different angle? Illustrator Elizabeth Builes, whose work has been published by Alfaguara and SM, has found a creative way to integrate the scientific method into narrative illustration to create immersive worlds based on text.

In this course, learn how to illustrate a story by exploring the wonders of nature. Do some field research and experiment with different strokes and techniques to create illustrations that build bridges between the reader, your characters, and natural environments.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

13 lessons & 13 downloads

Scientific Method
10 minutes, 29 seconds
Observe, Obsess and Collect
9 minutes, 4 seconds
Field Notebook
13 minutes, 9 seconds
Read and Find
4 minutes, 38 seconds
  • 98% positive reviews (129)
  • 2,367 students
  • 13 lessons (1h 48m)
  • 13 additional resources (6 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish
  • Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create two illustrations based on a short text using different techniques and expressive strokes that have the power to tell a story.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Anyone who wants to approach illustration from a different angle and anyone interested in scientific and narrative drawing.

Requirements and materials

Basic notions of drawing is all you need to take this course.

The materials include a notebook, a camera, cellulose paper, and pencils. You can include watercolors, gouache, and brushes depending on the techniques you decide to use. You also need a computer with Photoshop or Procreate.


Reviews

2,367 Students
129 Reviews
98% Positive ratings

Elizabeth Builes Carmona

Nature is always present in the work of Colombian illustrator Elizabeth Builes. The only thing that overshadows her love for plants and landscapes is her passion for storytelling. She focuses her talent on narrative illustration for the publishing sector and children's literature.

Her work has been published by companies like Alfaguara, Tragaluz Editores, Kalandraka, and SM, among others. By experimenting with colors, lines, and a bit of trial and error, Elizabeth has gradually defined her own approach to illustration and uses it to connect readers with her characters.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • Hello!
    • Referents
    • What Will We Do In the Course?
  • U2

    Everything Has Science, Let's Start Investigating!

    • Scientific Method
    • Observe, Obsess and Collect
    • Field Notebook
  • U3

    Discovering Yourself before the Text

    • Read and Find
    • Draw with the Poem in Your Head
    • Complete the Universe of the Text with the Images
    • Illustrated Script
  • U4

    Hypothesis

    • Make the Illustrations
    • Final Images
    • Possible Sequence
  • FP

    Final project

    • From Botanical Drawings to Narrative Illustration

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • 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.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
From Botanical Drawings to Narrative Illustration. Illustration course by Elizabeth Builes Carmona

From Botanical Drawings to Narrative Illustration

A course by Elizabeth Builes Carmona
Illustrator. Medellín, Colombia.
Joined February 2015
  • 98% positive reviews (129)
  • 2,367 students