Surrealist Illustration: Draw Compelling Stories
A course by Kyle Ellingson , Illustrator
Use intuitive journaling to unlock new approaches to drawing and transform everyday objects into memorable illustrations that tell a story
Use intuitive journaling to unlock new approaches to drawing and transform everyday objects into memorable illustrations that tell a story
Surrealism gives you the opportunity to mix your imagination with things that are totally foreign to you – to remix them and make them strange. It’s a way of interacting with the world around you in a unique and personal way. Illustrator Kyle Ellingson is known for his surrealist narrative illustrations which have seen him work with clients including New York Magazine, The New York Times, Billboard, Financial Times, and The Washington Post.
In this online course, he teaches you how to use intuitive visual journaling to unlock new ways of drawing. Discover Kyle’s approach to surrealism and use it to create illustrations inspired by your surroundings through a combination of analog and digital tools. Turn everyday objects, environments, and conflicts into memorable narrative illustrations.
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 23 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (23)
- 632 students
- 19 lessons (4h 2m)
- 23 additional resources (7 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?
Illustrate a surrealist drawing with a clearly defined story using a combination of analog and digital tools.
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in surrealism and storytelling in the world of art.
Requirements and materials
Basic drawing skills and knowledge of Photoshop is recommended.
In terms of materials, you will need materials including:
- ⦁ A mechanical pencil
⦁ Graph paper
⦁ Cardboard
⦁ A device with Photoshop installed, and other materials specified by the teacher in the course.
Reviews
A course by Kyle Ellingson
Kyle Ellingson is a freelance illustrator living in Brooklyn, New York. He first started drawing as a child, encouraged by his grandfather, a printmaker, and his uncle, a visual effects artist. He went on to study creative writing and philosophy at college and working at bookstores in his spare time when he discovered the possibilities of visual narrative. Kyle later attended the illustration practice program at Maryland Institute College of Art, creating a final project that attracted his first freelance editorial jobs.
Since then, he’s been featured in by a number of notable blogs and created illustrations for clients including New York Magazine, The New York Times, Billboard, Financial Times, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Materials and Surrealism
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Materials
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Opening Your Mind to Surrealism 1
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Opening Your Mind to Surrealism 2
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Simplifying the World around You 1
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Simplifying the World around You 2
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U3
Conceptualizing
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Listmaking: Formulating Your Conflict
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Listmaking: Harvesting Narrative Elements
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Thumbnailing
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Sketching 1
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Sketching 2
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U4
Finalizing
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Inking 1
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Inking 2
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Scanning and File Preparation
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Color 1
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Color 2
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U5
Final Tips and Exporting
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File Export
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How to Keep Evolving
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FP
Final project
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Surrealist Illustration: Draw Compelling Stories
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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
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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
cligeia
Un curso muy original!
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peipei
Plussuper great course
francescoj
Ottima esperienza!
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anne.darling
PlusGreat course, recommended.
metin_sozen
It's an interesting, really personal, and nearly scientific approach to how you make a conceptual sausage in the kitchen. It's also great bc I'm always fascinated by how illustrators think and come up with a solution to complex problems and figure out a way to find an audience. It might be a bit confusing to a beginner illustrator though bc it covers lots of different grounds that are hard to digest and create meaningful surrealist artwork at the end of it.