$150 • June 23-26

Ages 5-10

Day 1: Heroes & Heart Story Ideas & Character Sketches Every great book starts with a character we love! Today, students become "Visual Authors." We’ll begin by brainstorming unique story prompts—from magical adventures to everyday mysteries. Then, we dive into character design, learning how to draw our protagonists from different angles and with different expressions. By the end of the day, our characters will have personalities, quirks, and a story to tell.

Day 2: Building the World Setting & Composition Where does your story live? Today, we move our characters into their environments. We will explore environmental storytelling, learning how a background can set the mood of a page. Students will practice thumbnail sketching to plan out their compositions, deciding where the "camera" is placed—is it a bird’s eye view from the clouds or a worm’s eye view from the grass?

Day 3: Bringing it to Life Clean Line Art & Color Plans It’s time to polish our pages! We will focus on sequential imagery, ensuring our story flows smoothly from one scene to the next. Students will learn professional inking techniques to create "clean" line art. Once the lines are set, we’ll move into color theory, creating a limited color palette that reflects the emotion of our story—using warm tones for happy moments or cool blues for mysterious ones.

Day 4: The Masterpiece Book Construction & Binding Today, the "Publishing House" is open! Students will finalize their artwork and learn the tactile art of bookbinding. We will assemble our pages into a physical "mini-book" format, complete with a designed front and back cover. To celebrate, we’ll hold a "Quiet Reading Hour" where students can swap books, share their narratives, and enjoy the diverse stories created by their fellow illustrators.