Postgraduate Course: Children's Picture Books (DESI11168)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This is a practice-focused course working with leading children's book illustrators introduces you to research and developmental skills that will enable you to engage professionally in the field. Through a series of lectures, seminars and practical workshops you will realise the components necessary for building projects that understand the format of picture books, character development, continuity, and dummy-cover design considerations. |
| Course description |
This course will support you in group seminars, tutorials and a lecture-based programme from ECA and Picture Hooks which will explore and investigate the field of picture books through practice and industry. This course will be contextualised within the field of Illustration, specifically within the field of Children's Picture Book. You will explore your creative practice through the lens of illustration. The final outcome of the course will be to develop and realise a self-directed research project and the design and production of a children's picture book.
You will be introduced to:
The world of formats and book anatomy
Develop a research proposal considering precis and pace
Story development and sequential narrative
Develop characters for people and animals by acting out
Explore the importance of continuity and emotion
Psychology of cover design and dummy book production
Production of digital portfolio and physical exhibition of final work
Through connection with Picture Hooks you will learn of the landscape of the contemporary industry by looking at changing cultural and social climates, looking at trends around ethnic diversity, inclusion and representation. This will include knowledge of co-editions, book fairs and self-promotion for the international market.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course requires some additional costs to be met by the Student.
Travel: There are required travel costs associated with visits we may run as part of the course. Students will be expected to support the cost of local travel by public transport. As well as an optional trip to Bologna Italy, students are recommeneded a minimum budget of £800.
Equipment and software: This is a low-tech course, although it is recommended that students have their own laptop or use of a laptop for their independent studies and coursework for the course. Any equipment and software required by the course itself will be provided by the School, but students will be expected to provide some specialist equipment including e.g. their own laptop headphones, SD cards.
Materials: Students will be expected to supply their own (or fund the purchase of) general art and design materials, such as sketchbooks, paper and pens and are requested to bring these to studio sessions. The nature of this studio course is that materials will also be consumed and used in the development of coursework (e.g. the development of drawings, models and visualisations). Whilst Course Organisers will support students in meeting the course¿s intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, students will be expected to fund optional material costs as necessary for their own project work.
These costs may fluctuate depending upon individual projects. At ECA we promote the reuse and recycling of materials though, so across all projects this is encouraged. We also would like to note that success in the course is not linked to expenditure; novel or sustainable approaches to material use will be commended.
Printing: Students are expected to fund occasional printing of e.g. A2 posters, other presentation materials for crits, or workshop outputs.
To fully participate in this course students are recommended to budget a minimum of £50. |
| Additional Costs | This course requires some additional costs to be met by the Student.
Travel: There are required travel costs associated with visits we may run as part of the course. Students will be expected to support the cost of local travel by public transport. As well as an optional trip to Bologna Italy, students are recommeneded a minimum budget of £800.
Equipment and software: This is a low-tech course, although it is recommended that students have their own laptop or use of a laptop for their independent studies and coursework for the course. Any equipment and software required by the course itself will be provided by the School, but students will be expected to provide some specialist equipment including e.g. their own laptop headphones, SD cards.
Materials: Students will be expected to supply their own (or fund the purchase of) general art and design materials, such as sketchbooks, paper and pens and are requested to bring these to studio sessions. The nature of this studio course is that materials will also be consumed and used in the development of coursework (e.g. the development of drawings, models and visualisations). Whilst Course Organisers will support students in meeting the course¿s intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, students will be expected to fund optional material costs as necessary for their own project work.
These costs may fluctuate depending upon individual projects. At ECA we promote the reuse and recycling of materials though, so across all projects this is encouraged. We also would like to note that success in the course is not linked to expenditure; novel or sustainable approaches to material use will be commended.
Printing: Students are expected to fund occasional printing of e.g. A2 posters, other presentation materials for crits, or workshop outputs.
To fully participate in this course students are recommended to budget a minimum of £50. |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
12/01/2026 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 4,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6,
External Visit Hours 7,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Formative Assessment Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
170 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative Assessment: Week 6 Semester 2
Mid Semester Review: 10 slide Pecha Kucha presentation and Formative Reflective Statement (500 words) Written feedback and indicative grades against 3 x Learning Outcomes at this point.
Summative Assessment: Week 11 Semester 2
There are three components for assessment:
Component 1: 25% Visual Research and development: Sketchbooks, drawings & prints (LO1 & LO2)
Component 2: 25% Summative Reflective Statement (500 words) (LO1 & LO3)
Component 3: 50% Storyboard Outline & Dummy Book to include a cover plus three completed spreads (LO2 & LO3)
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| Feedback |
Written feedback and indicative grades against 3 x Learning Outcomes following mid-semester formative review. Summative feedback will be provided in line with university regulations. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically analyse and engage with a range of textual and non-textual discourses concerning creative thinking, designing and making related to the discipline of children's picture books.
- Communicate and present, using appropriate methods, a diverse understanding of creative illustration techniques and realised practical outcomes.
- Use autonomy and judgement, to critically compose a constructed, original narrative related to a self-directed children's picture book project.
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Reading List
Salisbury, Martin & Styles, Morag, 2020 Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling Laurence King Publishing, London, United Kingdom
The Bologna Children's Book Fair 2019 Illustrators Annual Chronicle Books
Salisbury, Martin, 2004 Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication London, A & C Black
Stern, Simon, 2008 The Illustrator's Guide to Law and Practice The Association of Illustrators
Nodelman, Perry, 1990 Words About Pictures: The Narrative Art about Children's Picture Books University of Georgia Press |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Have a personal vision for children's picture books, create goals and be able to work towards these in a sustainable way
Be able to exercise critical judgement of historical and contemporary picture books in creating new and informed understanding communicated through debate, feedback and collaboration
Be able to identify, define and analyse problems in the development of children's picture books regarding structure and form, the communication of ideas and emotions, and sequential narrative
An understanding of the landscape of the contemporary picture book industry, inclusion, and business models of publishing
Development of professional portfolios and entrepreneurial approaches and strategies towards outlets for work including book fairs and the international market
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| Keywords | Children's Picture Books,Illustration,MA,Picture Hooks,Professional,Mentoring,Industry |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Miss Pilar Garcia De Leaniz Rodriguez
Tel: (0131 6)51 5800
Email: pgarcia@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Linsey McEwan
Tel: (01316) 515448
Email: lmcewan2@ed.ac.uk |
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