The Most Comprehensive Children's Book Illustration Course Available

Learn everything you need to know to become a children's book illustrator!

Enrollment closed:
Illustration of a rabbit floating with a balloon, set against a whimsical background, representing the playful and imaginative theme of the 'Children’s Book Pro' course.

Course summary:

13 Assignments
3 Manuscripts
54 Video Lessons
8 Downloads

Here's a few things that set us apart:

Taught by 3 top-tier professional children's book illustrators
Guided assignments and checklists so you always know what comes next
True "start-to-finish" class guiding students to finished portfolio pieces
Easy-to-understand actionable assignments
Step-by-step process detailing the Planning, Production, and Publishing phases of illustrating a children's book
Weekly livestream with the instructors allowing you to ask any questions you may have during the course
Access to private group chat where you can share with other students! You will meet people from all over the world and be able to get group feedback on your work

About the Instructors

Jake Parker

Jake Parker is an illustrator and comic artist who has worked with such companies as Blue Sky Studios, Bad Robot, Disney, Marvel, and Scholastic. A serial self-publisher, Jake has independently released over a dozen books. He’s also the founder of Inktober, a month-long drawing challenge that encourages artists worldwide to improve through daily practice. Through his YouTube channel and SVSLearn.com, Jake shares his love for art and storytelling, helping others grow by being deliberate in their creativity, productivity, and purpose. He lives in the USA with his wife and children.

Will Terry

Will Terry has been a freelance illustrator for 26 years. He got his start working for publications in the Washington D.C. area. His early clients include magazines such as Time, Money, WSJ and ads for Sprint, Pizza Hut, and Master Card. He has illustrated about 30 children’s books for a number of publishers, including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and Penguin. When he's not playing pickleball, he's busy planning his next big self-published project. He is based in Arizona.

Lee White

Lee White is a children's book illustrator based in Colorado. He has been illustrating books for the past 20 years and has over 30 titles to his name. He also teaches all his painting secrets at SVSLearn.com and workshops around the country.

Created by illustrators, for illustrators

What's Included:

Premium Course Content
10 weeks of premium video content to guide you step-by-step through the process of illustrating a children's book
Illustration of a character watching a live video stream on a computer, representing interactive livestream sessions in the 'Children’s Book Pro' course.
Weekly Livestreams
10 group livestreams with the instructors to ask all your burning questions
Illustration of two characters discussing a book, representing the feedback and critique process in the 'Children’s Book Pro' course.
Private Group Chat
A place for students to meet fellow classmates, get feedback on work, or just hang out
Illustration of a character reviewing a manuscript, symbolizing the writing and editing process in the 'Children’s Book Pro' course.
Finished Manuscripts
3 finished manuscripts to choose from, in case you need a story to illustrate
Illustration of a group of friendly, whimsical characters representing expert instructors for the 'Children’s Book Pro' course.
Expert instructors
Three professional illustrators who have collectively published over 75 children's books with some of the biggest publishers in the business
Enrollment closed:

Everything You'll Learn in Our Children's Book Illustration Course!

Hit play to get a preview of what’s ahead

SCHEDULE & Curriculum

*All times are Pacific Time

Enrollment Closed!

Sign up now to claim your space by February 12th, 2025.

Check out a few of the companies we've worked with!

Illustration of a young child wearing a bear costume, sitting at a table with a warm drink, evoking a cozy and imaginative children’s book scene.Illustration of a young child in a red coat holding an umbrella, walking through a rainy forest, evoking a whimsical and adventurous children’s book scene.Illustration from a children’s book featuring a young girl and a small brown dog in a cozy, home setting, representing warmth and companionship.Illustration of a young child wearing a hat, sitting at a table with a stack of books, evoking a cozy and studious children’s book scene.Illustration of a penguin character sitting in a room, reading a book, representing a cozy and whimsical children’s book scene.
Illustration of a young child wearing a bear costume, sitting at a table with a warm drink, evoking a cozy and imaginative children’s book scene.Illustration of a young child in a red coat holding an umbrella, walking through a rainy forest, evoking a whimsical and adventurous children’s book scene.Illustration from a children’s book featuring a young girl and a small brown dog in a cozy, home setting, representing warmth and companionship.Illustration of a young child wearing a hat, sitting at a table with a stack of books, evoking a cozy and studious children’s book scene.Illustration of a penguin character sitting in a room, reading a book, representing a cozy and whimsical children’s book scene.
Illustration of a young girl wearing a rat costume, representing a whimsical character in children's book storytelling for the 'Children’s Book Pro' course.
Illustration of a rabbit holding a balloon, floating in the sky, representing a whimsical children’s book character and playful storytelling.

What OUR Past Students Say

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Mike Babich
Past Student

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nunc
a non donec euismod fringilla venenatis
convallis. Ut sit amet tincidunt et lorem
semper. Non id nunc dictum duis. Arcu
pretium dictumst sit proin ut.

Mike Babich
Past Student

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nunc
a non donec euismod fringilla venenatis
convallis. Ut sit amet tincidunt et lorem
semper. Non id nunc dictum duis. Arcu
pretium dictumst sit proin ut.

Mike Babich
Past Student

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nunc a non donec euismod fringilla venenatis convallis. Ut sit amet tincidunt et lorem semper. Non id nunc dictum duis. Arcu pretium dictumst sit proin ut.

Mike Babich
Past Student

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nunc
a non donec euismod fringilla venenatis
convallis. Ut sit amet tincidunt et lorem
semper. Non id nunc dictum duis. Arcu
pretium dictumst sit proin ut.

Mike Babich
Past Student

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nunc
a non donec euismod fringilla venenatis
convallis. Ut sit amet tincidunt et lorem
semper. Non id nunc dictum duis. Arcu
pretium dictumst sit proin ut.

Mike Babich
Past Student

This class is what I’ve been looking for for a while and I wish I’d taken it sooner. A lot of other courses seem to be more geared to just making a children’s illustration portfolio, but this class covers the entire process of making a book. Before taking this class I really wasn’t sure how to approach pacing, page turns, when to use spots vs. pages/spreads, etc. It was also helpful to see how to schedule and break down a long term project. It’s well worth the investment, especially considering that you get access to the material and [chat] group even after the course is over.

Shannon Szczepanski

The wisdom of 3 prolific artists offer a lifetime of learning in just 10-weeks leaving you breathless. After being an SVS subscriber for almost 2 years, I can wholeheartedly say Children’s Book Pro is by far the most comprehensive course available, which absolutely opened my eyes to so many ideas, process improvements, differing methodologies and provided me with insights to help me pursue my writing and artistic ventures on a whole new level. I’m especially grateful for finding the SVS community through the 3-Point Perspective Podcast and for the amazing opportunity to enroll in the first-ever Children’s Book Pro course. As a 42 year old husband and father just beginning to explore making children’s books part-time, this course is an invaluable resource and roadmap to keep me working towards my dreams of being a successful children’s book illustrator.

Jeremy Ross

This was an amazingly comprehensive course and with three experienced teachers who each give their own perspective is so valuable. I'm going to go back and retake several of these classes in the future, as I progress. Even though I already work in the industry, I felt I learnt a bunch. It's a real deep dive into the world of creating amazing children's books!  Thank you guys for creating this!

Kajsa Hallström

This is the perfect Course for aspiring Children's Book Illustrators or Author/Illustrators. The content curated by Jake, Lee, Will and David is professional, important, and needed if you want to be an illustrator or author/illustrator. The information and learnings in this course will cut years off of your Children's Picture Book journey. In my case it also shed light on what areas I need to focus on to get to the next level.

Lynn Sandacz

I went into this course with a very basic understanding of how a children's book is designed. Now I feel like a pro! I understand how pages are put together, when to focus on each part of the process, how to control the speed and flow of the story, how to design pages, how "rough" a dummy should be and what it should look like when it's ready to submit. I feel so much more confident in my ability to do this thing that I've been dreaming about for so long! Watch out publishing world, because I'm coming at you! Thanks guys for all the value you've packed into this course.

Kirsten McGonigal

This class is what I’ve been looking for for a while and I wish I’d taken it sooner. A lot of other courses seem to be more geared to just making a children’s illustration portfolio, but this class covers the entire process of making a book. Before taking this class I really wasn’t sure how to approach pacing, page turns, when to use spots vs. pages/spreads, etc. It was also helpful to see how to schedule and break down a long term project. It’s well worth the investment, especially considering that you get access to the material and [chat] group even after the course is over.

Shannon Szczepanski

The wisdom of 3 prolific artists offer a lifetime of learning in just 10-weeks leaving you breathless. After being an SVS subscriber for almost 2 years, I can wholeheartedly say Children’s Book Pro is by far the most comprehensive course available, which absolutely opened my eyes to so many ideas, process improvements, differing methodologies and provided me with insights to help me pursue my writing and artistic ventures on a whole new level. I’m especially grateful for finding the SVS community through the 3-Point Perspective Podcast and for the amazing opportunity to enroll in the first-ever Children’s Book Pro course. As a 42 year old husband and father just beginning to explore making children’s books part-time, this course is an invaluable resource and roadmap to keep me working towards my dreams of being a successful children’s book illustrator.

Jeremy Ross

This was an amazingly comprehensive course and with three experienced teachers who each give their own perspective is so valuable. I'm going to go back and retake several of these classes in the future, as I progress. Even though I already work in the industry, I felt I learnt a bunch. It's a real deep dive into the world of creating amazing children's books!  Thank you guys for creating this!

Kajsa Hallström

This is the perfect Course for aspiring Children's Book Illustrators or Author/Illustrators. The content curated by Jake, Lee, Will and David is professional, important, and needed if you want to be an illustrator or author/illustrator. The information and learnings in this course will cut years off of your Children's Picture Book journey. In my case it also shed light on what areas I need to focus on to get to the next level.

Lynn Sandacz

I went into this course with a very basic understanding of how a children's book is designed. Now I feel like a pro! I understand how pages are put together, when to focus on each part of the process, how to control the speed and flow of the story, how to design pages, how "rough" a dummy should be and what it should look like when it's ready to submit. I feel so much more confident in my ability to do this thing that I've been dreaming about for so long! Watch out publishing world, because I'm coming at you! Thanks guys for all the value you've packed into this course.

Kirsten McGonigal

This class is what I’ve been looking for for a while and I wish I’d taken it sooner. A lot of other courses seem to be more geared to just making a children’s illustration portfolio, but this class covers the entire process of making a book. Before taking this class I really wasn’t sure how to approach pacing, page turns, when to use spots vs. pages/spreads, etc. It was also helpful to see how to schedule and break down a long term project. It’s well worth the investment, especially considering that you get access to the material and [chat] group even after the course is over.

Shannon Szczepanski

The wisdom of 3 prolific artists offer a lifetime of learning in just 10-weeks leaving you breathless. After being an SVS subscriber for almost 2 years, I can wholeheartedly say Children’s Book Pro is by far the most comprehensive course available, which absolutely opened my eyes to so many ideas, process improvements, differing methodologies and provided me with insights to help me pursue my writing and artistic ventures on a whole new level. I’m especially grateful for finding the SVS community through the 3-Point Perspective Podcast and for the amazing opportunity to enroll in the first-ever Children’s Book Pro course. As a 42 year old husband and father just beginning to explore making children’s books part-time, this course is an invaluable resource and roadmap to keep me working towards my dreams of being a successful children’s book illustrator.

Jeremy Ross

This was an amazingly comprehensive course and with three experienced teachers who each give their own perspective is so valuable. I'm going to go back and retake several of these classes in the future, as I progress. Even though I already work in the industry, I felt I learnt a bunch. It's a real deep dive into the world of creating amazing children's books!  Thank you guys for creating this!

Kajsa Hallström

This is the perfect Course for aspiring Children's Book Illustrators or Author/Illustrators. The content curated by Jake, Lee, Will and David is professional, important, and needed if you want to be an illustrator or author/illustrator. The information and learnings in this course will cut years off of your Children's Picture Book journey. In my case it also shed light on what areas I need to focus on to get to the next level.

Lynn Sandacz

I went into this course with a very basic understanding of how a children's book is designed. Now I feel like a pro! I understand how pages are put together, when to focus on each part of the process, how to control the speed and flow of the story, how to design pages, how "rough" a dummy should be and what it should look like when it's ready to submit. I feel so much more confident in my ability to do this thing that I've been dreaming about for so long! Watch out publishing world, because I'm coming at you! Thanks guys for all the value you've packed into this course.

Kirsten McGonigal

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to start your journey?

Learn everything you need to know to become a children's book illustrator!