Course: Illustration Intensive- The Essentials of Book Illustration plus mentoring/ portfolio review with Sarah Horne.
Online. Mondays from September 15th 2025. Three weeks. 7.30-9pm
Ready to kick-start or strengthen your work in book illustration? This three-week September evening course is crafted for aspiring and early-career illustrators looking to build a solid foundation for their careers. Led by award-winning illustrator Sarah Horne—who brings 24 years of experience to the table—this program delivers invaluable insights and practical skills for a thriving career.
What to Expect:
Dive into the core skills and information that every illustrator needs, from building a standout portfolio to navigating legal essentials like copyright and mastering the business side of things. We’ll also cover contemporary industry trends, including digital tools
Dive into the core skills and information that every illustrator needs, from building a standout portfolio to navigating legal essentials like copyright and mastering the business side of things. We’ll also cover contemporary industry trends, including digital tools
Course Outline:
Week 1: Foundations & Getting Started. We look at the question of ‘Where do I start?’ Best materials, sketchbook work and the importance of consistent drawing, finding your niche and voice.
Week 2: Portfolio Building & Character Design/ Storytelling & Composition. How to build your portfolio so that it reflects the very best of your style and the kind of work you want to get.
Week 3: Business Essentials - All things business, things to know, agents, marketing, your day rate, pricing and so on. Basically all things to do with running a small creative enterprise, facts and advice 101.
This course brings an opportunity to learn, ask questions, and get professional guidance directly from an illustrator who has had a sustained long career in the area of books and children’s publishing.
The course also includes a 1 hour 1:1 mentoring session to review your work and get specific feedback and direction on your work.
Starts September 15th for three weeks (15th, 22nd, 29th) | Mondays 7:30 - 9:00 PM GMT | Limited spots available.
Pricing: £229 Early bird launch price at £169 -
Save £60 if you book before the 10th August.
Testimonials for the 2024 course: (Thank you all)
“I had a fantastic few days attending the Illustrators Intensive Course, run by the fabulous Sarah Horn @sarahbhorne9 The course was 3 sessions, jam-packed full of information, examples, advice, plans and resources. We also had lots of time for one-on-ones with Sarah and were able to ask any questions that suited our own journey. We had some fun, creative challenges and time to develop ideas too. I cannot thank Sarah enough. She has helped me ‘level up’, and I’m looking forward to the direction I’m heading. She is a wonderful teacher, mentor, illustrator and just a fabulous human. Can’t recommend working with her enough in any capacity! At the very least, go and track down some of her work, because it is outstanding 😁” — @gkelliottpicsandwords
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"I could not recommend Sarah's course more highly. The course was well-structured and interesting. Sarah's relaxed company really helped everyone to explore their ideas freely and to be confident in their work. I was interested in learning about book illustration but also more widely other areas of illustration e.g. editorial. She really helped me to see where I could put my focus and where my work might fit in within the industry.
She is a lovely individual who is encouraging and has a real talent who is willing to share her knowledge to others. I left the course feeling more confident and focused on where to put my attention to. Thanks, Sarah!" – Iona Cary
