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An 8 Week Online Course

8 week intensive e-course, with live teaching from Helen Stephens (and background cheering from Tania Willis and Katie Chappell)

Printables

WE LOVE PRINTABLES. Don't worry if you can't get access to a printer though - you can still do this course without a printer.

Specially Designed Tasks

Carefully crafted to fast-track your picture book creation. Save yourself years of fumbling about figuring things out the hard way.

Live Q&A Sessions

Get your burning questions answered! During the course, we'll chat to you live and share our 60 years of illustration experience.

Guidance and Tools

We will arm you with a handy toolkit so that you can make your very best picture book and get it out into the world. Skills to last you well into the future!

Videos

...audios, subtitles and transcripts too! We have done our best to make the course as accessible as possible for all learning styles.

Lifetime Course Access

We're not going anywhere, so you can relaaax and complete the course at your own pace. No panicking allowed on the Good Ship!

The Good Ship Community

The opportunity to be a member of our private online community of fellow Picture Book makers! Be part of our supportive network of friendly creatives.

Carys

Helen, Tania and Katie (and Salty!) you're all brilliant. 

I'm so delighted with this course. It doesn't feel like it's finished because I know I'll be coming back to this content all through my career. Like your amazing Freak Flag course, which was truly life-changing, this has opened up new confidence, inspiration and a sense of freedom for the future. And what a lovely, supportive and caring group over on Facebook too, and wonderful guest speakers. It's taught me so much about not needing to rush, that everyone has their own road and that inspiration can come from within as well as what's around you. 

Jessica Ramsden

Thank you for this course 

There’s so much information & you’ve made it all so fun. It’s been priceless to hear inside knowledge of being real illustrators . 

I’ve so much to learn. I am going to go straight back through & do the bits I missed. It’s so great to know that I’m able to come back & listen to the videos again as I sure there’s nuggets I’ve missed.

Christina Koch

THANK YOU !!!! I'm grateful for this practical Toolbox,with so many interesting points of view from creatives and people related to children's books....and for the fun, positivity and warmth and a clear, simple and natural way of communicating everything and making it understandable for the ones who, like me, haven't done illustration before. 

Thanks Helen for making real this idea you had in mind, and getting all these wonderful humans on board. 

Give my greetings to SALTY, PEGGY and THE DUCKS , you absolutely rule!

Juliet Pang 

If The Good Ship Illo didn't put out a Picture Book course, let's just say I may have thrown the possibility of illustrating for picture books out of the window. I waited for a year for the course to start when I got scent of it early possibility, and it is well-worth the wait.

I like how Helen sees herself as a guide of this journey. And because of that, we are able to truly find our unique voice in this space and industry. You can be yourself. Plenty of advice and interviews with industry experts who are down-to-earth, tell-it-all, actual working illustrators, agent and publishers.

The power trio that is Helen, Katie and Tania, this course has a wholesome combo of expertise, experience (super useful practical tips in putting our work out), but most of all, heart. Having taken so many courses, picture book ones included, I've come to realise the last component as the leading reason why I sign up to any. Thank you for being beautiful examples of illustrators, and putting out this course. It's so honest, and so important. It debunked so many things that I was previously taught, and given me new joy and anticipation to what this journey could bring. I'm already looking forward to the next run, 3 bears! Huge love x

Jacqueline Smith 

Thank you for this course which has been brilliant, I absolutely love being an official member of the “Goodship” club, illustration is something that I have always wanted to do but I felt it was kind of complicated and beyond my capabilities, even the thought of beginning was overwhelming “ Where do I start?????” However your course has unlocked the mystery I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey and now I feel I can go back to the beginning of the course armed with so much information to start all over again, fully understanding the process thus putting all my new found acquired information into practise. I am so excited.

Thank you for the cheery empowering environment that you have created that has never felt intimidating or elitist, Thank you for your encouragement x your incredible act of generosity in sharing all of your acquired professional knowledge. I am a severe dyslexic who left school ( long ago) being illiterate, my journey of acquiring basic literacy skills that others take for granted has been a life long adventure where I have had to overcome many obstacles I was initially very nervous about embarking upon your internet course but hey presto it was easy to navigate and I did not need to ask for assistance. Absolutely fantastic. A big thank you from me. x

Molly Seamans 

I don't want to get too hyperbolic here, but I honestly feel you ladies have changed my life. I was in the midst of a creative crisis last year when I got an Instagram ad for your Freak Flag course (thank you, algorithm.) I jumped in, figuring it was worth a try. I've tried all manner of creativity prompts and skillshares, and nothing gets my pencil going like your course content, podcasts, and art club. You've fostered a non-judgemental space in my mind for a sustainable creative practice.

When the Picture Book course came up, I didn't think I was interested, but again I jumped in on a whim—mostly because you've proven yourselves to be great at this. I can't tell you how thankful I am that I signed up! If nothing else, seeing so many creative people outline their various make-shift practices confirms that there's no *right* way, except the way that feels right to me.

Near the end of the course I got a flash of inspiration for a book idea (maybe? possibly?) and I am so excited to dive back into both the Freak Flag course AND the picture book course to see what comes of it. Even if nothing comes of it, I'm sure I'll pick up on some tidbits I missed the first time through.

Lucile Grenadine

Oh I feel a bit emotional to read it's the "finish line"! I'm going to miss your videos, it was such a nice routine. But it's so comforting to know we have lifetime access to the course, so it doesn't feel too much like the end, and as you said, it's just the beginning (of the hard work for us!!😂). Thank you so much for what you've given us, it was so rich, so fun... I feel I got lots of tools and I feel part of a bigger community. It was a great pleasure to sail with you (and Salty of course) for a few weeks! Thank you ❤ 

Lucile x

Kaoru Takemoto 

This picture book course is well considered. What I've liked most about the course are lifetime access, and a balance of logical and intuitive methodology. I appreciate your answering my long lasting questions on zoom calls and in videos. This course solved lots of my struggles and issues that I couldn’t reach during my Masters. My journey to make a dummy book is still behind, but it was great to know what I've been doing is worth pursuing. I was also aware of things I need to develop. 

Cathy Challender

Thanks so much Helen. It has really blown my mind. I have been so inspired to draw. It's been just what I hoped in the way it has built on what I creatively discovered in your Freak Flag course and given me a way of putting it into context. I hope one day to publish something, but still lots of developing to do. I have now embedded the practice of drawing small people in the wild... each week I sit in the school car park and draw kids of all ages coming out of school and I love it. I will really miss you all and your brilliant contributors. It's been amazing seeing ALL the fabulous lovely people behind the books. (they were all equally wonderful but I would like to put Jarvis in my pocket for when I need cheering up) Congratulations on doing such a great job for us all. x