WINTER ADULTS: How to Create and Illustrate Picture Books

Course Description:     
This course, taught by two children’s book illustrators, will teach students the fundamentals of creating a picture book. With a focus on illustration, students will create a mock-up or “book dummy” from a story of their own or of their choosing. Students will gain an understanding of text placement, page design, pacing and the strategic use of page turns. Students may use the media of their choice whether traditional or digital.

This class is co-taught by Ilse Plume & Priscilla Alpaugh.

Ilse Plume
Ilse Plume is a Caldecott Honor Book Award Winner for her book The Bremen-Town Musicians. She has illustrated many folktales from around the world,  including ones from Italy, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and Latvia.
Ilse was inspired to write and illustrate children’s books by her daughter, and her love of books and international tales was nurtured by her grandfather.
Plume has a B.F.A. & M.F.A. from Drake University, and studied printmaking at Santa Reparata, now called (SRISA —  Santa Reparata International School of Art) in Florence, Italy.
Ilse has taught at MCAD, RISD, Mass College of Art & Design, and SMFA/Tufts; as well as the Umbrella Center for  the Arts.
Exhibitions of her work have been at the De Cordova Museum, the Concord Free Public library, and the Trinity Gallery.
Ilse is currently working on a picture book set in Italy.

To learn more about Ilse and connect, visit her website www.ilseplume.com or follow her on Instagram @ilseplume.

Priscilla Alpaugh
Priscilla Alpaugh attended Mass College of Art and UMass Amherst for her BFA in Illustration and Syracuse University for her MFA in Illustration. She moved into a studio at ArtSpace Maynard in 2001. While raising a family she did logo design, murals, painted traffic signal boxes, made t-shirts, greeting cards, sculpted figurines and did several book projects for self publishing clients. As her kids moved on to college she started illustrating full time. Her first picture book Hold This! came out in 2015 and she won the NESCBWI Portfolio Showcase the same year. She joined The CAT Agency in 2018. Space Mice came out in March of 2020. She lives with her husband and three legged dog Phoebe. They have two grown children.

Priscilla is co-chair of the Greater Boston Illustrator’s Group which is part of the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is a founding member of Six Bridges Gallery in Maynard, MA and a member of the Board of Directors of ArtSpace Maynard. She loves New England and everything about it. Her other interests are baking, cooking, sea kayaking, hiking, the outdoors and pretty much all animals.

You can see her work at PriscillaAlpaugh.com and all over social media.