FREE YOUR INNER CHILD: LEARN FROM MASTERS OF 20TH CENTURY CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION | RÓISÍN CURÉ
Dates: Sat 7th & sun 8th Nov 2026
Times:10am - 4pm
Location: Enniskerry
Skill Level: all levels welcome
Please see detailed class information below
If this course is fully booked or not currently scheduled, go ahead add your name to the waiting list HERE
Payment plans available contact us directly
aBOUT THE WORKSHOP
Join us for a weekend of revisiting the magic of childhood, as we explore the techniques of the great illustrators of the past. These two days will be an introduction to hand-drawn, traditional children’s illustration. No iPads in sight! We’ll explore the line, colour palettes and themes of the following illustrators, among others:
Maurice Sendak
John Tenniel (Alice in Wonderland, 1865)
Jean de Brunhof (Babar, 1920s)
Vintage Disney illustration
We’ll illustrate a theme (a pet or animal is good) in the respective styles. In so doing, you will push your artistic boundaries to explore art in a colourful, childlike way, simply for the joy of it.
Róisín created the images below (most of which feature her pet dog) in the style of beloved 20th illustrators, and she’ll share their techniques with you so that you too can push your boundaries and access your inner illustrator. The aim is to allow you to illustrate characters in your own project in a in the form of an 8-page mini comic of your own
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How to capture the charm and storytelling power of 20th-century children’s illustrators.
Techniques in line, color, and composition inspired by Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, and more.
Ways to illustrate animals or characters in multiple classic styles.
How to embrace playfulness and childlike imagination in your art practice.
Practical methods for creating consistent, appealing characters for your own projects.
Confidence in using traditional, hand-drawn illustration techniques (no digital tools!).
A joyful, exploratory approach to illustration that reconnects you with the magic of childhood.
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a box of rich artists-quality watercolours
black waterproof ink (Lotte by Rohrer & Klingner, Document Black by De Atramentis, Carbon Ink by Platinum)
fude pen in 40º or 55º or a regular straight-nibbed fountain pen (Sailor for the fude pen, Lamy for the straight one but there are loads of brands for either)
watercolours (12 half pans by Roman Szmal, Schmincke, Winsor and Newton, others)
watercolour paper minimum 200g weight, loose or in a sketchbook (A6 sketchbook in portrait format is perfect but any size or format is good, brands I like include Fabriano, Hahnemuhle, Etchr)
watercolour brush in size 8 or 10 (Da Vinci, Fuumuui, Sakura)
pencil
sharpener / knife
rubber
“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.”
