Illustration and Digital Collage for Children’s Stories by Ana Matsusaki

Take a classic like Jack and the Beanstalk and turn it into three finished illustrations that actually feel handmade. Ana shows you how to draw, stamp, cut, and ink your own textures, then pull it all together in Photoshop.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Research a classic story and turn references into sketch ideas and compositions
• Draw characters and scenes with pencil and India ink for a kids book feel
• Make your own library of textures with stamps, cut paper, and EVA foam
• Scan and clean traditional elements for use in Photoshop
• Build a three-illustration sequence with digital collage and layering
• Pick a cohesive color palette and finish files for client presentation

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic drawing skills and familiarity with Adobe Photoshop interface and layers
• Tools: Graphite pencil, black and white paper, tracing paper, EVA foam, scissors, tweezers, India ink, ink pad, paintbrush, Adobe Photoshop
• Hardware: Computer capable of running Adobe Photoshop, scanner or camera for digitizing artwork

📝 Description

This is not a clean vector-style kids book course. Ana works like a collector — she draws, cuts, stamps, and inks a bunch of stuff on her desk, then scans it all and builds the story in Adobe Photoshop. You start with Jack and the Beanstalk as a test case, hunting for references and doing loose sketches to lock composition before you touch anything final.

Then comes the messy part, in a good way. You will make stamps from EVA foam, cut paper shapes with scissors, play with India ink and brushes, and build a stack of handmade textures that no filter pack can copy. Ana shows you what papers work, how to keep your blacks rich for scanning, and how to think in layers while you are still working analog.

In Photoshop, it all clicks. You clean up your scans, build a tight color palette, and arrange your bits into a digital collage sequence — three images that read as one story. She also walks through final tweaks, export, and how to present the set so an editor or client gets it right away. Practical, tactile, and straight to portfolio.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Illustrators who want to mix traditional texture with digital workflow
• Designers and artists curious about childrens books and storytelling
• Anyone tired of flat digital work who wants more handmade finish in Photoshop

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Ana Matsusaki is a graphic artist and illustrator based in Brazil, known for her textured, collage-driven work for childrens books and editorial projects. She is the author of the Portuguese-language book A colecionadora de cabeças and brings years of print, drawing, and digital collage practice into her teaching. Her classes focus on simple tools, smart reuse of materials, and building images that feel personal and tactile.

🏁 Final Result

• A finished sequence of three illustrations based on a classic children’s story, combining hand-drawn elements and digital collage in Photoshop, ready for portfolio and client pitches.