Hi I'm Matt B Lewis
Once upon a time I was where you are now. Only a few short years ago I was pounding the 9 - 5 in a public service job. After 18 years of soul destroying, monotonous keyboard input, I decided to take the plunge and follow my passion for creating fun stories for kids.
Inspired by a story I created for my daughter, I struggled to find the necessary information to turn my story into a well crafted picture book. It took a couple of years of trial and error but I finally accomplished it. That was followed by my second book (for my second child, go figure) and subsequently a contract to illustrate 5 stories and write and illustrate another.
To date I have written and/or illustrated more than 20 childrens books, with many more in the pipeline.
So if you have ever dreamt of creating a beautifully crafted, engaging picture book that kids will love, you are in the right place.
That is why I created these courses, I wanted to help emerging writers and illustrators craft a picture book story in the shortest possible time. To this end I have removed all the technical, jargon or padding information and have only included what I think is the essential information to take you from nothing to a finished manuscript in the shortest possible time.
This course follows how I create engaging stories and illustrations, and includes videos of real life projects I work through.
So what will you learn?
What a Picture Book actually is.
Where to get ideas that write themselves.
How to craft a hero for your story.
The 7 Basic Story Plots.
How to create the problem and solution for your story.
The importance of building your world.
The 3 Act structure and how it fits into picture book format.
The important elements of good story telling.
About the illustrations and how to find and work with an illustrator.
Paths to publication including traditional publishers, print on demand and agents.
How I actually work through a real life project
How to edit your work
Essential Print Jargon you need to know.
Illustration Mediums
How to work with the Picture Book Manuscript.
The Art of Thumbnailing
The 32 Page Layout and how to work with it.
And much more...