SVS Developing Great Visual Stories is an online class from the School of Visual Storytelling, taught by illustrator Will Terry. Its subject is the step before drawing: coming up with concepts that tell a story, rather than images that are simply well rendered. Will teaches you to rank an illustration's storytelling, add secondary stories and generate fresh ideas with random word prompts. The class has 12 lessons with about an hour and a half of video, a workbook and three assignments, and is included in the SVS Learn membership.

Many illustrators can draw well but struggle to decide what to draw. This class treats concepting as a skill you can practise, with exercises you can repeat for any project.

What You Will Learn

What creative concepting is and why it matters
Ranking illustrations by how well they tell a story, across four levels
Reflecting critically on your own work
Adding secondary stories that reward a second look
Generating interesting prompts with random word combinations
Turning prompts into concepts you can develop

Who Is SVS Developing Great Visual Stories For?

The class suits illustrators whose work is technically strong but feels empty, and anyone building a portfolio for picture books, editorial work or animation. It is also useful for art students who freeze when given an open brief.

You do not need advanced drawing skills for the exercises; quick thumbnails are enough.

How the Class Works

Each part combines a short lesson with an assignment, using a PDF workbook throughout. The ranking lessons give you a vocabulary for judging ideas, the secondary story lessons show how to layer meaning into one image, and the final part uses word triples, three random words combined into a prompt, to break creative habits.

Course Structure

Introduction: understanding creative concepting, workbook, Assignment 1: Practice Concepting
Ranking Illustrations: reflection exercise and four levels of storytelling
Creating Secondary Stories: Assignment 2
Generating Interesting Prompts: Assignment 3: Word Triples

What You Will Make

By the end you will have pages of concept thumbnails, at least one idea developed with a secondary story, and a set of prompt-driven sketches. More importantly, you will have a repeatable method for finding ideas, which helps every time you start a new illustration or portfolio piece.

Price and Access

The class is included in the SVS Learn membership. SVS lists its Studio membership at $29.95 a month, and class pages show a $300 annual option. A 14-day free trial is available with a card and becomes a paid subscription unless you cancel. Membership includes live events and a monthly art challenge.

About the Instructor

Will Terry has been a freelance illustrator for 26 years. His early clients included Time, Money, the Wall Street Journal and advertisers such as FedEx and MasterCard, and he has illustrated about 30 children's books for publishers including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic and Penguin.

How It Fits the SVS Curriculum

Developing Great Visual Stories opens Level 4 of SVS Essentials, the visual storytelling level. It is followed by Creative Composition, Building Backgrounds for Characters, Painting Color and Light, Painting Texture and Details and Lee White's Visual Storytelling, which together turn ideas into finished illustrations.

Things to Consider

Time: an hour and a half of video, but concepting improves with repetition.
Keep a notebook: collect word prompts and ideas daily.
Medium: quick pencil thumbnails are all you need.
Pair it with: Visual Storytelling by Lee White.
Feedback: share your thumbnails in the SVS community.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with SVS Learn?

Start Developing Great Visual Stories

For the full curriculum and membership options, visit the official SVS Learn website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 26, 2026

Developing Great Visual Stories by SVS Learn