Yeah, there are ways of learning. It differs from person to person. All a spell is is a way of focusing magical energy into the right form. I was lucky. I had a lot of teachers on hand to help out when I was a kid.

[That suggestion... heh, it makes him smile and he runs over a few ideas in his head for a moment.]

Yeah, I can do that. Gimme a moment...

[He's a little out of practice, preferring pure invisibility to outright illusions, but it isn't too hard to craft a shield, twisting the light to suit him until it looks for all the world like there's a small black cat sitting on his chair.]