Ever wondered how to create characters for illustrations? Shoo has illustrated hundreds of children’s books for major publishers.

In this video he shows his thought process as he redesigns a character he is not happy with in one of his Scaredy Cats stories.

Is there a secret to designing characters? Endless drawing and refining is the answer.

You can copy anime or disney styles, but your work will always look like any other animal or disney work.

Don’t copy, assimilate. Bring the best of other styles into your style. That way you will slowly build up as style that is unique and all your own – a bit like handwriting.

The illustration in the book comes from Scaredy Cats, which Shoo has successfully funded on Kickstarter. Click  if you would like to find out more.