Tag Archives: how to make a kids book

How to design characters for children’s books – see inside my workbook

In this video I show how I have created two characters – hero and heroine – of my space-based, middle-grade adventure trilogy – GENERATION MOON – aimed at 8-12 year-olds and up.

Creating a character takes time. They are like new friends – you may think you know them, but it takes a while to really get to know them and understand their individuality and what makes them tick.

If you are going to create a whole book, populated with images of the characters, drawn from different angles and with different emotions, you need to practice, until it becomes second nature how to draw them.

It also helps to create some kind of a grid that you can refer to as the base plan for the character that you can return to when you get in a muddle or when you need to work out how to draw them in a new and tricky situation or angle.

In this video I take you inside my workbook and show how I draw the characters now and the whole series of sketches and thought processes that led up the the present versions.

00:00:00 Start – Drawing Glenn
00:02:37 Drawing Chao-Xing
00:05:17 Look through all the sketches in the workbook
00:14:52 Draw Glenn 00:16:53 Draw Glenn Again

Can I illustrate a book in only 11 days? Creative Challenge!

Can I illustrate a book in only 11 days? In this creative challenge, I will be spending the next 11 days illustrating like a mad man… I Started on Sunday and have been drawing and painting every day!

I’ve been wanting to make my book, Special Delivery, for years but, as it’s not quite my usual thing, it keeps being pushed to the sidelines.

So, I’m just going to get on with it. I’m going to illustrate it over the next 11 days and get it off to the printers!

I will be posting something here everyday to keep you up to date so you can follow along and you will be able to pre-order a special launch edition here: https://www.shoorayner.com/specialdelivery

Join me on Patreon for mush more technical detail and get a free copy in time for Christmas when you going my Publisher level.