Kids books: How to draw totally awesome characters that rock

CREATIVITY 101: DRAW GREAT CHARACTERS CLAIRE BULMAN WWW.CLAIREBULMAN.COM STORIES FOR A NEW GENERATION 1. WHO AND WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER ? 2.HOW DOES THE CHARACTER FEEL Have you ever put pen to paper and thought, I dont know what to draw? I'm not even sure I know what my character looks like. Well the key to knowing what your character looks like, is getting to know them. So it's not so much putting pen to paper straight away, it is finding out some of the following; A really important point is how does your character feel about her/himself. 1. What kind of things does my character like doing? 2. Where does my character live? 3. Does my character have a pet? Etc. This will help you find out how the character stands, e.g. if they are shy, they may stand with their head lowered. Also you will come to know how they will interact with others. You will soon discover that there is no-one perspective on anything, and this will help you get into your characters head. 3. STEP INTO THEIR SHOES 1. Have two chairs facing. 5. Then sit in chair two as your charac- ters. Cross your legs like your character or sit up right, as they would. 2. Chair one is you, as the interviewer. 3. Imagine your character in the second chair, See what they are wearing? How they are sitting? How many heads they 6. Answer the questions put forward to you, by you, as the character. 7. Then start again at step three and go through it again, until you are satisfied. have. 4. You as the interviewer ask the question(s). It is easier one at a time. 4. FIND THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT THEM Look for things in your character that you like. 5. DON'T TELL- SHOW Dont tell us about the character - show it The more that you like the character, the easier, and the more willing you will be to draw, and perfect them. through their action. By action I mean, is your character playing tennis, o shaking their fist at someone? Start drawing first with the action; it will give the drawing energy. The line of action should be where the character is moving. Think the action and draw a single stroke on the page. Watch and pay attention to others. Sometimes I find myself adopting someone's walk. WARN- ING: DO, DO THIS AT HOME. And not in front of the person. But I will memorise how they walk, and then try it out. So if your character is an alien from outer space, they will still need to have some trait that humans can relate to, where ever it is how they move, or react to circumstances. WWW.CLAIREBULMAN.COM [email protected] © Claire Bulman