Expressive Picture Book Characters
Lynne Chapman
Class Preview
1:48
- In-depth Instruction; over 168 mins
- On-demand video access anytime
- Bonus downloadable PDF resources
- Access to class Q&A
Creating Human Characters
19:17
Meet your instructor, Lynne Chapman, and get started drawing expressive characters! Learn the basic shapes behind all human characters and identify the proportions defining young and old characters. Then, learn how to draw three-quarter-view facial features to add dimension to your drawing.
Creating Animal Characters
29:44
Learn the advantages and disadvantages of using animals as characters. Practice sketching a cute cat with humanized features, such as feet and a smile, and discover how altered proportions add personality. Then, expand your characterization with Lynne's techniques to draw animal-specific details.
Dressing Your Characters
13:10
Adding clothes to your characters makes it more fun for the reader! Learn how Lynne uses small details to help readers identify gender, social codings and personality traits. Just don't cover up your animal-specific details! Lynne helps you determine other potential problems with dressing animals.
Adding Character & Emotion
28:50
Lynne demonstrates the range of emotions possible with simple manipulations to facial features. Learn how to position certain features to create a variety of expressions for your characters, whether they're animals or humans! Then, see how eyebrows and mouths play a huge role in displaying emotion.
Adding Body Language
24:52
Discover how body language plays a major role in deciphering emotion in humans and animals alike. Lynne demonstrates how a few simple strokes can change a character from scared to sad and every emotion in between. Then, learn about hand-to-face variations and how hand placement shows expressive details.
Creating a Sense of Movement
22:59
Make your characters walk and run with Lynne's guidance! Learn to decipher which details portray running characters and which details portray walking characters. Then, sketch a running bear to get the angles right. Finally, express emotion and movement together to create a chase scene.
Placing Characters in Context
28:51
Now that you can draw any character you want, Lynne teaches you how to place them in a scene! Learn how to use angles to portray human and animal characters interacting with their environment in a natural-looking way. Then, explore how to use setting to help push the narrative of your illustration.
Learn how to draw compelling characters for picture books that will be read again and again. Alongside accomplished illustrator Lynne Chapman, you’ll start with techniques for using basic shapes to draw any human character with proportions perfect for picture books. With these fundamentals covered, find out how to draw cute animals with personified features and animal-specific details. Next, build skills for drawing clothes that reveal your character’s gender, age, profession and personality traits. Move on to drawing facial expressions and body language that show your character’s emotions and personality. Then, build confidence drawing characters on the move with two fun exercises. You’ll even find out how to bring your scenes to life by showing the interactions between your characters and their surroundings.
Lynne Chapman
Over the course of nearly 30 years as an illustrator, Lynne Chapman has published more than 30 children's picture books. Along with working on books, Lynne has taught drawing and illustration at The Sheffield College and Hallam University in England, as well as in workshops across the globe. Lynne also runs Urban Sketchers Yorkshire and is an Urban Sketchers correspondent. You can enjoy an over-the-shoulder view of Lynne's work on her blog, An Illustrator's Life for Me.
Bonus materials available after purchase