Expressive Picture Book Characters DVD

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.

NOTE: Any PDF materials associated with this class are not provided with the DVD-only purchase. You must have streaming access to download those materials. To purchase the combination DVD + Streaming form of this class, click here.

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.

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.

Will the companion materials come with my DVD class?
Any downloadable class PDF materials are not included on the DVD, so you will not have access to those materials. While the video instruction on your DVD is complete, you must have streaming access to download the PDF materials associated with the class. You can purchase streaming access or a combination DVD + Streaming access on Craftsy.com.

Do I have to purchase a Craftsy Membership to get my class?
No, you do not. Every DVD-only class purchased on Craftsy.com includes the physical DVD in the mail. The physical disc(s) are yours to keep forever, with or without a Craftsy membership.

Are DVDs included in a Craftsy Membership?
No, they are not. DVDs can only be purchased on an individual basis and are not included in Craftsy memberships. For non-members, DVDs are a flexible way to purchase only the classes you love best. For members, DVDs are a great choice to build an at-home library you can keep forever and enjoy any time, with or without Internet access.

Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do ship most physical products, including DVDs, to several International destinations. In addition to the USA and Canada, we ship to Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and most Western European countries. If you live outside these countries, you can still purchase digital items including memberships, individual streaming classes, and pattern downloads.

Do your DVDs work on international players?
Yes, our DVDs should be compatible with any DVD player in use today. All our videos have been created with all current Region Codes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8). If you have trouble viewing a DVD purchased from Craftsy.com, please contact Customer Service.

What is your return policy?
We want to be sure you’re satisfied. If you have trouble playing your DVD, if the content is not correctly presented on the DVD, or you are dissatisfied with the content of your class, we will work with you. Contact Craftsy Customer Service via email or phone. Upon your request, and upon your return of the DVD to us, we will refund your purchase price or send you another DVD to replace a damaged or incorrect DVD, whichever is your preference.