Lilla here! Today I’m going to share the first part of my FREE #MATSprep for my children’s book illustration online course, Illustrating Children’s Books. I really love teaching this course. Why? Because I feel your excitement, your commitment, and no matter if you’re starting at the beginning or are an experienced published illustrator, I’m so happy that you want to strive to make the best children’s book illustration that you can make. I love seeing your work, and I love watching the inevitable growth that occurs over the five weeks of the course.
What’s a #MATSprep? It’s a FREE warm up exercise to get you ready for class, and it’s open to everyone, whether you’re signed up for class or not. Illustrating Children’s Books 2021 starts in less than two weeks, on Monday, April 12th, so over the next few days I’ll be sharing this free assignment I wrote especially for class. It’ll help you prepare for class, you’ll learn some useful tips about childen’s book illustration, and it’s also a great way to find out a little bit more about me and my unique teaching style if you’re new to Make Art That Sells.
Get your FREE children’s book illustration assignment: Part 1
One of the most enjoyable parts of illustrating a children’s book, and one of the reasons that artists find it so rewarding, is digging deep and creating your own unique main character that readers will fall in love with from the get go. This prep will help you tune in to your own quirky self to create your own character, and it should be a lot of fun too.
Photo: Lilla Rogers
Here’s the first part of your FREE children’s book illustration #MATSprep! In the photo above, I’ve gathered up some of my oddities from my collections to get you started. Be sure to blow it up on your laptop or iPad so you can see all the details clearly. Which one do you feel most drawn to? Does one jump out at you? Does one seem easy to draw? Do any of them spark memories or ideas for you?
Your mini children’s book illustration assignment is to pick one of the items in the photo and draw them in any medium and any style you like. As you are drawing, make up a little story in your head about them. This will make your drawing have more interest, even if only you know the answers to these questions. Pretend you’re a kid playing with the item. What story will you make up?
Here are some things you can think about:
- What is your character called?
- Do they have a friend? Is it human, an animal, or a thing?
- Where do they live?
- What are they feeling right now?
Character sheet by Make Art That Sells student Kate McFarlane for a previous Illustrating Children’s Books course. You’ll learn everything you need to show in your children’s book illustration portfolio to catch an art director’s eye. Book here.
Tips from art agent Lilla:
- Your character should be around 5 years old. This is going to help you get that children’s book illustration gig because it’s what art directors look for in your portfolio. Don’t know what a 5-year-old looks like? Google 5-year-old child. Generally, the eyes are large on the face and the head is large compared to the body. This is true for a human or an animal or object.
- If it’s a non-human like an animal or object (like the butterfly or giraffe), it should still have a feeling of being a child. The age doesn’t have to be obvious, but for example, don’t give it a beard and mustache! (Note: If you draw the cowboy man, be sure to make him a child.)
- The eyes of the character are really important to the art director that will hire you to do the book, so be sure we can easily see them, and that they are symmetrical.
- Is your character likeable, appealing?
Character sheet for a previous Illustrating Children’s Books by Kendra Binney, a Make Art That Sells student who is now represented by Lilla Rogers. Want to get your art in front of a top agent? Book your place now.
When you’ve created your character, post to social media with the tag #MATSprep so that I can see it. I can’t wait to see what you do! Obsessing over my students’ art is one of the best things about my job.
Over the next few days, I’ll give you further FREE children’s book illustration assignments to add to and develop your character, so be sure to keep an eye on our newsletter/blog and Instagram account. For today, have fun drawing your character!
Lots of love
Lilla xoxo
P.S. Look out for Parts 2 and 3 coming up later this week! And if you’re a home décor fan, you won’t want to miss tomorrow’s blog/newsletter and our FREE live Zoom event with creative director Margo Tantau on 5th April at 12 noon ET/5 pm BST – mark your calendar now!
Did you miss the webinar with Lilla and artist Tisha Lee? Watch the replay below
