Illustrating Children’s Book Characters From Sketch to Final Art

Bring your imagination to life with this richly detailed course on illustrating children’s book characters, where every line and colour tells a story. Whether you're sketching your first character or refining a composition, you'll explore everything from conceptual thinking to colour harmony using digital tools.

This course leads you through each creative stage—research, character design, layout, colour theory, and digital application—allowing you to shape engaging characters that capture young readers' imaginations. With a structured yet playful approach, you'll learn how to turn a blank canvas into a page bursting with personality, all while keeping things professionally polished.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the foundations of children’s character illustration and design.
• Develop engaging characters through research and concept planning.
• Create dynamic sketches with expressive visual storytelling techniques.
• Build well-balanced layouts for storybook compositions and spreads.
• Apply colour theory to enhance mood, tone, and character appeal.
• Use digital illustration tools effectively to complete final artwork.

Who is this Course For:

• Aspiring illustrators wanting to explore children's book design.
• Artists looking to refine character development for young readers.
• Digital illustrators aiming to broaden their visual storytelling range.
• Writers wanting to visualise their own storybook characters.
• Art students focusing on narrative character creation projects.
• Creative professionals expanding into the children's publishing field.
• Hobbyists interested in bringing original story characters to life.
• Anyone curious about illustration workflows from sketch to colour.

Career Path (UK average salaries):

• Children’s Book Illustrator – £28,000 per year
• Digital Illustrator – £30,000 per year
• Character Designer – £32,500 per year
• Storyboard Artist – £31,000 per year
• Concept Artist – £35,000 per year
• Visual Development Artist – £34,000 per year