So You Want to Write a Children's Book: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and Publishing for Kids by Rebekah Sack

Author:Rebekah Sack
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
Published: 2016-10-17T20:41:48+00:00

Character Development

When developing the characters for your children’s book, character sketches and outlines are helpful. Character profiles help you organize your thoughts, think about the traits that make your character unique, and provide catalysts for plot points. Getting new ideas for characters can be kind of hard sometimes. For initial idea-generation, prototypes can include family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances.

For author-illustrators, the scope of dynamics is increased for their characters. If you have already written a book and are coming to the illustrations secondarily, you have traits already in place, and most likely a picture of the characters in your mind.

When drawing the characters, remember these kinds of things:

• Place them in a variety of different circumstances, with views of the profile, head-on, side views, and everything in between.

• Illustrate them performing a series of actions. This will help you to have a solid grasp of the character at all angles so he appears consistently throughout all documents.

• Characters should have visual appeal, because they will, after all, be selling books. Visual appeal does not necessarily mean attractiveness, but rather a compelling aspect that engages the attention.

• Draw your characters with different expressions — if they are animals, use that to your advantage. If you character is a puffer fish, for instance, she might blow up when upset or excited; an elephant might involuntarily blow water when experiencing the same emotions.

• The eyes are an important part of your illustrations. Changing their expressions, along with eyebrows, conveys widely differing nuances.

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