Workshop: Design a Character in Watercolour or Collage

Create picture book characters with personality!

Discover what makes picture book characters charming to commissioning editors and children alike. During this interactive workshop, you'll explore animal characters from successful children’s books, then, guided by expert tips, you’ll sketch and experiment with watercolours and collage to bring them to life in colour, gaining feedback throughout the session if you wish. The session wraps up with an interactive Q&A, where you can ask anything about writing, illustrating, and getting your work published.

Areas covered:

• Observational sketching
• Expressions, proportions & character consistency
• Controlling character age
• Watercolour and collage techniques
• The art of anthropomorphism 
• Industry do's and don'ts of creating characters

 Whether you're just starting out, or looking to expand your portfolio, this creative and inspiring session is for you!

Testimonials:

“Claire had time for each of us, she was very encouraging and generous with her knowledge.” Hillary Robertson

“It was a really lovely workshop to be part of, a very friendly atmosphere in a small group. Claire is extremely knowledgeable in picture book making and character development. It was also wonderful to see different watercolour techniques. She showed us a brilliant method of making large shapes with watercolour before doing the line work - very freeing!" Vanya Dancheva

“I enjoyed this workshop very much and left feeling very inspired! It will help me start something I’ve always wanted to do. Thank you Claire.” Gloria Weale.


Materials Needed:

• Some sheets of white A4 paper
• A pen, pencil, eraser & pencil sharpener
• Coloured pencils and any other line-making medium you’d like to experiment with.
• A small box of watercolour paints, a water container, and a rag or kitchen roll.
• Watercolour brushes (round sizes 1, 4 and 8 are ideal),
• Watercolour paper (Smooth hot-pressed A4 or A3 paper is recommended)
• If you wish to collage your character, have scissors, blu-tack and a glue stick to hand
  
• A selection of around 6 photographic images of the animal you would like to study. Choose photos showing different poses and shots from different angles. 

A range of collage papers will be available for you to download when you book, or you can create your own to use beforehand.


Age Range: 18+

Fees: £65 Payable in three interest-free instalments via PayPal.

Please Note: Non-refundable. In the event of workshop cancellation, a full refund will be given.

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