YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Great characters are the foundation of unforgettable stories. A strong character study helps you explore personality, emotion, movement, and visual storytelling – giving your characters the depth and appeal needed to connect with readers and stand out in a professional portfolio
In this short introduction, active Artist Agent Bhavi shares why character studies are such an important part of the creative process and how they help illustrators develop stronger, more expressive characters
YOU BRING THE CHARACTER.
WE’LL SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE THEM UNFORGETTABLE.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned illustrator looking to strengthen your portfolio, this class is designed to help you create expressive, memorable characters. Develop your drawing skills, explore personality and emotion throughout your
creative journey.
Enroll today and learn how to create expressive, memorable characters for children’s books that strengthen your illustration portfolio and capture the attention of art buyers, editors, literary agents, and publishers. This self-paced character design course teaches you how to develop unique personalities, emotions, and visual storytelling skills that bring your characters to life.
At the end of the course, you’ll receive personalized 1-to-1 coaching, choosing either a video call or detailed email feedback, so you can refine your work with expert guidance and confidently prepare your portfolio for the children’s publishing industry.
For Illustrators that want to unlock their character design potential or want tenvolve their current folio with stronger and marketable characters
4 Modules | 9 Video Lessons taught by active Industry Pros | 5 Comprehensive Illustration Assignments
MODULE 1 Understanding Character Development
The Importance of Characters to a Successful Illustration Career
Bringing Variety to Your Characters
From Character Study to Agency Representation
MODULE 2 Human Characters
Brief 1 – Creating your Human Character
Brief 2 – Placing Human Characters into a Narrative
MODULE 3 Animals vs Anthropomorphic Animals
The Difference Between Animal and Anthropomorphic Animals
Brief 3 – Creating your Animal Characters
Brief 4 – Creating your Anthro Animal Character
MODULE 4 Anthropomorphic Objects
Grab Attention with Anthropomorphic Objects
Brief 5 -Creating your Anthropomorphic Object Character Study
Even though it is a self paced course you can book feedback additionally. You receive two video calls, or
emailed feedback. You are able to choose between the two options. The first call is a review of your course
work + time for a Q&A at the end. Your second call is to review your amended work and answer any final
WE HELP ILLUSTRATORS CREATE EXPRESSIVE, MEMORABLE CHARACTERS THAT STAND OUT IN CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIOS.
Don’t just imagine what’s possible – explore the characters created by our students throughout the course. Every example showcases the skills, techniques, and creative growth you can achieve with expert guidance.
YOUR GUIDE, YOUR CHALLENGER, YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORTER.
Our mentors work with illustrators every day. They know your language, they know how to get the best out of you, and they know how to communicate tough, personal artistic direction in a way that will energise, not deflate, you.
Meet the mentors who’ve helped artists turn potential into thriving careers. Each mentor brings real-world industry experience, honest feedback, and the guidance you need to move forward with clarity and confidence.
MEET YOUR COACHES – ACTIVE INDUSTRY EXPERTS
Emily is the CMO for the ITSme Society agencies. In this role she assists Astound, Advocate, Illo and CWLA in achieving a unique global presence. Prior to ITSme, Emily was the Global Manager at Astound from its inception to late 2020. At Astound, she helped innovate their marketing strategy, rising to one of the top illustration agencies in the USA in just a few short years, growing the agency into a multi million dollar business. She agented countless titles, including #1 NY Times Bestselling picture books and celebrity series, and was named one of the top 100 literary agents in the USA. She brings her unique ability to understand marketing and PR needs from an agent’s perspective, and her PR experience within the film industry; having assisted on major press events for award winning films at top International Film Festivals (Cannes, Venice, and NohoIFF). Emily is passionate about bringing attention to artist and agent achievements via foundational and innovative methods. In her (rare) spare time Emily enjoys visiting local bookshops, galleries, cuddling with her cats, going to the movies, and riding horses.
Bhavi is our Learning Academy’s Creative Director. Her experience in all things illustration began with Advocate when interning in university, where she studied Illustration. After graduating with a 1st Class Honours, she spent 2.5 years working at the Royal Academy of Arts as an Exhibitions & Art Sales Coordinator, before rejoining Advocate Art as an Artist Agent. Having worked with Publishing and Licensing clients across the UK over the last 5 years, she now works as the company’s Senior Art Director and Licensing Manager, where her main focus remains working with clients on a range of projects across Greeting Cards, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction and Chapter Books. Having built a strong rapport with artists, it’s equally important to Bhavi that she has a hands-on approach with our artists, helping to develop their portfolios to bring a range of commercial, on trend styles to the Publishing industry every year.
ACT NOW! AND GET ON TRACK WITH OUR ILLUSTRATION MENTORSHIP!
Act now! We work with artists who are ready to take the next step and need the right industry insight to strengthen their character work, develop a professional portfolio and build towards regular commercial illustration opportunities.
It takes time to develop a portfolio that works for your goals. It’s not instant, but the right guidance can make a real difference.
Get on track today. If you’re looking to strengthen your character design skills and develop your work at your own pace, our self-serve Character Study course may be the right place to start. The time is now! Start building stronger characters and a more focused portfolio today.
Be a Pro. Enjoy What You Do.
