REGISTRATIONS ARE CLOSING SOON
00
DAYS
00
HOURS
00
MINS
00
SECS
Character Design for Children's Books: Artists Are Born, Not Made? Wrong!
✨ Have you always believed that creativity flows effortlessly through certain individuals?
✨ Do you think artistic talent is something you’re either born with or without?
✨ That true artists effortlessly fill every blank page with masterpieces?
Let me tell you something: these are myths!
There is no magical, innate art gene. The creative works you admire so much in others are the result of consistent effort, dedication, and practice. That’s the truth!
The Recipe for Artistic Growth:
đź’ˇ Patience to refine your skills.
đź’ˇ Dedication to show up, even on tough days.
đź’ˇ Passion to keep your imagination alive.
Yes, some people may have a head start, but here’s the secret: anyone who’s willing to learn and practice can develop the skills to become a true artist. And you? You’re already on the right path by taking the first step!
My role in this course is to guide you, sharing the tools, techniques, and knowledge to create characters that leap off the page and into the hearts of children. Together, we’ll transform your vision into vibrant, unforgettable characters.
Character Design for Children’s Books: Character Design is a Skill That Can Be Mastered!
Are you passionate about art and excited to create lovable characters? Do you love drawing and illustrating but feel like you’re not yet capturing the magic you envision? Are you a self-taught artist looking to elevate your work to create characters that truly connect with children?
Character design is a skill that anyone can learn and refine!
I’ve created this course for artists of all levels, from absolute beginners to those who have already started working on their character designs. Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to observe and develop characters that feel alive, relatable, and memorable—perfect for children’s books. You’ll also explore how to use various artistic techniques to bring your characters to life, ensuring they stand out in any story.
Let’s transform your passion into powerful, engaging designs for children’s literature!
Hey, I am Josh Cleland
Since 2009 I’ve been creating high-quality, fun illustrations for clients all over the world including Highlights for Children magazine, Storytime magazine, Pinterest, and Wieden & Kennedy.
My whimsical illustrations can be found in picture books, billboards, iOS apps, album covers, websites, my parents’ fridge, posters, newsletters, animations and more.
IMAGINE DESIGNING THE PERFECT CHARACTER FOR A CHILDREN'S BOOK...
🎨 Imagine, you've just completed my Character Design for Children’s Books course.
🎨 Imagine you’ve practiced your skills and finally created a character .
🎨 Imagine you can now show your work with pride.
For so long, you've admired other illustrators and compared your work to theirs. You may have felt like you weren’t good enough, but now, you finally recognize the commitment and beauty in your designs.
How does that make you feel?
Today, you can choose to invest in your future, your passion, and your creative dreams. Investing in yourself is one of the most beautiful things you can do.
Character design nurtures not only your artistic skills but also your creativity, bringing you a sense of happiness and satisfaction. And today, you can take that important step forward.
In this course, we will explore various techniques, learn key design principles, and review the tools needed to bring your characters to life. I will be right there with you, supporting you every step of the way on this exciting creative journey. 💪🏼
AT THE END OF THE COURSE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
 Create Engaging, Memorable Characters
Develop unique and expressive characters that resonate with children and fit seamlessly into stories.
Master Character Design Techniques
Use essential design principles such as proportion, shape, color, and expression to bring your characters to life and communicate their personalities effectively.
Apply Visual
Storytelling
Understand how to design characters that not only look appealing but also support and enhance the narrative of a children's book.
Course Content
The course has 7 modules for 3+ hours of learning and practicing. You can pause and replay the videos as much as you want. The course is suitable for everyone, teens, adults and children because there is no explicit content. It would be best to take the course in order, because it will start from the basics to lessons at a more advanced level.Â
Practice makes perfect!
MODULE 1
 Introduction to Character Design
Â
🧩 Get an overview of the course.
🧩 Explore what makes a compelling character.
🧩 Write character attributes, gather references, and create rough sketches.
🧩 Experiment with variations, refine shapes, and finalize your character sketch.
MODULE 2
 Character Design - Coloring
Â
🧩 Learn the basics of coloring.
🧩 Create a custom color palette, apply flat base colors, add details.
🧩 Incorporate shadows and highlights, and enhance with textures.Â
MODULE 3
ActionÂ
Â
🧩 Understand the basics of character action.
🧩 Revisit character attributes to choose three poses, explore the line of action.
🧩 Practice with a pillow exercise, and refine your action sketches.
Â
MODULE 4
Character Design - Personality and Emotion
Â
🧩 Explore the fundamentals of personality in character design.
🧩 Focus on eye expressions, and create a facial lineup showcasing various emotions.
Â
MODULE 5
Surrounding Environment Design
Â
🧩 Understand the basics of environment design.
🧩 Create rough and refined sketches of your character's workspace and living space.
Â
MODULE 6
Designing Secondary Characters
Â
🧩 Learn to design secondary characters by reviewing and contrasting attributes.
🧩 Refining silhouettes for diversity in size and shape.
🧩 Finalizing sketches, and adding color.
MODULE 7
 Wrap-Up and Bonus Exercises
Â
🧩 Complete your final character design sheet.
🧩 Explore fun bonus exercises, including random shapes, blobs and idea generator.
🧩 Share your feedback, download your certificate, and enjoy final thoughts.
Â
Included in my course
Fundamentals & Materials
We will look together at the materials, basic techniques, and knowledge needed to begin this journey. Approaching a new technique means first learning how best to use the tools at your disposal.
Practical exercises
Theory is important, but what makes you a true artist is practice... Lots of practice! You'll find lots of exercises to get started with and from which to get inspiration. I will show you some tricks that will make your drawings truly unique and masterpieces.Â
Lifetime Access
Once you register for the course, you will have lifetime access and you can watch it whenever you want! This will enable you to better learn even the most difficult notions. You don't have a deadline, you can take the course even for 5 minutes a day! This possibility, doesn't it seem incredible?
Flexibility
This is one of the course's strengths: being able to watch the videos wherever you want, whenever you want, and as many times as you want. The course is available from any device so you can watch the course from the comfort of your home or take a single lesson on the train!
Â
Community of artists
As soon as you sign up for the course, you will join a group of people who, like you, share this passion and are following the same course as you. This means you'll be able to exchange ideas, tips or ask questions because you'll be surrounded by people who love art the same way you do!
My daily support
On this journey, you will never be alone! You can write to me and you will receive my feedback as soon as possible, so you will always feel supported. Sometimes, approaching drawing is not easy. You may feel that you are not enough, but don't worry: I will be there to help you, step by step!
... and much more!
SIGN UP NOWCourse Structure
This course will elevate your artistic skills! What's better than improving yourself while having fun? Plus, you will achieve beautiful results in no time.
Let me tell you more about my methodology and the platform structure.Â
All videos are in FULL HD and you can adjust the speed, audio and quality.
In all my videos, I try to use as many visual elements as possible, such as pictures and references, so you can take some inspiration and you can practice. You can follow each step as I show it to you, and you can comment and compare with other students under each video or in the group so you can resolve any doubts you have and learn new tricks!Â
The course is designed to be as practical as possible, even teaching you the basics of color and how to use the tools. You can review the lessons as many times as you want, where you want, and when you want!
Doesn't that sound amazing?
Extra content that you will get for free with the course
Random shapes and blobs
This bonus will teach you how to create unique and playful character designs by starting with random shapes and blobs to spark creativity and imagination.
 ($47) FREEÂ
Tips on exploring your style
 In this bonus, you'll get practical tips for exploring and refining your unique artistic style, helping you create character designs that are authentic and stand out.
 ($27) FREEÂ
Idea Generator
Idea generator offers endless combinations of traits, features, and scenarios, allowing you to easily create unique characters and develop engaging stories around them, sparking fresh ideas every time you use it!
  ($47) FREEÂ
Â
WHAT MY STUDENTS SAY
REGISTRATIONS ARE CLOSING SOON!
Bring Your Characters to Life – Master Character Design once and for all!✨
00
DAYS
00
HOURS
00
MINS
00
SECS
GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO
Character Design for Children's Books Course
✨ Two options to achieve your goals! ✨
Take the next step in your creative journey and master Character Design with a step-by-step approach designed to build your skills and confidence.
Here, you can find two options that differ only in how you want to pay. The first option is a one-time fee, and the second is a flexible four-month payment plan, to make learning more accessible.
đź’° Prices are displayed in dollars, but you can pay in ANY currency.
Start creating characters you love—let’s begin! 🎨🚀
My Guarantee to Every Student
If you are not satisfied with the course for any reason, you have the right to obtain a full refund within the first 30 days. This is my guarantee to you. I want all my students to be satisfied. Also, this means there is no risk at all! Give it a try and experience the program first-hand!
