Cracking Characters! with Sarah Horne- Monday 10th to 24th Feb, 2025

Great character design is absolutely key for a children's book illustrator. Children’s books are so often character-led and driven by their characters, and creating lovable, believable characters for the right age group is a skill that can be taught and honed over time.

In this three-week course, starting in February 2025, I'll guide you through designing cracking characters that truly resonate. We’ll dive into archetypes, symbols, props, humour, and visual storytelling to convey emotions subtly and comedically. The course runs on Monday evenings, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM, beginning February 10th, with practical exercises and homework to foster creative exploration.

By the end of the course, my hope is that you will have cracked your characters and that you will have the keys and confidence to create some absolutely wonderful and loveable animals, vegetables, or minerals! Character design is honestly one of my favourite parts of an illustration project. It’s going to be very informative, interactive, and hopefully, a lot of fun as we dive in creatively!

A little blast of my own trumpet (so you know I have the credentials to teach this!) I have illustrated over 100 books in a 23-year and counting career in Illustration; notable works and clients include Panda at the Door (Chicken House), Charlie Changes Into a Chicken (Penguin) and three projects with Sesame Street in the US, working on refreshing a look of an existing character and also designing some new ones for the studio.

If you are in my mentoring program or have been a past mentee, please click the ‘Mentees Booking’ button, which will fire an email to me, and I’ll give you £20 off the full-price seat. You are welcome to book mentoring with me, and I currently have some spaces for Spring 2025. Go here for the details: www.sarahhorne.studio/mentoring2025

I hope you can join me in February.

Best wishes,

Sarah

“... I cannot thank Sarah enough. She has helped me ‘level up’ and I’m looking forward to the direction I’m heading. She is a wonderful teacher, mentor, illustrator and just fabulous human. Can’t recommend working with her enough, in any capacity! At the very least go and track down some of her work, because it is outstanding 😅

Feeling very lucky for the experience of working with her and for meeting my fellow students. What. A. Week.”

 #illustrator #illustration #childrensbookillustration #mentoring #firstclassteacher #illustrationlevelup

– George Elliot @gkelliottpicsandwords