This is a genius way to approach illustration!!! I find that I accidentally get so bogged down in the details that I end up with a realistic depiction of something that I wanted to have a lot of character and look exaggerated...then it’s just stiff and ick compared to what I was going for. But the idea of picking out the characteristics beforehand (instead of as I go, which is what causes me to get all bogged down) and then applying them to varying shapes and forms seems like it’s going to do so much to keep the process flowing and come up with truly creative ideas. Thank you SO SO SO much!!!
Thank you Will! I am currently writing and illustrating a Children's Book, and this is spot on with the direction I started with. Your experience and talent have shown me i'm on the right path. Nicely done! Keep up the quill
I understand what you're saying - yes - it's not the same but what I tried to do was at least give people an idea of the direction to go for. Knowing what you're aiming for is much better than not knowing anything at all - what I felt like when I started school 20 years ago. Good luck with all your projects!
Thank you Mr Terry for sharing you made it very easy to understand, I have been asked to do childrens books and have always felt uncomfortable taking on the project. like the above person you have removed a lot of my anxiety.
This is brilliant! You are so helpful, I'm writing a novel and I like to see the characters I create and I want to draw them and now I think I can draw all of them just by using my brief descriptions as guides. Thanks so much!!
thank u for your helpful video...i wish you lived in the UK and taught here, I havent been able to find any courses that could start my illustrating career...unfortunately i have completely ruled out online classes, it just isnt the same thing as a class with other students, discussions, feedback, and so on. hope u keep on creating amazing illustrations. all the best.
Yes, I have Painter and love the things you can do with it but I haven't taken the time to learn it because I seem to always have other projects to work on. One of these days I need to jump in because I like some of the effects that other artists are able to get with it.
At 3:28 I saw the fact that you wrote AND illustrated a book. You completely designed the layout, characters, story boards all yourself which is awesome!!! and more of what I'd like to do myself! I keep finding information on either writing or illustrating and I'm struggling to find out information on those who wish to do an entire story: writing and illustrations and owning it all. I've just a few questions about starting that: How is something copy-written enough to be protected before you approach publishers? How far along does the project have to be before they should start to submit their ideas to publishers? How does it go, from beginning to end, where publishers accept and work with the ideas until both the creator and publisher forge a final product ready to launch? Fantastic channel btw, and thank you so much for the inspiration and sharing your experience!
I'm a Visual communication student at college (aka Graphic design lol) My illustration skills aren't that great right now, but I'm learning every day, especially watching your video's. Using the tips you've shared, I'm already finding it easier to get my idea's from my head onto my wacom so much easier. I can't wait for uni to start in september so that I can share my progress with my lecturers!! XD Looking forward to more helpful video's from you ;) xo
This video was quite insightful, but what if drawing is not one of my better honed skills? what should my next step be as I have already written the book.
You are very welcome - visual art follows rules just like music, writing, and acting. Once you learn some of the rules it becomes much easier to communicate visually :) Good luck on your projects!
Hi Will, Lovely characters, Do you still use paper and pencil? or use the Procreate app? I feel I am in the stone ages still scanning drawings in the scanner. What app are you suing in t his video to draw the figures? just pencil tool? What kid of pencil you use to draw the cats? Bright Thoughts Nausica
Hi Will: Very nice that you are helping new children's writers. As a veteran writer, I've learned that children's book editors much prefer that writers do NOT illustrate books they submit, unless he/she is a highly gifted illustrator, like Eric Carle or Maurice Sendak. I'd also suggest that folks who want to write for children join S C B W I (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) and the Write 4 Children website.
I know - the tablet was really hard for me to get used to - it took about 2-3 months of constant use for it to start feeling normal....you just have to push through.
Hey, im interested in writing a childrens book and putting it on amazon... is this a good idea or not? I figure it will take care of a lot of the dirty work while letting me get my feet wet. Also what programs are needed to make a good book, Im not a great artist but will most likely try to do the art myself for the first book, what programs do you recommend to use? Is drawing the picture on paper and scanning it viable?
thanks a bundle Will Terry...but i have one question that i hope you can answer..researching and searching for a straight out answer has been tedious .. i already have all of my characters for my story..and i already have all the traits and entire storyline ready to go..all i want to ask is, what is the best canvas size in pixels, that i should draw the pages in? i'm using Gimp..a simple program
i just don't know what the canvas size should be to draw my pages in...i know to print it out it will have to be down sized...but what is the best canvas size to draw on in your opinion? so i can keep the quality of the art when i print it...i can't afford a scaling program for quality...so if i knew what size the canvas should be in pixels before i start drawing it out in GIMP...it would save me from a few headaches..i hope i my question makes sense. Thanks Will. i love your artwork!
I don't understand the question... You need graphic design skills to layout a good children's book....but you need the illustrations to communicate what the text doesn't cover...
well for our preschool class my wife and I did a cutout puppet show of Red Riding Hood and the kids loved it :) (well we did caperucita roja, the spanish version, but its the same thing haha)
No, these are videos only. Next spring 2013 I'm planning on offering a full class limited to 15 students. There will be assignments, critiques, feedback, and one on one time via skype. Thanks for asking :)
@StephanieLisaTara Thanks Stephanie! When I made these I tried to think of all the questions I had when I started as a children's book illustrator. I know I've left a few things out but overall I'm proud of it. :)
Anyone out there in cyberspace had a chance to check out the new kids book series DIARY OF A DINOSAUR? Really cool stuff about a little t-rex that goes to 6th grade and has all sorts of adventures.
This was quite interesting. Personally, I didn't liked at all the unrealistic tusks of your boar character coming up from a random spot of his face but... this was actually a great demostration :D
didn't mean that it can't be grounded a little more in reality...I mean the tusks are teeth and you need references for that, style choice or not. Still, when I write "personally", it means that is my worthless opinion :)
I use the texture pallet and set the opacity and flow very low - hard to describe with words but I show the entire process in my digital painting video - found at our website- go to: folioacademy dot) com - great question!
Yes - but - the indie movement is here to stay - so if an author who learns to illustrate their own story can't find a publisher right now (since publishing is going through transition) - they can self publish and I help them do that with my videos. Keep in mind that Mo Willems does not describe himself as an illustrator - rather - an author who illustrates. He was a storyteller from Nickelodeon who tried and won! I'm helping authors and illustrators win.
Best teacher I’ve ever seen to explain this!!!! Truth
This is a genius way to approach illustration!!! I find that I accidentally get so bogged down in the details that I end up with a realistic depiction of something that I wanted to have a lot of character and look exaggerated...then it’s just stiff and ick compared to what I was going for. But the idea of picking out the characteristics beforehand (instead of as I go, which is what causes me to get all bogged down) and then applying them to varying shapes and forms seems like it’s going to do so much to keep the process flowing and come up with truly creative ideas. Thank you SO SO SO much!!!
2023 and I am amused to see the tips from an artist who posted 12 years ago.. this is so good!!!❤
Thank you Will! I am currently writing and illustrating a Children's Book, and this is spot on with the direction I started with. Your experience and talent have shown me i'm on the right path. Nicely done! Keep up the quill
You've really nailed character design in 13 minutes! Love your style too - amazing stuff Will.
I understand what you're saying - yes - it's not the same but what I tried to do was at least give people an idea of the direction to go for. Knowing what you're aiming for is much better than not knowing anything at all - what I felt like when I started school 20 years ago. Good luck with all your projects!
will - this is really terrific...i write kids books and i have worked with some wonderful artists - this really brings their work to life, thanks!
Thank you Mr Terry for sharing you made it very easy to understand, I have been asked to do childrens books and have always felt uncomfortable taking on the project. like the above person you have removed a lot of my anxiety.
Your not only a marvelous artist but a outstanding teacher as well. Thanks for the great info.
This is so helpful!I'm actually an 11 year old girl but I love drawing i had a difficulty on designing characters, now it's so easy! Thank you!
I wish I could - I have my hands full working on my own projects and coming up with the idea is always the hard part! good luck!
This is brilliant! You are so helpful, I'm writing a novel and I like to see the characters I create and I want to draw them and now I think I can draw all of them just by using my brief descriptions as guides. Thanks so much!!
thank u for your helpful video...i wish you lived in the UK and taught here, I havent been able to find any courses that could start my illustrating career...unfortunately i have completely ruled out online classes, it just isnt the same thing as a class with other students, discussions, feedback, and so on. hope u keep on creating amazing illustrations. all the best.
Wow man, this tutorial is so incredibly helpful and insightful.
Great instruction!! I love the simplicity of using specific characteristics and applying them to any shape.
Thanks i really like your illustrations .
Thank you very much, that video gave me a whole new approach to drawing animals :)
Thanks so much - I really had fun working on them!
Yes, I have Painter and love the things you can do with it but I haven't taken the time to learn it because I seem to always have other projects to work on. One of these days I need to jump in because I like some of the effects that other artists are able to get with it.
At 3:28 I saw the fact that you wrote AND illustrated a book. You completely designed the layout, characters, story boards all yourself which is awesome!!! and more of what I'd like to do myself! I keep finding information on either writing or illustrating and I'm struggling to find out information on those who wish to do an entire story: writing and illustrations and owning it all. I've just a few questions about starting that: How is something copy-written enough to be protected before you approach publishers? How far along does the project have to be before they should start to submit their ideas to publishers? How does it go, from beginning to end, where publishers accept and work with the ideas until both the creator and publisher forge a final product ready to launch? Fantastic channel btw, and thank you so much for the inspiration and sharing your experience!
@locomangoze I'm using Photoshop CS2 in the video - now I'm using photoshop CS5. I love the infinite screen rotation tool. Thanks again!
Brilliant video! Feel like I've needed this to encourage me of what I was doing as I thought I was wasting time. X
Are your final illustrations done digital? Like on a computer or tablet? If so what program do you use?
Will this was awesome!
I'm a Visual communication student at college (aka Graphic design lol) My illustration skills aren't that great right now, but I'm learning every day, especially watching your video's. Using the tips you've shared, I'm already finding it easier to get my idea's from my head onto my wacom so much easier. I can't wait for uni to start in september so that I can share my progress with my lecturers!! XD Looking forward to more helpful video's from you ;) xo
Really enjoying your videos. Thanks you!
So cool to see your work form that long ago, SVS didn't even exist right? And this advice still applies, I love it, specially the cat part!
Ha! Yeah - that was a while ago - but yes - the principles are the same!
INCREDIBLE! Well-done!
Really good, man! Kind of blew my mind a little! Definitely got me thinking.
You are very welcome! so glad you liked it!
This video was quite insightful, but what if drawing is not one of my better honed skills? what should my next step be as I have already written the book.
I have a question, what is a good way to practice drawing the same character from different angles?
Make a clay or playdough model of your character and keep it for consistency
This is great! I learned so much. Thank you!
You are very welcome - visual art follows rules just like music, writing, and acting. Once you learn some of the rules it becomes much easier to communicate visually :) Good luck on your projects!
Hi Will,
Lovely characters, Do you still use paper and pencil? or use the Procreate app? I feel I am in the stone ages still scanning drawings in the scanner. What app are you suing in t his video to draw the figures? just pencil tool? What kid of pencil you use to draw the cats?
Bright Thoughts
Nausica
Thank you brother , I feel like I have graduated to a DEGREE, I wish you could be in Tanzania i would say Asante sana kaka.
Excellent video. Thank you for sharing this.
I just started trying to do this for a living and this was very helpfull
You're very welcome - good luck on your work!
Hi Will: Very nice that you are helping new children's writers. As a veteran writer, I've learned that children's book editors much prefer that writers do NOT illustrate books they submit, unless he/she is a highly gifted illustrator, like Eric Carle or Maurice Sendak. I'd also suggest that folks who want to write for children join S C B W I (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) and the Write 4 Children website.
Thanks so much!! This is so informative!
Thanks for sharing this. I absolutely love your work :)
I know - the tablet was really hard for me to get used to - it took about 2-3 months of constant use for it to start feeling normal....you just have to push through.
Mr. Will Terry, I love your videos. May I ask you what pencil you are using in this video to draw? Thank you, Lili~
Pretty cool! Could you also let us know what medium you use for color and programs you may use on computers.
I used to use acrylic paint but now I'm all digital - Photoshop - I teach it hear - www.svslearn.com
Great lesson! Thank you so much! I will check out your website for sure. :)
Hey, im interested in writing a childrens book and putting it on amazon... is this a good idea or not? I figure it will take care of a lot of the dirty work while letting me get my feet wet. Also what programs are needed to make a good book, Im not a great artist but will most likely try to do the art myself for the first book, what programs do you recommend to use? Is drawing the picture on paper and scanning it viable?
Do you give assignments for for each session?
thanks a bundle Will Terry...but i have one question that i hope you can answer..researching and searching for a straight out answer has been tedious .. i already have all of my characters for my story..and i already have all the traits and entire storyline ready to go..all i want to ask is, what is the best canvas size in pixels, that i should draw the pages in? i'm using Gimp..a simple program
Thank you so much! It means a lot to me!
i just don't know what the canvas size should be to draw my pages in...i know to print it out it will have to be down sized...but what is the best canvas size to draw on in your opinion? so i can keep the quality of the art when i print it...i can't afford a scaling program for quality...so if i knew what size the canvas should be in pixels before i start drawing it out in GIMP...it would save me from a few headaches..i hope i my question makes sense. Thanks Will. i love your artwork!
Great video Will!
Brilliant! Thanks!
I don't understand the question... You need graphic design skills to layout a good children's book....but you need the illustrations to communicate what the text doesn't cover...
Great video! thanks for sharing!
I work in Photoshop using a cintiq monitor - they are pricey but worth every penny for the speed and control. :)
well for our preschool class my wife and I did a cutout puppet show of Red Riding Hood and the kids loved it :) (well we did caperucita roja, the spanish version, but its the same thing haha)
No, these are videos only. Next spring 2013 I'm planning on offering a full class limited to 15 students. There will be assignments, critiques, feedback, and one on one time via skype. Thanks for asking :)
Really helpful!! 😊
Very informative, thank you.
Thank you so much!
@StephanieLisaTara Thanks Stephanie! When I made these I tried to think of all the questions I had when I started as a children's book illustrator. I know I've left a few things out but overall I'm proud of it. :)
children's book illustration vs. graphic design . which one wins?
what pencil do you use
plz
Thank you! Very helpful!!!
Yeah - Helen came up with a winner on that one - kids giggle when you read this one aloud!
Thanks Alaayo - glad to help!
I love how old is this 😁
What program are you using for your rough sketches?
I'm drawing in the "Procreate" app on my iPad now - I think in this video I was using photoshop...
Thank you!!!!
You can also get helped a little with drawing programs like cartoonize softwares, no?
You're welcome!
I'm so glad it helps! :)
@iluvanimals42 You're very welcome!
Obrigado 2022!
best illustration ever ✅✅✅✅✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔☑☑✅✔✅☑✅✅✅✅☑✅
Very helpful
You're very welcome! :)
IHi Kaila - I think anyone can do this for a living if they set their mind to it and get to work! Good luck with your art!
I'm sorry for not responding right away - I've been so swamped! - Unfortunately no - this is just a video tutorial course.
I love Judy Blume
Great video :D
Anyone out there in cyberspace had a chance to check out the new kids book series DIARY OF A DINOSAUR? Really cool stuff about a little t-rex that goes to 6th grade and has all sorts of adventures.
This was quite interesting. Personally, I didn't liked at all the unrealistic tusks of your boar character coming up from a random spot of his face but... this was actually a great demostration :D
unrealistic? It's a children's book...
didn't mean that it can't be grounded a little more in reality...I mean the tusks are teeth and you need references for that, style choice or not. Still, when I write "personally", it means that is my worthless opinion :)
b
I use the texture pallet and set the opacity and flow very low - hard to describe with words but I show the entire process in my digital painting video - found at our website- go to: folioacademy dot) com - great question!
I would love to be an illustrator.
Yes - but - the indie movement is here to stay - so if an author who learns to illustrate their own story can't find a publisher right now (since publishing is going through transition) - they can self publish and I help them do that with my videos. Keep in mind that Mo Willems does not describe himself as an illustrator - rather - an author who illustrates. He was a storyteller from Nickelodeon who tried and won! I'm helping authors and illustrators win.
wow ur AMAZING =)
i let the ads run so my nigga will terry gets paid yo
Quinta-feira, 10 de março de 2022
Big Butt Haha! This seems like a good book!
they don't overlap
that question makes no sense
ur voice is hot as ur design :$ but honstly i love ur work so much it's help me alote thanks
:)