Character Design for Picture Books, Part 3: Animals

Are you feeling stuck with designing animal characters for picture books?
Not sure how to make a four-legged animal walk on two feet?

In part 3 of this character design series, award winning picture book author and illustrator, Mirka Hokkanen will teach you how to design cute animal characters full of personality.

This class is perfect for beginner and intermediate illustrators wanting to illustrate picture books for kids. Mirka uses examples from her own work and from other picture books to illustrate each lesson, and uses simple exercises to help you build up your skills.

Skill level: Beginner to intermediate

Class length: 2 hr 17min

2 Enrollment Options

One-time Purchase:

Get lifetime access to this course with the one-time purchase option. No Subscription fees. 100% self-paced, so you can watch the pre-recorded videos on your own schedule.

$35

Purchase This Class

Enroll with Skillshare:

With a Skillshare membership, you’ll get access to my entire class catalog, including this class. New members can unlock a free one-month trial.

$168/year
(Price varies by countries)

Enroll at Skillshare

As we work on your characters through the step-by-step videos, you’ll learn:

How to use photos for reference
How to make a character appealing for picture book audiences
How to draw expressions and pose a character on four or two feet
How to add personality to your animal character
How to use shapes to convey personality and character
How to make an animal anthropomorphic
How to simplify fur and feathers for cute and clear character designs

Included in this class

21 video lessons, over 2 hours of content
Class handout with reference photos to work from
Nine different drawing exercises
Bonus material: Dive into creating bird characters. Learn how to give beaks expressions and how to draw wings into hands.
Case Study: See how Mirka came up with “Cat” from the book series Kitty and Cat.

This class is for beginning illustrators.

This class is perfect for beginner and intermediate illustrators wanting to illustrate picture books for kids. Mirka uses examples from her own work and from other picture books to illustrate each lesson, and uses simple exercises to help you build up your skills.

Enroll Here

Meet Your Teacher:

People always told me that I should illustrate picture books, but I was afraid of failing and didn’t know where to start. It wasn’t until having kids and reading 100’s of picture books that a fire was lit inside me to create the same book-joy that I felt when reading with my kids.

I want to show you how you can begin your picture book journey to feel the same joy and fulfillment that I’ve received. Gather your supplies, and let’s begin on this wonderful journey into the world of picture books!

- Mirka Hokkanen

What Students Are Saying

I learned a lot from this class. I am grateful for the specific and applicable tips and tricks as well as getting a peek into her own creative process. I will definitely be watching more of her classes.

Jamie B.
What a great class! I learned that illustration on procreate doesn’t need to be difficult. It was fun to watch this process and it helped me as a children’s book illustrator. Thank you!

Karine J.
Thank you, Mirka, for sharing your process and tips along the way. It's always inspiring and I learn so much from other artist's approach and behind-the-scenes. The digital brushes in the resources are also pretty neat:)

Giulia M.
I absolutely love the way Mirka teaches. The way she takes you through the lessons feels so intuitive and fun

Marzieh A.
Another excellent course from Mirka Hokannen. There are so many things that I wouldn't even have thought about! Very useful for creating my characters for my picture book! Highly recommend this course!

Debbie W.
Such a helpful instructor, thank you for sharing so explicitly.

Moysie D.

2 Enrollment Options

One-time Purchase:

Get lifetime access to this course with the one-time purchase option. No Subscription fees. 100% self-paced, so you can watch the pre-recorded videos on your own schedule.