Illustrator - Fun Activities - Information, Media and Telecommunications

Information, Media and Telecommunications - ILLUSTRATOR

Character Profiles

Primary Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

1. Brainstorm a character for a book of your choice.

2. Fill out a character profile – focusing on the sections that help picture your character.

3. Then on a separate sheet of paper draw your character. Make sure you highlight the characters traits and personality through the drawing.

NB. To give you some ideas about a character profile, look at the following sites:

Writer's Character Profile Generator

Random Young Adult Character Generator

4. Share with a partner. Get your partner to identify the character traits they think are present. Discuss your ideas and then re-adjust your drawing if you think that is needed.

A Book with No Words

Primary Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

1. Read the following article from Emma Blackburn, Editorial Director for Picture Books at Reading Bloomsbury Publishing. She gives her top tips for getting started on your picture books. Write these tips down and follow them as you create your own picture book.

1. Read lots of picture books for inspiration. 10 is the minimum.

2. Create a database using Excel showing

illustration styles,
design,
characters [list their names] & their characteristics [loud, shy, funny, scary],
scenarios,
adventures,
the ending,
covers,
titles,
length [are they all around 32 pages?]; and,
target audience.

3. As you read a book, put the information into the database.

4. View the following video - write down the tips and tricks from this experienced illustrator: Video

YouTube: 18 things you need to know to illustrate a children's book
https://youtu.be/A6w0ZhMiXj8

5. Here are Emma Blackburn's tips:

Read lots of picture books for inspiration
Brainstorming at the initial stages is really important
Think about a strong name and a series of adventures for your character
Think about page-turning scenarios for your book
A satisfying ending is a must.
Make sure that the design and illustrations work with the text to create an enjoyable reading experience.
Pacing is important.
Feedback from readers is enormously helpful.
Have fun!

6. Follow Emma Blackburn and Martin Wright's tips. Brainstorm ideas for a picture book – storyline, characters etc. Begin creating your picture book using illustrations only. This step can be a draft.

7. Ask a friend to read you book and see if they understand the storyline. Start on the "real" deal! Good luck!

Your Ear: A Medical & Technical Illustration: Intercepting with Biometrics!
Find this activity under Biometrician