Animal Characters in Watercolor for Children’s Books by Julie Mellan

Explore the softness and playfulness of childhood through lovable anthropomorphic characters using watercolors

Watercolor enables an artist to convey mood and infuse a personal touch into their work. Illustrator Julie Mellan utilizes this technique to craft alluring illustrations for children’s books. By manipulating elements of color, light, and shadow, she creates illustrations bursting with character and has been published by well-known publishers such as Penguin Random House, Clavis, and Fleurus.

Join Julie on this educational journey as she teaches you how to craft captivating watercolor illustrations featuring animated and expressive animal characters. Delve into your own private woodland and bring these creatures to life through the magic of watercolor.

Get to know Julie, your instructor for this program. She will share her story of becoming a successful children’s book illustrator and reveal the inspirations that have fueled her journey. You will also have the opportunity to peruse her online portfolio.

Begin by familiarizing yourself with the materials required for the course. Julie will explain the distinctions between different types of paper, watercolors, and brushes, so you understand the best options for your artwork. You will start practicing with fundamental watercolor techniques, from applying solid color to incorporating texture. Julie will share her insider tips for sketching dynamic poses for your animal characters and how to bring their expressions to life.

Craft your final animal character by first choosing what you want to include in your illustration. Julie will guide you through the process of sketching out thumbnails, refining your final drawing on regular paper, and tracing it onto watercolor paper. You will learn how to prepare your watercolor paper and stretch it to prevent warping. Experiment with your color scheme using thumbnails and discover how to paint light and shadows to bring depth to your illustration. Finalize your artwork by adding details like hair and highlights to bring it to life.

Finally, Julie will walk you through scanning and editing your illustration in Photoshop to achieve a polished, professional result. She will also offer her advice on sharing your work on social media and presenting it to industry professionals.