I Think I Found the Main Character for My Picture Book

Описание: I’m writing and illustrating my own children’s picture book — and in this video, I think I finally found my main character while working through the early worldbuilding and character design.

This is part of an ongoing picture book project set in a place called Old Zealand. The main creatures in this story are called the Wandeezles — water-based beings that live in rivers, emerge at night, and are deeply connected to their environment. This week, I set out to design their early character concepts… and almost everything went wrong.

I had limited time, too many ideas, and way too many unanswered questions about story, lighting, physics, and character design. Most of the sketches failed. But through all of those mistakes, I landed on one piece of concept art that finally felt right — and it taught me an important lesson about focus, creative process, and how I need to approach this book moving forward.

If you’re interested in writing or illustrating a children’s book, character design, visual storytelling, or documenting the journey of becoming a professional illustrator, this video is for you. I share what didn’t work, what clicked, and how I’m approaching this project next.

This is the beginning of a larger series exploring the art, mistakes, and discoveries behind bringing an original picture book to life.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 – I Think I Found My Main Character
0:30 – What Is Old Zealand? A Picture Book World
1:00 – Designing the Wandeezles: Early Character Concepts
1:45 – Why Early Character Design Can Get Overwhelming
2:30 – Learning From Bad Sketches
3:20 – Using Real-World Reference to Design Fantasy Creatures
4:00 – Finding the Right Direction for Character Design
4:50 – Concept Art Breakthrough: One Drawing That Worked
5:30 – Lessons Learned About Focus and Time
6:15 – How This Concept Pushes the Story Forward
6:45 – Next Steps: Sketching the Characters for the Book