Character Design for Picture books

Class Project: Create Your Own Whimsical Fish Character!

For your class project, you’ll create your very own whimsical fish character from start to finish — just like the one I designed in this course!

We’ll begin by sketching fun, exaggerated, and unexpected fish silhouettes to explore different shapes and personalities. These can be round, long, chunky, tiny, or totally odd — the sillier, the better! Then we’ll choose one and bring it to life by adding playful features like expressive eyes, teeth, fins, wild hairstyles, and quirky accessories. Think bow ties, snorkels, grumpy eyebrows — anything goes! The goal is to create a fish full of personality and charm.

Finally, we’ll color it in Procreate using watercolor and colored pencil textures to give it that soft, storybook-inspired look. You’ll learn how to build up color, use texture brushes, and bring life to your illustration.

Your project steps:

- Sketch 3–5 fish silhouettes to explore fun shapes
- Choose your favorite and turn it into a full character
- Add color, texture, and personality in Procreate
- Upload your final illustration to the class project gallery

You’re welcome to share your process, ideas, and experiments too — not just the final result. I can’t wait to meet your underwater characters. Have fun, and let your imagination swim free!