Before and After 

I've been teaching character design and children's picture book illustration for a while now, and the thing that I see students struggle with the most is knowing how to draw the same character from many different angles. 

Below, I'll share some 'before' and 'after' character stud...

I first came across Lily's work, when she was shortlisted for the Gavin Bishop Award in 2019. So you can imagine how excited I was to have Lily join me for 8-weeks in the Picture Book Illustration e-Course (PBIC). 

(Above, Lily's Gavin Bishop Award entry)

Although we both live in New Zealand, we...

My name is Elise and I live on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Australia. When I’m not illustrating, I’m raising my family as a stay at home mum. I’ve spent the last 15 months setting up a business; with commissions for pet and wildlife drawings, selling prints in local cafes and creating wal...

Hello my name is Sonya Leonello, I live in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, Australia. If I’m not illustrating I’m probably writing. I love to be doing something creative, in fact I have to be doing something creative. I typically love to write stories for children, and I also write comedy (for stand...

Hi, I’m Liane Tancock, I live in Bristol in the UK and when I’m not illustrating I go to my local Zoo every week to sketch the animals and birds. It is something that is so important to me, I encounter challenges every time I go, some of them very unexpected, who knew that Mudskippers were a nightma...

As an illustrator, it’s important to develop your own unique style, but where do you start? With the amount of visual information that we come into contact with each day – via blogs, emails, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to name a few – it’s easy to get side-tracked and feel overwhelmed by the ...

A big part of being a children’s picture book illustrator is having the ability to draw well and being able to capture a character (or visual story) in your own unique ‘voice’. I’ve been illustrating picture books since 2000 and with more than a dozen publications worldwide, I now enjoy teaching eve...

What did they (the Treehouse Tribe) say about the Picture Book Illustration e-Course?

I live and work in a tree house on the edge of a reserve here in Auckland, and while I’d love have you all over it’s a little difficult with the Treehouse Tribe spread all over the globe, the best I can do is invi...

I absolutely love this topic, as I find gesture is one of the most exciting things about illustrating a story. Whether it’s subtle and heartfelt or loud and expressive, gesture is what brings a character to life.

As an illustrator, non-verbal communication is essential to telling a character’s stor...

Below, I’ve listed my series of Skillshare classes in the sequence that I use when I develop any kind of character. From designing the face and head all the way through to deciding on illustration technique and style. Whether you’re new to illustration or a seasoned artist, there’s something for eve...