This is a fundamental drawing course designed specifically for children's book illustrators. In this video and PDF manual/workbook you will be shown how to use the "bean" shape to create 3 dimensional figures. The object of this class is to help you learn how to begin drawing a figure from any angle, attach limbs and head, and pose your character in any direction and from any angle. This is extremely helpful when creating comp sketches for dummy books and final sketches with your characters. Learning how to deviate from your reference to get the camera angle you want for the perspective you want is invaluable in the creation of original children's book illustration.

Includes 23 page PDF workbook

The 23 page PDF document link is included with both streaming and download options. The PDF comes with exercises you should practice on your own to understand how to apply the principles shown in the video. At over an hour of instruction this is a very good course to support your skills in our SVS Illustrating Children's Books class.

In this class you will learn:

  • Common mistakes beginners make

  • What the bean shape is

  • How to use the bean to describe the torso

  • Symmetry vs the bean shape

  • How to draw the bean with volume in perspective

  • How to overlap the bean on a torso

  • How to add limbs to your bean figure

  • How to redraw your bean characters in different perspectives and angles from your reference

Subscribe now to get access to this course

Plus 80+ other SVSLearn courses

  • $249.95 / year with 14 day free trial

    Annual Subscription

    Save $101.88 annually compared the to Monthly Subscription
    Subscribe Now
  • $29.95 / month with 14 day free trial

    Subscription

    Subscribe Now

About the Instructors

Illustrator Will Terry

Will Terry has been a freelance illustrator for 26 years. He got his start working for magazines and newspapers in the Washington D.C. area. His early clients include publications such as Time, Money, WSJ and ads for Sprint, Pizza Hut, Fed Ex, and Master Card. He has illustrated about 30 children’s books for a number of publishers, including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and Penguin. When he's not mountain biking, hiking, or snowboarding he works out of the svslearn.com office in Provo Utah. 

Illustrator/Cartoonist Jake Parker

For the last 25 years Jake has worked on everything from animated films to comics to picture books. For several years he worked for Reel FX and Blue Sky Studios on such projects as Horton Hears a Who, Rio, and Epic. He is the creator of the popular Inktober drawing challenge. Jake currently works as an illustrator and cartoonist on children's books and comics. He works out of his home studio in Arizona.

Course curriculum

    1. What this class is about

    2. Intro

    3. Overlapping

    4. Demo

    5. Downloads

About this course

  • $30.00
  • 5 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content
  • 4

    Videos

  • 1

    36 Page PDF

Reviews

5 star rating

Breakthrough Class for Me

Cathlyn Driscoll

Jake and Will...I will forever be grateful I took this class. I am an older student, a retired graphics and web design professional. I have taken many, many ...

Read More

Jake and Will...I will forever be grateful I took this class. I am an older student, a retired graphics and web design professional. I have taken many, many art classes over the eons. While everyone learns differently and at their own pace, YOUR CLASSES have been the ones that truly speak to me. Not only do you explain HOW to to something, but more importantly you explain WHY. WHY something is done a certain way. WHY it's important. HOW it compares to other ways. These details mean so much to me. I feel like I can 'see' more clearly now. You show over and over in all your classes with clear, concise examples. Your instructors are working professionals. Thank you again for this short but extremely instructive class. Cheers to you and SVS.

Read Less
5 star rating

Changed the way I draw

Olivia Pinto Marchi

I think this course was a turning point in my drawing technique. I learned to think about a pose and visualize it before I start drawing. The bean method als...

Read More

I think this course was a turning point in my drawing technique. I learned to think about a pose and visualize it before I start drawing. The bean method also helped me simplify my drawings, both of human and animal characters, and I could also achieve something I couldn't before: think of, identify and successfully draw lines of action for more organic and believable poses.

Read Less
5 star rating

Great course!

Judy Bales

Thanks for great course on posing characters...I never thought of using that kidney bean shape, but it is right on. All of the material was very valuable to ...

Read More

Thanks for great course on posing characters...I never thought of using that kidney bean shape, but it is right on. All of the material was very valuable to helping me achieve my illustration goals.

Read Less
5 star rating

Excellent

Debra Gabel

Thanks guys, now I see every human as a pile of beans! Can’t stop!

Thanks guys, now I see every human as a pile of beans! Can’t stop!

Read Less
5 star rating

Lots of help

Amy Haid Spence

Lots of new information i did not know!

Lots of new information i did not know!

Read Less

Subscribe to SVSLearn and we will show you how. 

Our videos are custom made to show you how to get the skills necessary to break into the dynamic field of illustration.