Although the character design for the sheep came together quickly, Pete’s design took a lot longer to figure out. I drew a handful of different sketches (and lots of hair options) before Pete’s character came together.
Part of the challenge was that my drawing style for humans has involved a more angular style than I pictured for Pete. I had to break through what I was comfortable drawing in order to design his character.
I wanted Pete to be a “cute” character and for his head to be the biggest part of his body. You’ll probably notice that his head is 1/3 of his total body size, and it’s about twice as wide as his body is.
Once I figured out Pete’s outline, I made a couple of posable paper figures to help picture what he would look like in different body positions. These provided a good reference while I worked on some of the illustrations for the book.
By the time I started sketching Pete’s mom near the end of the story, drawing this style of character came more naturally (yay).
Is there a new style of drawing that you’re working on? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Happy creating, Bernicd