I Can Draw series
I’d been creating ‘shape’ characters for a while when I submitted a step-by-step drawing book proposal to some international publishers I love. The idea came during my illustration workshops as a way to encourage children who don’t have the confidence to get started on designing their own characters. I came up with the suggestion of drawing a fox based on triangles then developed this into a fun step-by-step character tutorial that children love. This method takes away the fear of the blank page and also gives loads of opportunity for the child to individualise their character.
I was so excited when Walter Foster Junior (a US imprint of Quarto) got straight back to me to say they wanted a whole series! Apart from the alarming deadlines, the whole project was a dream to work on. I came up with lists of character for each book and discussed them with my editor. I produced roughs for each character and made any changes the team wanted. The process for the final colour illustrations and the step-by-step drawings was the same. Some of the changes we discussed related to what would work in the USA compared to the UK as our wild animals and pets vary. The collaboration resulted in a strong and varied set of characters for each book. My favourite book is ‘Princesses and Fairy Tales’ because I wanted the characters to be diverse, and I wanted my princesses to actually do something – my editor was totally on board with this!
The English language versions have been selling internationally, and I’m happy to say there are now some foreign language co-editions including German, Swedish, Finnish and Polish 7 book bind-ups, and an Estonian version of Cars, Trucks, Planes and Trains. And there are more 7 book bind-ups to come in Vietnamese and Serbian.
Reviews
‘This is the type of book that I wish was available to me when I was young and thought I couldn’t draw. It’s perfect for school and home with simple, easy to follow instructions. You only need the minimum of art supplies (pencil, paper, eraser, coloured pencils) but it is so much fun. The kids, and those of us who didn’t learn when we were kids, will enjoy the art they create. A great book for using as a building block of fun times.’ Maureen Ryan, Goodreads *****
‘Fun, easy to follow drawing book for beginners. I have a child that is just starting to get into art and this is exactly what we have been looking for. We are planning to try all versions of this drawing series.’ Anne, Goodreads *****
‘This is a superb introduction to art, for young artists. The book shows easy to read, step by step lessons, which introduce the reader to art tools, and a description of how to use basic shapes, such as triangle, circle, square and rectangle, in order to draw wild animals easily. My daughter and I have had a lot of fun drawing wild animals from the book, such as elephants and bears. She really loves this series of books, and she gets really excited every time I show her a new book from the series. She has been busy drawing lots of animals from all five of the books that we have so far!’ Catherine Craig, Goodreads *****
‘I have three children and they all LOVE them. There seems to be a magic to the way the books teach the art, which means my youngest to my oldest child are able to take a great deal of enjoyment from them and also, therefore, in their own artistic abilities. They are the best birthday presents ever, they promote creativity and get children off their screens which improves mental health. We take the books and pads/pens with us everywhere, including to the beach, in the car, in waiting rooms and to the grandparents house! These books are a hidden gem!’ Suzie LeMarechal, Amazon *****
‘The drawings are encouragingly simple and the step by step tutorials are accessible and easy to follow and replicate. All of the tutorials included are easy and fun. They’re cute and recognizable and will be easy for anyone to follow. Great selection for a gift for a young artist, perhaps with some added sketch pads and pencils. This would also make a superlative classroom or library book. I would also recommend this book to babysitters, grandparents, parents, and basically anyone who spends a fair bit of time with small kids in order to up their ‘draw with me’ game. I really enjoyed this and managed to follow the tutorial .
Five stars. This is a fun activity book and will provide hours amusement for all ages.’ Annie, Goodreads *****
‘The design of the book is bright with lovely clear line drawings and begins with the instructions on how to best use the book. Each two page spread then takes you step by step on how to draw each puppy. with an illustration that is added to during each step. Additional text instructions are used where needed, but the instructions are 90% visual which makes this book perfect for all ages. This book would be perfect for the little budding artists in your life.’ Kera Cudmore, Waterstones ****
‘This book is so fun! I have to admit I didn’t realize that this book was probably aimed at kids until after I did my second or third drawing, but I still thoroughly enjoyed myself. My toddler got a kick out of seeing the drawings too. They are easy, don’t require any special equipment, and are really cute. I think they’ll be a nice touch for journal margins and I’m looking forward to going back and trying out the other 7/15 I didn’t draw yet.’ Kelly Paradis, Goodreads *****
‘This is such a fun way to learn how to draw cats. Even for people who are mostly good at stick figures. Yes, I’m talking about myself. As a huge cat lover and a 4-year old niece I love to impress, this book is the perfect way for me to draw cute felines for her to color in.’ Nathalie, Goodreads ****
‘Really cute book on drawing wild animals such as Elephants, Polar bears, Rhino, Badger, Deer, Lion and more. It is only a small book of 30 pages, but it certainly has a lot of information and projects to learn from. Great for kids of all ages, and adults can also get some fun out of this book.’ Leyla Johnson, Goodreads *****
‘This is a good book for the bidding artist or animal lover. This book is a good way to use eye hand coordination. It is done in the simplistic way but the end result is very good. Some of my favorites are the elephant, wolf, tiger and deer. I can’t draw a straight line without a ruler but with this book I did it with my Granddaughter she did great and I did pretty good. We both like to draw and it is one of the things we do together. We also both animal lovers so this book was a win win. I recommend this book for children 5-9.’ Sally Wilsey, Goodreads *****
