Kids Character Illustration Workshop: Draw with Colour Markers

Let your child's imagination take over in this colourful, hands-on illustration workshop!In this school holiday class, children will learn how illustrators turn simple shapes and ideas into their own original characters. Using pencils, fineliners, and colourful markers, we'll explore character design, facial expressions, poses, costumes, and colour before creating a finished illustration to take home.This workshop is designed for primary school-aged children and focuses on creativity rather than drawing everything "perfectly." Children will be encouraged to experiment, making their characters funny, strange, heroic, cute, or completely unexpected.What we'll do:We'll begin with some quick, fun drawing exercises using circles, squares, triangles, and simple shapes to discover how characters can be constructed.Children will then learn how to:

• Build characters from simple shapes
• Draw expressive faces and emotions
• Create interesting hairstyles, costumes, and accessories
• Develop character poses and personality
• Turn a light pencil sketch into clean line work
• Use coloured markers effectively
• Combine light and dark colours to create depth
• Add simple shadows, patterns, and textures
• Create a background or environment for their character

Children can take inspiration from the imaginative worlds they enjoy in games, comics, animation, and books while learning to create their own original characters rather than copying an existing one.Your finished artwork:By the end of the workshop, each child will have created their own completed coloured character illustration to take home.There will also be plenty of smaller sketches and character experiments along the way.Who is this class for?This workshop is suitable for primary school-aged children, approximately 7–12 years old.No previous drawing experience is needed. Children who already love drawing will also have opportunities to develop their characters in greater detail.The class is deliberately kept friendly and supportive, with demonstrations broken into simple steps so children can work at their own level.About your teacher:Your workshop is led by Canberra illustrator and graphic designer Milo Opie, who has a Bachelor of Graphic Design and a long-standing drawing and illustration practice.Milo's teaching approach focuses on making drawing understandable by breaking more complicated images into simple shapes, lines, values, and creative decisions.Most importantly, the workshop gives children permission to experiment, make mistakes, and discover their own way of drawing.School Holiday Workshop:ACT Spring School Holidays – Week 2 Location: Canberra / Fyshwick Duration: Approximately 2 hours Age: 7–12 years Experience: Beginner-friendly Materials: All supplied Class size: Small group Parents can enjoy some free time while their young illustrators spend the workshop inventing characters and creating colourful artwork to take home with pride.

Please note: Public dates for this class require at least 4 guests to run. In the unlikely event that we don't reach this number, we may cancel the session; if that happens, we'll inform you and let you choose between a refund or reschedule, so please watch your email/SMS one day prior to the class.

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Save $20 when you book with a friend

All drawing materials required for the workshop are supplied, including:

• drawing paper
• pencils and erasers
• black fine liners
• coloured illustration markers
• practice sheets and drawing exercises

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