Hi guys,

I started working on my kids book that I have been planning about Aug of 09.. This is Howie he's the main character and the sun is his guide or guardian; This is what I have so far am mainly trying to get a comfortable appearance/overall feel that will be standard for the entire series...

I would really like ur feedback on if the characters are appealing and if not how to improve them so kids would enjoy and relate to them more.....

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yes that's very nice
what is your target age group
j

Thanks J

My target is 8 and under..........

I think it has a nice style to it, cute looking character - Questions to consider:

What's the age group ? (might determine your color palette)

How old is Howie supposed to be (toddler?)

Howie looks like he's wearing a dress (of a different era) - and his ears look a little funny - I as an adult don't have a problem with the design - but your best bet is to kidnap a kid and get their response - they might not have a problem with it either.

The style may not be overly important in the end - the story, words will be important.

There are books on creating characters/stories that kids will love - you might consult them if you haven't already. It used to be that an editor would match a writer and an illustrator - because they usually had a better handle on what works/sells.

Those were my uneducated, off the top of my head, first impressions

Much thanks for ur feedback Nancy,

the kids I have shown him to don't have a problem figuring out who or what he is but overall I don't want them to ever question that so I will re-do his ears / put some pants on him.......

Howie is 5 yrs old..... am interested to know how colors will suit different age groups.......

Great looking style. the teeth on the sun bother me. Maybe if there were upppers and lowers they wouldn't look like fangs.

The only comment I have is that the Sun does not match the rest. I think you want a 3D sun....

Cheers

the kid looks a bit like Stewie from family guy!
I like the shading style to the render!

robcat2075 - yeah I was not to found of the teeth also so I tweaked it, looks more friendly now I think...


higginsdj - my plan was to keep the sun more 2D so there is contrast between both characters, but prob that did not work so I took ur advice and made it 3D...

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I like it!

I like it to. Just beware that Howie and the Sun are now competing for attention.

Cheers

I like it too! I also like the new sun - they now look like friends/companions.

Howie gives me the impression that he's younger than 5 - probably more like 2 or less age - it could be because of lack of hair with just the 1 strand. I like the style - but maybe a few more hairs on top would do better (5 year olds aren't bald) - Not sure it's important, and might wreck your look.

What I meant by color palette and age - Really young kids/babies - like the primary saturated colors, with high contrast. While their parents (aka people with the bucks) prefer more pastelly, softer schemes - as indicated by the abundance of soft pink, pale blue, green, yellow choices in baby clothes, blankets. Older kids and their parents can handle more sophisticated, wilder palettes, as well as the less saturated.

The color scheme/characters that you have are youngish - sorta reminds me of the teletubbie style. Kids seem to like characters/stories resembling themselves or older.

I wouldn't put too much creedence in what I'm saying - I have no pratical experience with selling to the parents of kids.

Go to the book store perhaps - browse and see the range of styles/stories for different age groups. There's also the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - you may find more knowledgeable resources there

I repeat - I like what you've done!

Much Thanks Nancy That site helped alot.......

I have updated Howie to look a bit older than a toddler this way he can fit in a bit more and be more relatable to kids...... I have also posted the cover to my book; there will be a web version and the book will also be available for purchase..

Am currently moving along with the illustrations and story, my goal is to publish April 1st or latest end of April.....

I will be posting a couple pages next so you have an idea how the story flows...


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Oooooo...I like it! That looks good!

Howie looks the correct age, the color scheme is punchier, hair style is great fun, and the style of render is terrific.

It's a winner.

Compositionaly speaking, I would move Howie away from direct centre.

Cheers

I like Design character "

Btw, there was a good blog post on the rule of thirds a bit ago...

First I want to thank everyone who helped me with my book; it's completed and turned just as I wanted it..

This is only a tease of a few pages, the full book will be available in April on amazon... please feel free to leave a comment on the site where the book is posted...

http://issuu.com/darklimitarts/docs/bookpreview

Looks very cute - congrats on finishing!

Found some grammatical errors - Should be "You're a cloud" instead of "Your a cloud". Same with "You're a sun". And probably "I am yellow and hot" not "am yellow and hot"

Thank you very much Nancy.......

I love the look, Robert! Congrats on finishing the book.