Ever since I was little, I have always loved drawing characters. Living in New York City, I see new people every day who inspire my doodles and help keep me creative. When the wonderful team at Workman contacted me about illustrating Clay Swartz’s exciting new book, Who Wins?, I jumped at the opportunity, because I’m always up for a challenge (100 characters!), and I was also a history major in college. I can’t wait to see kids of all ages learning about and debating some of the greatest heroes and heroines throughout history. Let the games begin!

While Serena Williams isn’t a character in our book, her name is practically synonymous with the word “winner”. Plus, it seemed only fitting to draw her as we cheer her on at Wimbledon. I primarily sketch on my desktop, but my main tips are fitting for any artist interested in character design–no matter their experience or tools of choice.

Tom Booth’s Tips for Aspiring Artists

Mistakes are your best friends in the beginning of any sketch. The more willing you are to cut loose and embrace mistakes, the more likely you are to find lines that help you see an unusual pose, or a new nose design you’ve never tried before. If you try to draw perfect lines every time, you drawing will feel very stiff and forced.

There are shapes everywhere! Sure, they may not be perfect circles or squares, but everything we see can be broken down into rough shapes. The benefit of using shapes is they can help you see the structure of an object. For example, before you start working on making the most beautiful drawing of an eye the world has ever seen, sketch a quick circle so you know where the eye sits on your character’s head, and how far it should be from her nose and mouth. If you start with the details, your character’s features may look a bit off.

Fill the page! This part is challenging, but try to avoid getting stuck on one section of your image. You can perfectly shape and shade your character’s arm before you draw the rest of her, but what if you suddenly realize that her arm doesn’t quite match the rest of the body, or it’s in the wrong position? Avoid getting frustrated by keeping track of the whole drawing and not just your favorite parts.

When you’re adding details, try to think about who your character is. Just because you have a great design for a hat in mind, doesn’t necessarily mean your character would wear it. Think about her personality as you’re drawing. The more you care about the character, the more likely you are to give life to your drawing.

Oh, and don’t forget, if you’re not happy with your drawing just start over! There’s a good chance you’ll learn a thing or two from the first attempt, and the only way to get better is practice, practice, and more practice.

Happy drawing!