Sketching and developing characters

Being quite a visual person, it has always helped me to sketch out my characters and settings before or alongside describing them in my writing. I wouldn’t by any means say I am fantastic at drawing- I have an Art GCSE, but I scrawl and I rush- I have never had the patience to sit and create something in any intricate detail. I prefer to doodle, and my doodling preferences (even during that Art GCSE) have always been just a little creepy and Tim Burton- like. I remember being in my Art class and creating a giant painting of Jack Skellington and then using that to inspire an image depicting “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” with a gothic twist. I have always liked the style of more gothic cartoons and knew that the atmosphere I created when I sketched these images was the same atmosphere I wanted to bring into the YA novel I am currently writing.

So, here’s a sketched introduction to some of my wonderfully ominous female characters so far. Again, scrawled, rushed and not perfect- but let me know what you think 😊