From Sketchbook to Story: How Characters Come to Life

Sometimes when I’m doodling, I meet characters I never planned to create. Inspiration can come from anywhere — from an object on my desk to a prompt I’ve pulled out of my ideas jar, or even the people I meet in my everyday life.

I wasn’t always comfortable creating characters with backstories. For a long time, I didn’t think I could do it at all. But over time, as I began to write stories and illustrate them, characters started to appear naturally — almost like they were waiting to be found.

For example, Stottie was inspired by the dogs I grew up around and their wonderful mannerisms — especially Yorkshire terriers, who have so much personality packed into such small bodies. His name comes from my northern heritage and a little nod to Geordie dialect. I love how expressive Yorkies are with their eyebrows and head tilts, and I wanted to capture that in him.

Thistlewhim, on the other hand, came from a completely random prompt I pulled from my ideas jar. He’s the kind of character I never expected to draw, yet he quickly became a favourite. His personality is inspired by my godmother and late godfather — their deep love of nature and their gentle, non-judgemental support.

I know a sketch has “clicked” into something more than a doodle when I start thinking about story ideas that naturally fit around that character. When that happens, I know they’re here to stay.

When creating the world of Wimblewick, I started with the values that guide the characters who live there. I wanted it to be a place where kindness, curiosity, and compassion were woven into everyday life — but also a world where everyone has their own challenges hidden beneath the surface. I thought about the kinds of jobs that would exist in such a place and who might fill those roles.

For example, Murmle, who struggles with anxiety, creates maps so no one ever gets lost in Wimblewick. Later, he faces his fears when he has to sell those maps in the local shop. Details like that help me build characters who feel real — creatures who appear to be functioning fully but still have their own worries and wobbles underneath.

Once I have my character sheets, colour palettes, and loose ideas about how each one might work through their “big feelings”, I move into story development. I use an app called Campfire, which lets me log my ideas, connect them, and write the manuscript. It’s wonderful for world-building because I can map relationships between characters and even make notes for illustrations as I go.

When the story is ready, I divide it into page spreads and make notes about how each moment should look visually. I lay out my books using Canva, which means the first time I see the words and pictures together is during this stage. It’s such an emotional moment — seeing the story begin to look like a real book for the first time.

But nothing compares to holding the printed proof copy in my hands. That’s when it truly feels real — when I can imagine children reading these stories and connecting with these characters. And honestly, the most meaningful part of it all is hearing from readers who’ve fallen in love with these little beings from Wimblewick. Knowing they see themselves reflected in the stories means the world to me.

Over to you:

After hearing about my process, do you think you have any stories hiding in your own doodles?
And just for fun — what was your favourite book growing up?