Most of the time, when I'm approached by a client to illustrate a book they have a vague idea in their mind of how they want the characters to look, but then it's my job to visualise the characters based on their personality traits and descriptions in the book. This process always starts off with sketches of each character in poses based on the text. I'll share these images with the client via Dropbox, in a custom-made folder for this project as this is where all the files ​will be stored. This gives the client access to all the artwork, where they're able to keep track of how the book is progressing. It also helps keep things organised for them too as they can put in any files from their end - particularly things like pngs of ISBNs, which I'd need when I design the covers.

I'm more than happy to revise the sketches if needed, as we want to get the character designs perfect in every sense. Once the sketches are approved, I then start creating thumbnail poses of the character to help depict their personality whilst maintaining a consistent look throughout the book. I want young children to connect with the characters, and not just have them looking static on the page. 

Here are some examples - for best results, either view on a computer or click on the images to enlarge them (you can still scroll through them) -