Entries by Zuzana Svobodova

The Great Shrimp Debate 🦐 & Speed Drawing

I always giggle when I see shrimps in kids’ books looking like they just jumped out of a frying pan — all pink-orange like the “cooked kind.” But the truth is: shrimps come in all sorts of outfits — grey, stripy, spotty, even see-through!Okay, maybe grey isn’t the most glamorous color for a picture book… […]

Everyone Can Learn to Draw (not just) Cats 🐱

These are my cat drawings — one from 2018 and one from 2025. Back in 2018, I illustrated my very first book. No art school. No special classes or mentors. No professional experience. No contacts in the art field. And today? I’ve illustrated more than 70 children’s books. I’ll save the story of how it […]

Sketch from Scratch

Hey everyone! Welcome to my sketching tutorial. This is a great way to practice and improve your drawing skills. Beginners: build confidence and get comfortable sketching. Experienced artists: use this for sketching routine and creative warm-up. ✏️ Two Rounds of Sketching We’ll make two rounds of sketches: Very loose – just to warm up the […]

Character Design Octopus 🐙 Speed Drawing

When drawing a character based on a real animal, it’s important to stick to the basics—but don’t hold back your creativity! Want to see the full process video – every brush stroke, every layer, and all those challenge moments? It’s waiting for you on my Patreon in the Art Adventures tier (and above). 💜 💬 […]

Pattern Brush Set + Guide Pack / Summary

Hey guys!In the past few weeks, I’ve created a bunch of resources for clothes drawing – custom pattern brushes, tutorials, essential tips and much more. 🌟 Now I’ve wrapped it all up into one complete, beautiful bundle – so your character outfit drawing will be easier, more fun, and feel super natural! 👗✏️ It is […]

📚 What’s hiding beyond “The End”?

I’ve just shared new essential content in the “Let’s Make Children’s Books” tier. I’m exploring one of the most overlooked parts of a children’s book: the Bio page! It’s not just filler—it’s the final brushstroke that completes the whole picture. From subtle illustrations to playful author portraits, this little page helps tie the book together […]

🫧 Bubbles… what fun!

They look easy to draw, right? Just some funny little circles.But once you try it… you might realize they’re a bit trickier than they seem. 😅 ✨ A tutorial on how to draw bubbles in three different ways is coming soon for all members! So stay tuned! Meantime, try to draw fish 🐟 with my […]

Process Video – Old Rusty Robot

💌 Hey lovely people! I’m happy to share the process video of this old rusty robot. This fella is from an amazing children’s book about spac 💌 Hey lovely people! I’m happy to share the process video of this old rusty robot. This fella is from an amazing children’s book about space robots. I tried […]

The Best Size of Canva for Drawing

What’s the best size of Canva for drawing? This is a question I get asked a lot! 📍There are a few things to keep in mind before setting up the right canvas size. I won’t go into super technical details—I’ll keep it simple and easy to follow :) How and Where to Create a Custom […]