In this blog, we will dive into the world of children's storytelling as we unveil the journey of creating the cartoon face of Aunty Chizi and some of her cartoon characters.
Aunty Chizi hosts a children's storytelling YouTube channel, telling well known stories in an interactive way. She combines live action footage with 2D animation and illustration, telling stories such as Goldilocks and the three bears, David and Goliath, The birth of baby Jesus, The hare and the tortoise, and more.
I was commissioned to create the illustrated face of Aunty Chizi. I wanted to make this a
simple cartoon that was cute and looked friendly to little children.
I started out with many different designs but none were quite right. The aim was for the character to be a cartoon, rather than a portrait illustration, but to look like the creator, Aunty Chizi.
The final design was something we were both very happy with. It's a simple cartoon that resembles Aunty Chizi, a cheerful and friendly storyteller.
I was also able to create some of Aunty Chizi's characters. The friends seen at the beginning of the David and Goliath story, and the characters in episode 1 and 2 of When the Messiah came to town. Though I am not the animator for aunty Chizi's videos, I admire those who are. Animation takes a lot of work but the outcome is worth it.
I have always said I would love to make an animated Christian series for children (preferably Disciple Diaries). If I never get to achieve that goal, I'm blessed to have been a part of Aunty Chizi's storytelling journey.
You can view some of Aunty Chizi's videos here. They are so interactive and educational, I feel honoured to be a part of this project.