Photograph of frog and prince fairy tale drawing

Who's your favourite fairy tale character? The Wicked Fairy Godmother or the Big Bad Wolf? How about a wizard, unicorn or dragon? The artist Edward Burne-Jones liked painting fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty. He was part of a group of artists called the Pre-Raphaelites. Their style of paintings made these stories look very real. Can you spot Sleeping Beauty in Burne-Jones's painting called The Rose Bower?

We're going to show you how to create your own fairy tale characters! When you're done you could put on a play or write a new story to go with your characters.

Painting by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones titled The Rose Bower

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones The Rose Bower 1896-1890 The Faringdon Collection Trust

Painting by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones titled The Briar Wood

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones The Briar Wood 1874-1884 The Faringdon Collection Trust

Painting by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones titled The Garden Court

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones The Garden Court 1885-1890 The Faringdon Collection Trust

Painting by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones titled The Council Chamber

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones The Council Chamber 1885-1890 The Faringdon Collection Trust

READY TO DRAW A FAIRY TALE?

You will need:

  • Some ink pads or coloured paints
  • An apron or old clothes – this is to protect your clothes from getting stained
  • Plain paper
  • Colouring pencils (dark blue works well for the characters)
  • Scissors

Let's start with the frog pRINCE ...

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1. Get your materials ready

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2. Make two thumbprints

2. Make two thumbprints

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3. Next, draw two eyes and a smile

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4. Add curvy lines for the legs and dots for the toes

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5. Next add the crown

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6. Good work! You've drawn a frog prince

To create the prince

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1. Make three thumbprints for the body

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2. Add lines for arms and legs

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3. Draw a head and face however you like!

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4. Add three fingerprints for the shield and two lines to make a sword

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5. Draw three rectangles to create a belt

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6. All done and ready to slay a dragon!

To create a unicorn

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1. Make two thumbprints for the head and neck

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2. ADd an eye, nose, ear and big smile!

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3. For the horn, Draw a straight line with a curly line on top. Then add some hair!

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4. Ta-dah! You've drawn a magical unicorn

Why not try other characters ...

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A sparkly fairy ...

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Or a fiery dragon!

Or design a background?

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Choose a scene from your favourite fairy tale or design your own!

Illustration by Lucy Noakes