Create a character from a found object.

I did this originally as an exersize for working on children's books, but it can apply to almost any type of illustration you're doing that involves characters.

Find some object lying around, like an article of clothing, a toy, almost any type of thing will work. The idea is to spark the imagination and jolt you into a creative state of mind, as well as exersizing your ability to create a character with no real reference except for the object you've chosen.

Give yourself about 20 minutes to do the sketch, unless you're really getting into it. The idea isn't to create a masterpiece, but to get across your idea with a minimum of fuss. Take a break from it and look at it again later; you'll probably be surprised at how well you did.

Credit: Got this idea from Julie Downing, the talented and prolific children's book illustrator and author. She periodically teaches a great course in Children's Book Illustration for University of California Berkeley Extension.