6 Tips for getting started with children's book illustrations
Learn how to draw a children's book from award-winning artist Adee11 and capture the excitement of children's stories.
In order to capture the excitement of children's stories and capture young readers' imaginations, learning how to illustrate a children's book requires the development of certain abilities and artistic methods. Of course, there is a vast range of themes and illustration styles available in children's books. For artists who enjoy experimenting with their imagination, creating illustrations for children's books is a terrific specialization.
But there are lots of things to think about. Children's book illustrations must be understandable and accessible. They must convey the story's emotion and capture the interest of the particular age group for which you are developing them. The drawings in a children's book are everything and must convey the story to very young children who cannot read yet.
This article will offer some advice if you're unsure about where to begin or how to modify your illustration abilities for children's books. See our post on how to build vibrant worlds that tell a story and our list of 5 tips for illustrating children's books for additional guidance. Be sure to check out our collection of drawing tutorials as well as our choice of the best drawing tablets.
6 Tips for getting started in children's book illustration
Adee11, a specialist in the field with years of expertise and scores of popular children's books Give him, including Big Frog! (seen above), will be our speaker in this article.
Adee11 just by chance got into children's book illustration. He was a freelance illustrator and animation director, but he noticed that finding work was becoming increasingly difficult as the competition for pitches increased. The chance to illustrate Poblo Bany's children's book Cats AMY! which was released by Macmillan Books in 2011, presented itself. After the book was awarded the Rather Prize, Adee11's career's trajectory was altered.
1- Find references
Adee11 advises illustrators to consult numerous references while determining how to illustrate a children's book if they're unsure of where to begin. A trip to a national park, a wildlife documentary, a movie, or the creations of other illustrators and painters can all serve as sources of inspiration.
All of these things, he claims, "help inspire my art." "Occasionally, I'll locate a reference image of a landscape that serves as an inspiration for a composition, or it can be the dramatic lighting from a film I've seen that aids in developing lighting in a composition. I use Pinterest to get a tonne of reference photos that I use to build mood boards for each book I'm working on. Throughout the process, I regularly return to these.
2- Mix analog and digital
The second advice from Adee11 for illustrating children's books is to combine analog and digital design. Field used a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet in addition to working on a MacBook Pro connected to an LG display. His final digital artwork is created in Photoshop, and he extensively uses Photoshop brushes, altering their opacity and flow to produce various textures.
I alternate between digital artwork creation at my standing desk and hand-drawn elements in a lightbox, he says. "I tried drawing directly on the computer but it never has the same feel as by hand, it lacks energy and spontaneity," says the artist of the final artwork, who hand-drew the primary characters and the overall background arrangement in pencil.
"When I create an illustration, I try to make it look as if it were hand-painted. Because I don't want them to appear computerized, I steer clear of filters and, when I can, minimize the use of gradients and overt blending mode effects."
3- Map the story
Due to his history in animation, Adee11 has an advantage in this situation. He visualizes a tale as a movie in his thoughts when he reads it for the first time. The story is then "staged," much as in an animated movie.
Two squirrel characters fight over the final pine cone of the season in Rachel Bright's story The Squirrels Who Squabbled(opens in new tab). To get it, each will stop at nothing. Our "hero" character, Burrl, hasn't eaten anything because he's partied nonstop all season. Bruce the "anti-hero" has a mountain of supplies for the winter thanks to advance planning, yet he still feels entitled to the final pine cone.
4- Create thumbnails
While combining analog and digital has been considered, Adee11 claims that he always begins with a sketchbook and pencil. He draws many character sketches and thumbnail ideas while reading the novel aloud to himself.
He claims that "certain compositions come to me right away." "They rarely change significantly in terms of composition since I know exactly how they should be. However, some can be exceedingly challenging and take a while to perfect."
Adee11 will add the best thumbnails into InDesign with the text once he has a collection of thumbnails so he can see how the book is developing. He will share the document with the team for feedback once he is satisfied.
At this point, he adds, "getting the thumbnails perfect is critical." "They form the framework of the book. Making it attractive in color, in the end, will be a waste of time if there are issues with the visual storytelling in this piece."
5- Make roughs Sketches
Adee11 will create roughs if everyone is satisfied with the thumbnails, once more working in pencil and paper. Then he'll begin adding color to Photoshop. At this point, he begins to have a better sense of the finished work.
It can be difficult to select the ideal color scheme for a book. The closing days of autumn are when The Squirrels Who Squabbled is set, therefore Adee11 wanted a lot of wonderful oranges, reds, and browns that were bathed in sunlight.
"In order to maintain consistency with the direction of the sun from scene to scene when it comes to the final art stage, I also start to consider the lighting in each spread at this point, sketching in the shadows. These components give the illustration a more realistic feel."
6- Always Look for new challenges
Always seek novel approaches or methods for illustrating children's books. You can grow as an illustrator by doing this and avoiding becoming stuck using one particular method. There is a spread in the novel The Squirrels That Squabbled (see the gallery above) that signifies a turning point in the plot.
Adee11 writes, "I guess this comes from my background in animation, but I see a picture book as the greatest 24 pictures from a film." "Each page must animate the text, communicate the story, and attempt to add additional visual elements to the narrative. Every book presents a fresh opportunity for me to improve as an artist."
Frequently asked questions about children's book illustrations :
How illustrations are made for books?
Some people choose to use pastels or computers to create their drawings, while others choose to use pencils, watercolors, a combination of media, or collages. A talented artist will normally need to produce a lot of drawings before producing the final version of any artwork.
How do I get an illustration for a children's book?
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and ChildrensIllustrators.com are two excellent sites to get started. Both offer online portfolio directories where you may search for top-notch illustrators for hire based on style, medium, subject, and even location.
What software do children's book illustrators use?
Procreate, Adobe Photoshop Sketch, and Paper are some of the most well-known illustration programs. Learning a few key book illustration tools will put you well on your way to creating your own distinctive style of illustration, whether you want to work digitally or with pen and paper.
Do illustrators get paid per book?
Some merely charge a set amount to illustrate the book. If your contract calls for royalties, you'll probably also receive an advance. Your assured payment amount is known as an advance. No matter how many copies a book sells, you're still getting that.
What are the Different Styles of Illustration?
Ink illustration.
Block illustration.
Charcoal illustration.
Scientific illustration.
Pencil Illustration.
Woodcut illustration.
Watercolor illustration.
Advertising Illustration.
How much does it cost to illustrate a children's book?
The cost and illustrator costs for a children's book will vary depending on the size, complexity, and scope of the project, so there is no single answer to this issue. However, the standard fee for an illustrator to illustrate a book is between $300 and $700.
What programs do artists for children's books use?
Procreate, Adobe Photoshop Sketch, and Paper are some of the most well-known illustration programs. Learning a few key book illustration tools will put you well on your way to creating your own distinctive style of illustration, whether you want to work digitally or with pen and paper.
Can I use Canva to illustrate my book?
While many authors merely use Canva for book covers, some authors decide to use the service to design complete books. It works well for creating books with pictures and illustrations, but it may also be used to create texts with more text than others, such as short tales, poems, and novels.
Are book illustrators in demand?
Additionally, since illustration is such a specialized ability, there is always a need for talented children's book illustrators. You'll need a sizable portfolio to showcase your abilities and experience before you can apply to become a Reedsy professional.
And because the illustration is such a niche skill, quality children's book illustrators are always in high demand. To become a Reedsy professional, you'll first need a pretty extensive portfolio to demonstrate your skills and experience.
What makes a good illustration?
the goal that extends beyond aesthetic considerations. It cannot evoke emotion solely by form; it must also convey and must not express. That is, it can't just exist for the sake of "looking nice." It's okay if you require context from time to time since it will help.
Can you self-illustrate a book?
Read the entire book, making notes or sketches as you go. Create thumbnail sketches for each page or scene of the book, as well as a few more in-depth illustrations, and a color sample that represents how the finished product will seem, once you have an idea of how to best portray the story.
How do children's book illustrators get paid?
For the books they draw, some children's book illustrators also receive royalties. Additionally, some children's book authors are independent contractors who have agreements with specific publishers or writers. Earnings may be impacted by working under contract.
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