How to Illustrate Children's Picture Books
In the category of children’s picture books, the illustrations play a central part in the storytelling. Usually consisting of 32 pages for children aged 4 to 8 years old, the images in this form of children’s literature are equally as important as the text. The pictures work with the words to become a highly useful addition in helping children develop reading skills and enrich vocabulary. If you are a writer with a completed children's story, you may also wish to illustrate it, making the book entirely your own. This can be a difficult but rewarding creative process that requires skill and dedication.
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Instructions
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Preparation
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Collect ideas based on what appeals to the target audience -- picture book publishers and young readers. Do your research. After you have written your story and before you begin illustrating, ensure that you read as many children’s picture books as possible. Visit the children's section of your local bookstores and libraries for a wide variety of picture books. If you intend to illustrate children’s picture books for specific publishers, look for guidelines on their websites and make sure you follow them strictly and carefully before you submit.
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Focus on the main theme and tone of your book. Your story’s plot and mood will influence and help establish the style of the illustrations that you will later create. For example, a slightly more serious picture book may contain images of darker colors or black and white sketches, whereas a funny story will most likely be illustrated with bright, happy colors. Keep in mind that the latter style is often more attractive to children and more appealing to parents who will often make the purchase.
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Read the book’s text carefully. Divide the story into small parts. Each of these sections will require an illustration. Look for verbs that describe an action and try to separate the writing in a way that every illustration is attached to one of these verbs.
Illustration
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Create the first sketches for your final illustrations. Use your sketchbook to plan the book’s general layout. See how the illustrations fit on each page, alter the pictures’ sizes and make sure they are easily understood. Simplicity generally works better for children, although detail and richness in color achieve a more striking visual impact.
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Colorize your illustrations. Use programs like Photoshop or Microsoft Paint to illustrate your picture book in a digital format, or draw sketches and color them by hand. If you do it by hand, then select between watercolor images on paper or bright acrylic images on canvas. Go for energetic oil paintings on canvas if you want to achieve powerful images. Work with various mediums and experiment with colors until you find the ones that are most suitable for your book.
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Transfer any rough drafts to canvas, watercolor paper or an illustration board. Develop your drawings further further, scan them and either leave print them. Leave them in black and white if you want to save money, or color them vividly if the cost is not an issue. Bright and colorful illustrations usually attract a child’s attention more successfully. Attach the printed images to the corresponding text as a final step before submission.
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Tips & Warnings
Share your work. Upload some of your best samples to illustrations web sites and let people know about your work as an illustrator.
When you are putting your children's picture book together, it is useful to make your own mock-book, with text and sketches of illustrations, title page, end-notes, publishing information and so on. This gives you a good idea of how the final book will turn out.
Do not send the publisher a package of text and illustrations that must go together, as this will increase your chances of being rejected. Send your complete children’s picture book, with text and artwork, letting the publisher choose what it is that he/she wants to keep.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
