Children’s Picture Book Illustration

A picture book is something we all know and love. As children, we all read the enchanting stories about Peter Rabbit, the Cat in the Hat and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and as adults, we love to read those same stories to our children. There is nothing quite like seeing a child’s reaction to the beautiful illustrations that we are lucky enough to find in picture books, both new and old.

But what is a picture book exactly?

To describe it in the simplest way, a picture book is usually a short story aimed at children, using vivid and imaginative illustrations to capture a child’s attention and intrigue. These picture books are often remembered well after childhood, which goes to show just how effective books can be to an impressionable child.

Sarah’s Children’s Books

Sarah has been drawing children’s picture books for the last 15 years. She has developed a wide range of distinct and varied styles, which allow her to create many different kinds of weird and wacky children’s books!

Here is a small collection of some books for young children, illustrated by Sarah.

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I have an idea for a picture book, how can I bring it to life?

Every great picture book starts with a great story!

Whether it’s fun, silly or just a bit quirky, a story worth telling is a wonderful thing. I get lots of requests from people who have written a story for their friends or family, often parents who have written a story for their children.

These stories are sometimes based on real events, such as Holby the Beagle that was rescued from an animal shelter, or a more fictional story, such as Who has Dirty Feet? A story about a little girl who wakes up one morning with muddy footprints on her bed, and then goes around her farm asking the animals who has the dirty feet! The point is, any story that means something to you is always worth telling!

How do you go about creating the illustrations?

I work with all sorts of people to bring their stories to life, and here are some of the questions I ask myself when I put pencil to paper!

Can the story be broken down into simple sentences?
What style will suit the story of this book?
Does the story flow across the pages easily?
Is each page going to capture the readers attention?

When starting a picture book, I always make sure I read the story in full a number of times to help me build up character ideas in my head. I then create some rough sketches, and send them over to the author to ensure that they are happy with the development . Usually, these sketches take the form of storyboards, so you can get a good idea of how the illustrations along with your stories come together!

What about printing?

If you are self-publishing your book then I can put you in touch with a great quality printer. I use them myself for my own books and can’t recommend them highly enough. If, however, you are working with me on a Gift Book, I handle all of this for you, and you get 2 copies of your finished book, so this is a process you don’t have to worry about!

I only want one book as a gift, can you do that for me?

Yep, I sure can! If you have written a story and you want to bring it to life and make it a treasured gift, I can help you with each step of the way. I will proofread the story, illustrate and design the book, then get 2 copies made for you to treasure.

How long will it take?

Every picture book is different. Depending on the style chosen, the amount of pages and the complexity of the illustrations, will quite obviously affect the amount of time it takes.

On average, I find that a book takes anywhere from 2-3 months to produce, from the initial storyboards to the finished printed book.

How do I get my picture book published?

This is a question I get asked a lot. My advice is to give publishers a physical copy of your finished book, otherwise, you may find it difficult to raise interest in your book.

You will also want to make sure that the publisher is right for you. Try and research the other books they have published, and see if your book fits with the type of books they market. Alternatively, with the wonders of the web, there’s LOTS of online publishers now that help authors spread their works worldwide.