Children’s Book Illustrations in 8 Steps: A Complete Guide

I’ve been there. You open a sketchbook, you’re excited… and then suddenly you’re stuck on the “big stuff” like style, characters, and how you’re supposed to handle feedback without ruining your momentum. That’s totally normal.

The good news? Illustrating a children’s book doesn’t have to be mysterious. In my experience, it gets a lot easier once you treat it like a process—one step at a time—rather than one giant leap from blank page to published art.

Below are eight practical steps I actually use to move from “I have an idea” to “my illustrations are ready for print (or eBook).” And yeah, you’ll still make revisions. That’s part of it.

Step 1: Choose an Illustration Style for Your Children’s Book

For me, this first step is where you either make the project feel exciting… or where it starts to feel like homework.

Start by matching your illustration style to your story’s vibe and your target age range. There really isn’t a single “best” style. What matters is whether the visuals support the reading experience.

For example, I tend to think about it like this:

• Very young kids (toddlers / early readers): bold shapes, clear expressions, and simple compositions usually win.
• Older kids: you can get away with more detail, more subtle expressions, and backgrounds that add mood.

Then look at illustrators you genuinely love and ask what you like about their work. Is it the color? The brush texture? The way characters are drawn? Anita Jeram’s watercolor worlds in “Guess How Much I Love You” feel soft and emotional. Christian Robinson’s bright, playful energy in “Last Stop on Market Street” is instantly memorable. Those are different styles, but they both fit their stories.

One more thing I noticed: e-books and digital formats have become a bigger deal. Dynamic illustrations (or at least art that holds up well on screens) matter more now than they did a few years ago. I’m not saying you must go fully digital—but it’s smart to choose a style that won’t fall apart when scaled or viewed on a tablet.

I also keep an eye on sales trends. A report from the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design Blog noted children’s print sales dropped 6% between 2022 and 2023, while e-book sales requiring dynamic illustrations grew significantly. That’s a strong hint to consider digital-friendly approaches.

If you want a practical starting point, I like using reference boards. Check out Pinterest and save 20–30 images that feel like “your book.” After a while, patterns show up—like consistent color palettes, line thickness, or character proportions.

Step 2: Pick the Best Medium for Your Illustrations

Once you’ve picked a style, the next question is: what medium will you actually stick with?

Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way—if the medium is too complicated for your timeline, you’ll end up stressed and rushing. And rushing shows up in the art.

So ask yourself: are you comfortable repeating the same process 20, 30, or 40 times?

Some common options:

• Traditional: pencils, colored pencils, watercolors. Great for texture and warmth, but revisions can be slower.
• Digital: Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator. Faster iteration, easier corrections, and cleaner exports.
• Mixed media: scan pencil sketches, then enhance digitally. This can be a sweet spot if you love traditional drawing but want digital flexibility.

For digital work, the “Undo button” really is a lifesaver. I know that sounds obvious, but it changes how you approach problems. You’ll experiment more instead of getting stuck.

There’s also a reason mixed media and digital formats are popular right now. For instance, Bologna Children’s Book Fair reported receiving 21,870 artworks from 4,374 artists worldwide for their 2025 exhibition, with digital and mixed-media submissions growing because they’re adaptable for digital publishing.

One practical tip: think about the final output early. If you’re planning both print and e-book versions, choose something that can scale cleanly and stay readable on screens. Vector-style elements, or digital work with high-resolution exports, usually make this easier.

Step 3: Sketch Your Illustration Layouts (Thumbnailing)

Thumbnailing is one of those steps people skip when they’re eager. Don’t. I’ve done it. It doesn’t save time—it just moves the pain later.

Thumbnail sketches are basically your rough blueprint. This is where you solve page layout, pacing, and composition without spending hours on details.

Grab cheap paper or a sketchbook and do quick thumbnails page by page. Keep them tiny—like 1–2 inches wide. When the drawings are small, you’re forced to focus on the big stuff: where the characters are, what the reader’s eye should land on, and how the scene supports the text.

Here’s an extra tip I swear by: thumbnail multiple layout options for your most important scenes. For example, if a character enters a room for the first time, try:

• Close-up expression first (emotion-driven)
• Wide shot first (world-building)
• Angle change mid-page (more dynamic pacing)

You might not love your first layout. That’s fine. The point is to test visual storytelling quickly, like staging a mini play in your head.

Also, don’t aim for perfection. You’re trying to answer one question: does the page read well?

Step 4: Create and Develop Your Book Characters

Character design is where a lot of illustrators either feel unstoppable… or get stuck.

Here’s what helps me: start with the reader’s age. Toddlers usually respond to big, readable expressions and exaggerated shapes. For slightly older kids, you can add more nuance—subtle emotion, personality quirks, and little visual details that feel “real.”

Write down 3–5 personality traits for each character. Words like adventurous, goofy, shy, curious, or careful aren’t just writing—they’re drawing instructions. They help you decide how the eyebrows sit, how the mouth curves, and how the character holds their body.

Then sketch your characters from different angles and in different poses. Not just “front view.” Include:

• laughing / surprised / sleepy
• side profile
• walking pose / waving pose
• a “thinking” expression (you’d be surprised how often this shows up)

This is also where I recommend borrowing inspiration from real children’s literature. Mo Willems’ “Elephant & Piggie” is a great reference for character clarity and expressive faces—especially because the series uses a consistent visual language to keep readers oriented.

And don’t limit yourself to humans. Animal characters, talking fruits, and friendly robots can work wonderfully—if the design is consistent and the personality is clear. Kids notice that stuff.

Step 5: Select Colors That Match Your Story and Audience

Color isn’t decoration. It’s mood. It’s pacing. It’s the emotional “volume knob” of your illustration.

When I’m choosing a palette, I start with two questions:

• What should this scene feel like? cozy, excited, tense, calm?
• What will the reader easily see? toddlers need contrast and clarity; older kids can appreciate subtler shifts.

Toddlers tend to respond really well to bold primary colors and high-contrast palettes—bright reds, blues, and yellows are easier to track visually.

Think of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. The colors are loud (in a good way) and the visuals grab attention instantly.

For older kids, I usually lean toward more sophisticated palettes—soft pastels, muted tones, and color schemes that support emotional changes rather than just “pop.” Oliver Jeffers’ “The Day the Crayons Quit” is a good example of how muted tones can match witty, story-driven energy.

If you want a place to explore palettes quickly, try Coolors.co. But don’t just copy a palette and call it done. Test it against your character colors too. A palette that looks great on a website might not balance well with your character design.

Also, yes—color psychology matters. Blue can feel calming, while red can feel energetic or urgent. You don’t have to be rigid about it, but it’s a helpful guide when you’re deciding between two similar shades.

Step 6: Make Changes Based on Author and Publisher Feedback

I’ll be honest: revisions are part of the job. No illustrator nails everything perfectly on the first pass—especially when you’re working with an author’s vision and a publisher’s production needs.

When feedback comes in, don’t jump straight into edits like you’re on autopilot. I like to do this instead:

• Read notes once without touching anything.
• Highlight the “must-fix” items vs. “nice-to-adjust” items.
• Ask questions when something is unclear (seriously, it saves time).
• Make changes in a logical order—usually composition first, then details, then color tweaks.

If you disagree with a suggestion, you can still be professional and clear. Explain your reasoning, point to what you think the reader will experience, and offer alternatives. A good collaboration feels like problem-solving, not “you vs. them.”

And remember the scale of the industry. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2025 reportedly attracted 4,374 illustrators submitting over 21,870 artworks (via Publishing Perspectives). That’s a lot of competition—so strong artists learn to integrate feedback without losing their style.

Step 7: Double-Check for Illustration Consistency Across Pages

This is the step that saves you from the embarrassing mistakes—like giving a character the wrong shirt color on page 12.

Consistency matters because kids notice patterns. They’re building a mental picture of your story world. If the world changes without explanation, it can pull them out of the moment.

To keep everything consistent, I make a reference sheet for each main character. It usually includes:

• face options (happy, sad, surprised, angry)
• proportions (head size, eye spacing, body shape)
• hair/clothing details (what’s always the same)
• color swatches for key elements

Then I check backgrounds and settings too. Cover-to-cover should feel like one visual world. If one spread has watercolor textures and the next suddenly switches to crisp vector shapes, it can feel jarring (unless that shift is intentional for the story).

Also, pay attention to lighting and perspective. If the sun is coming from the left in one scene, it shouldn’t magically come from the right in the next.

Quick pro tip: flip through your illustrations fast—like you’re watching a flipbook. That motion makes inconsistencies pop out immediately. It’s way faster than hunting individual details one by one.

Step 8: Finalize and Prepare Your Illustrations for Publishing

Okay, your illustrations are done. Great. But I’ve learned not to celebrate too early.

Before publishing, you need to make sure the files are actually ready for the real world—print shops, ebook platforms, and production workflows all have their own requirements.

Here’s what I always double-check:

• Resolution: publishers often want at least 300 DPI for print (check your specific guidelines).
• Color profile: CMYK for printing, RGB for digital (again, follow the brief).
• File format: ask what they prefer—JPG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, etc.
• File naming: label clearly so nothing gets mixed up (example: Page_03_ForestScene_Final).
• Documentation: include a quick note about what you changed after earlier feedback rounds.
• Backups: keep copies somewhere safe. External drive + cloud is my usual setup.

And if you’re considering self-publishing, don’t rush in just because it’s fast. I’d spend a little time researching the pros and cons of self-publishing on Amazon before deciding what route fits your goals.

If you want to make your artwork more interactive (especially for e-books), you might like this guide on how to create an interactive ebook for free. It’s more practical than it sounds—useful if you’re thinking about clickable elements, motion, or reader engagement.

And if you’re also curious about the author/illustrator side of things, here are real steps on how to become a children’s book author, from ideation all the way to publishing.

Lastly, if you want a more entrepreneurial angle, check this advice on publishing your own coloring book. It’s a niche that’s especially popular digitally right now.

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