Children’s book illustrators please help?

I have written a children’s book and i want to illustrate it myself. I am going to self publish because i at this stage i have done it for my friends and family. I don’t have any art training but i can draw, what are the best materials to use? Paints, colors pencil or pastels etc? All info will be greatly appreciated.

Hi:

I am an aspiring children’s book illustrator, so I have done some research. You might check out the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for some information. They routinely have contests and the winners are awarded prizes like free membership in that group for a year. You can really find a lot of information there.

I don’t think it really matters what media you actually use, I think the final image matters. If I were you, I would try to get a glimpse of the past Caldecott awards and nominees for each year – this award, if you’re not familiar with it, is given to the best illustrated children’s book.

I would also go to a book store and browse the current childrens books to get an idea of which style you might like and might try to adopt and make your own.

Another great source of inspiration is to look at the classic illustrators – NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parrish, Arthur Rackham, Jesse Willcox Smith, and many, many more wonderful artists like these.

Probably a classic approach is to use watercolor and/or gouache with ink. You can really get some exceptionally lovely results with these items. You can also get watersolulable colored pencils that work nicely with these, and also soft pastels. Just play around with some of the materials and look at what other people have done and you can really find what you like the best.

I truly hope this helps and inspires you. Also, feel completely free to check out the wonderful online artist community wetcanvas. There are currently more than 112,000 worldwide members there, and basic membership on the site is completely free. You can browse as guest, too. I’ve been a member there since 2003, and haven’t noticed any weirdness from being a member.

If you need more suggestions, feel free to pop me an email, and I’ll try to give you a few more. Hope this helps.

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