Educational Material

Before embarking on my writing journey, I had no idea that book design was a profession. I hadn’t even heard the term before! Now that the artwork for my book is complete and my publisher has submitted all the files to the book designer, I thought it might be helpful to talk about the book […]

Back matter in a children’s picture book refers to the additional content or supplementary information after the main story has concluded. Not every book includes back matter, but since I enjoy learning more about the author’s inspiration or the topic explored in the story, I decided to include a couple of pages of back matter

In a previous post (Illustration Mediums: Part 1), I listed six of the most common art mediums used to illustrate picture books for children. I briefly discussed the first three: watercolor, acrylic, and pencil. In today’s post, I will provide examples of charcoal, collage, and digital art. Charcoal:  If the story’s atmosphere is dark, moody,

In previous posts, I discussed some of the most popular illustration styles used in picture books. In this post, we’ll examine the tools and mediums that artists use to create their distinctive artwork. As an author, I know that the text of the story is very important, but what they say is true: a picture

Picture books, like all art forms, are subject to shifts in theme, style, and format.  While I’ve been voraciously reading children’s books lately, I’ve become aware of several interesting trends.   Once upon a time, there was a world in which a picture book could be as long as 1,500 words. It seems we do not

This aspect of my research is absolutely fascinating!  Many different styles can be used by talented artists to conjure images that bring an author’s words to life.  Every word in a picture book matters, but it is the illustrations that make the story come alive, especially for children who can’t yet read.  A big part

Virtually every children’s book requires illustrations. Before picking an illustrator, you need to decide on an illustration style.  Depending on the subject and tone of the book, one style might be more appropriate than another.  I read a multitude of books, checked out artist websites, and scrolled through portfolios of agencies representing illustrators to figure