HOW ILLUSTRATIONS CAN MAGICALLY BRING A CHILDREN’S BOOK TO LIFE
Hello my loves!
Would you like to know what I love most about being an artist, other than being wonderfully creative? I love being able to tap into my skills as an illustrator (FYI, another strong forte of mine) to versatile projects that call my imagination to explore and my skillset to expand in dynamic ways. I was beautifully reminded of this charm in one of my most recent projects, where I had the opportunity of illustrating for a children’s book.
I loved this project from start to finish as I really got in touch with my childhood memories of some of my favourite books. Roald Dahl was certainly one of them, where the illustrations of Quentin Blake would magically entice my attention and imagination.
As I worked on this particular children’s book, I came to discover why the power of illustrations can be so transformative. They are more than just about developing the imaginative mind; they also help to develop a child’s analytical mind. With the perfect blend of skill and art, illustrations can magically bring a children’s book to life, and here’s how.
WHAT ILLUSTRATIONS MEAN TO CHILDREN
Visual illustrations instantly enable a child to connect and understand a story as they provide the child with a visual image of the characters, the setting and mood of the story. As well as there being a good, strong narrative, images play a huge role in the storytelling by encouraging the child to interpret what is happening through the images that they see. In essence, they help build anticipation and curiosity, as the child analyses each image as a clue to what may happen next. Put simply, illustrations can transform a simple story into an exciting and magical one for the child.
What I also love is that illustrations can really help to guide a child as they read, especially when the child is still learning. Illustrations help to enhance the child’s understanding of what is happening fairly quickly as they naturally start to connect the clues from each image.
WHY ILLUSTRATIONS ARE POWERFUL FOR CHILDREN
As you may already know one of the main attractions for children when it comes to books are the colourful pictures and illustrations. In fact, they can really get a child excited about the prospect of reading, I can most certainly relate to this! What’s more they can help express values and lessons in a more fun and interactive way by enhancing the child’s engagement, which of course is the objective!
MY STYLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS
When working on illustrations for a children’s book, I really love to get familiar with the author and the characters. I like to delve a little deeper and understand the personality of each character, their likes and dislikes, as well as their unique traits that children can connect to. I then draw each character with a unique persona of their own before placing them in the context of the author’s story. I also like to tailor my style and techniques to the feel of the book and the characters so by the time I have finished the book, each character feels like someone that I know.
It really is about nurturing the connection of the characters with small details that children can identify with. Illustrations can be so powerful that children are more likely to remember the story told through the illustrations rather than through the use of words alone. The best part is that when it comes to conveying important and powerful messages to children, it can be done in a fun and exciting way, as they say, a picture can say a thousand words!
Please head over to my website for more on this project!
With Love
Lauren x
