Plunge yourself completely in the world of imagination, if you want to create something that a child would like. The easiest way would be to remember what kind of books used to capture your attention as a child. Think like a child, let your mind wander back to your childhood days. The days when you loved colorful pictures. The time when the pictures used to speak to you. When you could see a whole movie just looking at one colorful drawing. As a child, our powers of imagination are very strong.
As a children’s book illustrator, you must tap into that imaginative world that kids usually live in. Visual stimulus is more important to capture a child’s attention than anything else. If you want to become rather than hire illustrator children’s books than you’ll find these seven tips very helpful.
Have an active imagination:
The first thing you need is to have an active imagination. The ability to see things vividly is something that will make wonders happen for you as a children’s book illustrator. It doesn’t really matter if you’re writing and illustrating for your own book or if you’re providing a service for a valued client, you should create genuine, first hand and inspiring piece of art that has the ability to capture your audience’s attention in the best way possible. The easiest way to have an active imagination would be to stay and be creative at all times and always be passionate about what you want to create. Having a passion for work makes it easier to be imaginative.
Prepare yourself for alterations:
It’s not really necessary that if you’re the artist and writer of the children’s book than that book might also be published by you. Be prepared to have your work altered if someone else is publishing your book. If you’re new in the field then it might be something that you should be prepared about because when you spend a lot of time being creative and artistic then the final product is always something that is very dear to the actual author. But given the fact that you’re fairly new in the industry therefore if the publisher decides to modify your work by cutting or adding something then don’t be too difficult about it. Understand the fact that while your work is very good and creative, it might lack things that might help in selling it. See, it’s not always necessary that a creative piece of art is also sellable. So, always be open to suggestions and changes from your publisher because it might make your work more sellable and this way you might end up making more money than before.
Get yourself an agent at the earliest:
The thought of getting work from clients yourself is very tempting as this way you’re the only one who gets paid. You don’t have to share the money with anyone and that can be very motivating. But if you’re someone new in the industry and when people don’t know you or your work then it might actually be very difficult for you to get work.
Having an agent helps people to hire illustrator children’s books. See, this is how it works. These agents have a lot of public relations and know-how in the industry. A lot of big and small clients approach these agents rather than approaching the illustrator directly. Another reason why you should get an agent would be that these agents also help make, manage and promote your portfolio. This will help you get more work, eventually. Don’t pass up this option because most artists and illustrators pass up on this option and that becomes one of the major hindrances for them to make good money. You, as an illustrator, need to understand that even though you’ll be paying these agents commission even than you’ll be making good money because you’ll end up with more work because of these agents. So, always go for an agent.
Develop your personal style of writing:
Developing your own personal style of drawing will help you stand out on the basis of your work. Find a style that you’re comfortable with and then stick to it. Finding a style and developing it is not exactly something that you can call a piece of cake. It takes a lot of time and practice to come up with your own, personal, style. But get yourself devoted and dedicated to it and you will, slowly and gradually, start to develop your own style. It should be so, that when someone sees your work than they should easily be able to make out that it’s your work, that you’re the artist behind this particular piece. And this certainly takes a whole lot of work, practice and time.