Illustration styles
In which style should the story be drawn?
Each of these styles has a history older than the children's book itself. For each one, you'll find here where it comes from, who shaped it, how to recognise it and what age it suits.
21 styles to choose from · 21 described here in detail
WatercolourTransparent colour on white paper. The oldest and quietest of the picture-book styles.
Ink and watercolourA fine pen line first, then the colour on top. The technique of Winnie-the-Pooh and Pettson and Findus.
Nordic fairy taleThe forest, the twilight, the trolls. The Swedish picture-book tradition since John Bauer.
Retro gouacheAn opaque water-based paint, bold flat colour, the retro charm of the fifties and sixties.
Coloured pencilVisible layers of strokes and warm colours: the technique closest to how children draw themselves.
Wax crayonA thick, rich mark on rough paper. Warm, grainy, deliberately imperfect.
Paper collagePainted papers, cut out and stuck down. The technique of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
SilhouettesCut-out shapes against the light, a centuries-old tradition and the oldest surviving animated feature film.
Ligne claireThe clear line of the Franco-Belgian school. The style existed for almost fifty years before it had a name.
Graphic novelStrong ink, big shadows, cinematic framing. The graphic novel look, for older children.
Fine penA fine ink line, hatching, lots of white space and quiet humour.
Art NouveauOrnaments, flowing curves and fairy-tale wonder, from the golden age of illustration around 1900.
3D animationThe look of today's animated films: volume, light, big eyes.
RisographA few glowing ink colours, grainy surfaces and small misregistrations, as in stencil printing from Japan.
Graphic and simpleLarge areas, clean edges, few colours: the visual language graphic designers brought into the picture book in the twentieth century.
Ukiyo-e inspiredColour woodblock printing from Edo: fine outlines, flat colours and rhythmic lines of water, carried over into a present-day children's book.
Chinese inkBrushstroke, tonal steps of ink and plenty of empty paper: inspired by the water-and-ink painting of China.
Minhwa worldInspired by Korean folk painting: animals, plants and wishes for good fortune in glowing colours on warm paper.
Cordel woodcutWhite cut lines in black areas: the woodcut on the covers of Brazilian cordel pamphlets.
Andean textile artInspired by Andean textile art: zigzags, stepped diamonds and glowing colours, freely carried over into a children's book scene.
Tingatinga worldStrong colours, dark outlines and patterned animals, inspired by Tingatinga painting from Tanzania.
You can still change the style in the preview
You read the story for free first, then decide how it should look.
See it for free