How to Choose Between Different Children’s Book Illustration Styles When you open a children’s book, what do you notice first—the words or the pictures? For most people, it’s the illustrations. Beautiful children’s book illustrations grab a child’s attention before they can even read. They bring the story alive, make characters lovable, and often stay in […]

The Magic of Professional Children’s Book Illustrations Hey there, I’m Ananta Mohanta. I work as a children’s book illustrator, and I’ve been at this for more than 15 years now — sometimes I can’t believe it’s been that long! In all these years of illustrating childrens books, I’ve seen one thing again and again: good

Hand versus Screen: Finding What Fits Your Children’s Book illustration Best Hello everyone, so sometimes I just grab my paintbrush and go for it. It’s slow, a bit messy, but there’s something real about it. No buttons, no undo. Just me and the paper. Other times? I’m all about my tablet, quick fixes, try stuff,

Illustrating Children’s Books for Diverse Audiences: Why Inclusion Matters in Today’s Art When I first started out as a children’s book illustrator, most of the projects I worked on followed a familiar pattern—similar characters, same kind of settings, and predictable styles. But over the past few years, something has changed. A good change. More authors

How Culture Shapes the Work of Children’s Book Illustrators Around the World I’ve been illustrating children’s books for more than 15 years now, and if there’s one thing I’ve noticed again and again, it’s this — culture has a big role to play in how we tell stories through art. Every country, every region, even every family

Before Hiring a Children’s Book Illustrator: Top 5 Questions to Ask Hello everyone! I am Ananta Mohanta, a children’s Book illustrator. If you’re working on a children’s book, picking the right children’s book illustrator really matters. The artwork isn’t just something extra—it’s a big part of the story. Good illustrations can bring the characters to

How Digital Tools Are Changing Children’s Book Illustration Styles I can still remember when I first noticed more children’s book illustrators drawing on tablets instead of in their sketchbooks. I didn’t think much of it. I figured it was just a trend, and honestly, I stuck to my pencils and paper. But by the time

The Secret Role of Color in Children’s Book Illustrations: What Every Author Should Know When we think about children’s book illustrations, the first things that usually come to mind are adorable characters, playful worlds, and sweet little stories. But there’s one ingredient that quietly shapes how a child feels about every page — color. Color