Children’s Book Illustrators Can Design Unique Patterns in Adobe Illustrator
Designing a unique pattern in Adobe Illustrator is a fun way for children’s book illustrators to add charm to their projects. Many children’s book illustrations include patterns in backgrounds, character clothing, or decorative borders — so knowing how to make your own repeating designs is a skill worth having.
Whether you’re new to children’s book illustration or a seasoned children’s book illustrator looking to expand your design skills, this step-by-step guide will help you get started with ease.
1️⃣ Set Up Your Illustrator Document
Start by opening Adobe Illustrator and creating a fresh document. Your document size depends on your project, but for practice, try a square artboard — for example, 1000 x 1000 pixels.
How to do it:
- Go to File > New.
- Set your width and height (e.g., 1000 x 1000 px).
- Pick RGB color mode for digital or CMYK for print — important for children’s book illustrators creating actual printed books.
2️⃣ Draw the Basic Pattern Elements
A pattern always starts with simple building blocks. These can be dots, stars, flowers, or even hand-drawn characters — which is perfect for children’s book illustrations.
Use the Shape Tool (Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon) for basic shapes. Or grab the Pen Tool to draw something more organic — like a leaf or a tiny animal, which children’s book illustrators often use to add personality to a page.
Play with color fills, outlines, and gradients. If you’re a children’s book illustrator making a pattern for a book cover or endpapers, think about the theme and keep it playful and eye-catching.
3️⃣ Arrange the Elements
Once your shapes or drawings are ready, arrange them on your artboard. Scatter them loosely or group them tightly — whatever suits the look you want. For example, some children’s book illustrations look charming with scattered, playful motifs rather than rigid grids.
Rotate, resize, or flip elements for variety. Select multiple shapes and press Ctrl+G (Windows) or Cmd+G (Mac) to group them, making it easier to move things around as a unit.
4️⃣ Make a Pattern Tile
Here’s where the magic happens. Select all your arranged artwork.
- Go to Object > Pattern > Make.
- Illustrator will switch to Pattern Editing Mode, showing your repeating tile.
- In the Pattern Options panel, choose how your pattern repeats — Grid for straight rows and columns, or Brick by Row for a more dynamic, staggered effect (great for playful children’s book illustrations).
Adjust the tile size and spacing until everything flows nicely.
5️⃣ Adjust Spacing for Balance
Check how your elements line up. If your shapes overlap too much or float too far apart, tweak the tile’s dimensions. Drag the edges of the tile in the preview or enter exact numbers in the Pattern Options.
Zoom out often — for children’s book illustrators, it’s important to see how a pattern repeats at a distance, just like you’d check a full book spread.
6️⃣ Save Your Pattern
When you’re happy with how your repeating pattern looks, give it a clear name — like “Woodland Animals Pattern”.
Click Done at the top — your new pattern will appear in the Swatches panel.
To test it, draw a big rectangle on your artboard, open the Swatches, and fill the shape with your pattern. Voila! You’ve just created a custom pattern you can use in your children’s book illustration projects.
7️⃣ Make Edits if Needed
Want to tweak it later? No problem. Just double-click your pattern in the Swatches panel to reopen Pattern Editing Mode. Make any changes — shift elements, recolor, or resize them — then click Done again. The pattern updates automatically wherever you’ve used it.
8️⃣ Play with Color and Texture
One reason children’s book illustrators love Illustrator is how easy it is to test different colors. Select your pattern, then go to Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Artwork to explore new palettes.
To add texture — maybe to make your children’s book illustration feel hand-drawn — try Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen for subtle, sketchy edges.
9️⃣ Use Your Pattern in Different Designs
Now that you have your pattern, think about how you’ll use it. Patterns can appear on a character’s clothes, as page backgrounds, or inside book covers. Many children’s book illustrators also create matching bookmarks, posters, or wrapping paper using the same pattern — a great way to make your book brand feel cohesive.
🔟 Export for Print or Digital
When you’re ready to share your pattern or send it to print:
- Go to File > Export > Export As.
- Pick your format — PNG, JPG, or SVG for web.
- For print work, stick to CMYK color mode and export at 300 DPI for crisp, professional results — crucial for children’s book illustrations that look beautiful on paper.
If you are finding illustrators for a children’s book, in a world full of children’s book illustrators for hire, choosing the right person matters. Ananta Mohanta stands out among all children’s book illustrators with passion, punctuality, and professionalism. With a strong portfolio of children’s book illustrations, he brings characters to life through his art. For those searching for illustrators for children’s books, his styles offer charm. As a dedicated children’s book illustrator, he understands the magic that each story deserves. Whether you are seeking famous children’s book illustrators or rising talent, or comparing an illustrator’s children’s books, Ananta makes storytelling visually unforgettable.
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