We all love the masterpieces our kids create. Creative efforts deserve to be displayed, shared and archived, but it’s hard to keep up when your pre-schooler churns out multiple masterpieces per day. We know it’s impossible to preserve your Children’s artworks forever or even find space to hang them, but here at Canvasdesign we have the answer in the form of your kids artwork on canvas.
So to make sure the best of your child’s art is preserved, you can always choose companies like us. We turn your children’s precious artwork into a favourite piece of kids artwork on canvas. A museum-quality canvas of your kid’s artwork is the answer to all your problems regarding your kid’s art work. The canvasses are printed on acid and lignin-free archival material with an elegant matte finish. So your children’s artwork is something you and your family will cherish for generations – and kids feel pretty proud of them too!
Choose pieces that your child has created him/herself without outside assistance. These pieces tend to showcase the genuine imagination of young children that, in turn, makes these prints so beautiful and unique. Make sure you choose the best and the brightest of your pictures. Since we will be scanning the artwork and then printing it on canvas, non-contrasting colours may not translate well in reproduction. Also Neon colours will appear colourful in print, but they will NOT appear neon. Also make sure to mark the top and bottom of the artwork using a pencil. Although your little one can clearly see where the face and feet are, our graphic designers might find another interpretation!
You can make the canvas even more special by adding captions to the artworks. You just send the artwork to us via mail and we do the rest. When the artwork is properly digitized, we will ask for your recommendations on what patterns and shapes and designs you would like on the canvas. We will send you the print and the original arts back in the post. Years from now your kid will love the way you decided to immortalize his or her artworks. We like to recommend packing all the artworks in plastic to prevent water damage. We would also recommend not to send things that do not travel well, like food-art or clay models.
Kids grow up so quickly that it seems only yesterday that they started to walk and talk. If you want to preserve the childlike innocence and the creative genius of your child, you can preserve his artworks with us and relive their childhood with them later.
Top Tips For Decorating Your Baby’s Nursery
Congrats on your bundle of joy! Having a baby is a special time in any one’s life and you must be super excited of what’s to come. But as you anxiously await the arrival of baby, you’re most likely getting things in order before he or she comes and one of those things is getting their nursery in order. Decorating your baby’s nursery is super exciting and, of course, you want everything to be perfect and cute, so here are some tips on how to create a picture perfect nursery for your little one:
- Choose a theme
The easiest way to get started with the nursery is to choose a theme. Maybe you’d like a floral theme for your baby girl or a woodland creatures one for your boy! Whatever it is that you like, create a theme for the room, which will make organizing and shopping a lot easier. Or, if you don’t have a theme in mind, what colors do you want to include in the room? By narrowing down a few things, you’ll be able to create a lovely sanctuary that you and your baby will love!
- Decorate with decals
Right now, decals are huge in the design space and they’re perfect for adding character to your nursery. Decals are super easy to put up and removing later on when baby gets older, which is why so many parents love using them. And with so many options these days, a quick Internet search can find you the exact decal that’ll match with the rest of your nursery décor.
- Personal touches
Don’t forget to add lots of personal touches to the nursery to make it more comfy and homey. Personal touches can include things like wooden nameplates that go over their crib or photo canvas prints of mommy and daddy and the rest of the family so that they recognize faces sooner. Or you can create your kids artwork on canvas of their ultrasound to remind you of when they were still baking in the oven!
The best thing about creating a nursery is all the possibilities and inspiration, so don’t think you just have to stick with traditional nursery items you find at baby stores and use your imagination to create the perfect space for you and baby!
How to Get into Children Book Illustrator Career?
If you are a crazy fan of children storybooks, you might be aware of the fact of how important role those pictures play in every story. Those illustrations engage kids to the content and help them visualize things that are happening within the story.
There are dozens of storybooks for children, and all of them contain amazing treasures in terms of beautiful illustrations. On some pages, you will see how a lion and mouse become best friends, and at some other page, you may find the tortoise and rabbit racing. There is a deep-sea of thoughts that are painted into colours to engage kids into book reading phenomenon.
The publishing industry is changing with time, but we must say that those lovely and creative illustrations in the children’s books are timeless. No matter to which corner of the world you belong, you may always find some engaging illustrations in the children’s books that help these young enthusiasts develop their imaginations into the stories.
If you are also creative enough to design some interesting story elements for kid’s books, it is the right time to show the magic of your pen to the world. Those who have the potential of putting life to the stories with their gorgeous artwork can definitely succeed in this field of career. Yeah! You can become an illustrator and make a high income while enjoying your passion.
Before we talk about how you can become a kid’s book illustrator, let us describe what is an illustrator basically.
What is a children’s book illustrator?
In general terms, an illustrator is basically an artist who create 2D images for different industries, companies, children books, fashion design platforms, medical manuals, magazines, websites, and advertising. Illustrators follow so many unique techniques to create effects with the richness of colours with the unique impact of shadows and light.
Although there are so many industries where illustrators can work, becoming a children book illustrator is probably the most creative choice for a satisfying career. There is no doubt to say that children book illustrations require lots of dedication, patience, and hard work. But when you are creative enough to inspire the world with your design, you can take your passion to a whole new level.
Children book illustrators develop artwork and pictures that add visual details to the stories so that children can understand the stuff better while reading. Illustrators can work independently as freelancers; however, few others prefer signing a contract with the specific authors and publishing houses. A kid’s book illustrator must have a strong sense of creativity with the ability to lead vivid imagination.
If you have a particular interest in creating artwork to entertain kids, you can choose this profession for life. But to continue, you may need to know more about how to get into this area work and how to succeed.
Don’t worry! The article below can guide you better to lead your passion while making it a great source of income.
How much can children book illustrators earn?
As per a report presented by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the fine artists were reported to enjoy an annual income of $60k/year. However, the number may keep on changing depending upon the portfolio, skills, and experience level of the illustrator.
Note that most of the children book illustrators these days love to work as freelancers as it gives them more freedom to enjoy their passion. Moreover, while working independently, highly skilled illustrators can easily demand higher pay for their artwork.
However, before that, it is important to understand that it takes huge time and dedication to succeed in the field of illustrations. You have to go through huge competition and challenges at every next stage. As the children book publishing demands are rising, the illustrators are also increasing around.
Although it appears quite easier to develop lovely drawings for the kid’s book, the process actually requires frequent revisions, trial and error and close reading. One needs to experience daily improvement in every piece of art. However, once you have decided to succeed with the magic of storytelling, you can definitely succeed while earning more in this field.
For whom Children book illustrators can work?
Many of you may say that illustrators work directly for publishers. Well, some may do. Many illustrators prefer working in-house for a wide range of publishers; however, few others prefer freelance mode of working, and others look for profitable pairing with authors and art directors. The opportunities around may depend upon your work experience and network.
When you decide to work as a freelance children book illustrator, you may get better opportunities to negotiate for payments, or you can even ask for royalties for your work. Some experienced illustrators prefer developing contacts with agencies and agents so that they can get regular work for better earning.
Some experienced illustrators prefer to create pre-prints of their work that are further sold to big companies who develop books for children.
Another role you can play in the market is designing creative textiles, homewares and interiors to influence children’s market. Your artworks may get space on the walls of the child nursery, or some creative illustrations may be installed by parents in the room of their new-born baby. You can also find opportunities to create artwork for the product packaging at some toy manufacturing company. In short, there are lots of scopes to rise in this field; you can easily enter into various commercial settings to earn more in your career.
How to become a children book illustrator?
Now, the next important question in your mind must be regarding how to become a successful children book illustrator. Well, the process is quite easier, here we have listed a few important steps that you need to follow to take your steps ahead on this career path.
- Understand the target market:
In order to become a successful illustrator, one needs to have a strong understanding of the target market. Check out what other successful children book illustrators are doing and what your target audience is expecting.
One of the best ways to learn more about the niche is doing in-depth research. Spare some time to check out the famous children books and explore the artwork in those books. You may understand what style and technique those artists may have followed that helped them to capture attention.
Move out and visit some local libraries. You can also check out the elementary school books to get some inspiration. Collect some idea about what the local school kids are reading, and it will help you understand the audience requirements.
Depending upon how much time you can give to creating artwork, what kind of stories you like, and which design technique you follow, you can target a unique audience. Prior research may help you choose the right audience and the most relevant market for your niche.
Other than this, research can help you develop a better understanding of various illustration styles that are running in the market. You may also learn about painting elements and different design tools available around. The trends have moved so far from traditional watercolour painting; the artists these days are using Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and many such digital tools to lead their personal style.
- Master your unique style:
Your personal style can help you stay ahead of the competitors in the market. Give space to your imaginations and let them grow with the awesomeness of colours. When you want to become a successful illustrator, it is important to spare more time to develop your own style and to lead your technique.
Focus on what you love the most to design and which technique you enjoy following. There are lots of trending ideas for the children book market; you can choose any of these and gain expertise with your work.
If you are a beginner, just check out the artwork of some famous artists in your field. Collect details about the unique style the following; maybe you would like to follow any of those. Start practising with the style that you find most comfortable. Although the process may include trial and error; but you can succeed with regular practice.
Some of the most popular tones of aesthetics and styles in the market are acrylics, digital media, pen and ink, watercolour and brush painting. You can choose any of these as per your personal art inspiration.
- Set up your portfolio:
When you are ready to enter children book illustrator market, it is important to develop an eye-catching and engaging portfolio. A creative display of your artwork may help you land into high paying jobs.
Your portfolio is the first most thing that comes into the hands of authors and publishers that may hire you. So, it is good to make some additional efforts to create an impactful portfolio.
As digital media has become an integral part of our lifestyle, most of the agencies, companies and publishers prefer to hire online. In this scenario, it is better to set up a blog or website online where you can display all your artwork in style. There are so many popular platforms that you can use to highlight your artwork; the list includes Webflow, Wix and Squarespace.
If you are not in a position to develop your portfolio yourself, it is possible to take help from professional portfolio developers. They can help you create an engaging and eye-catching website to impress hiring agencies. A professional-looking portfolio is necessary to grow with your career.
When your portfolio platform is ready, choose some of your best artworks to display over there. They must highlight your skills, tastes, technique, and experience. Along with a portfolio website, you should also set up an interactive profile on social media platforms where you can stay in touch with the target audience. Start sharing your brief sketches and art pieces with your followers. It is the most proactive approach to build your career.
- Build a solid network:
Well, we cannot ignore the importance of having a solid network to succeed in any field of career. Even if you want to become a children book illustrator, it is always important to have some strong connections in the publishing sector.
Many experienced writers have already written some books and guides about illustrator’s market. Going through those content collections may help you to stay up to date regarding market conditions. One of the best books is Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market Book; it can help you to get all valuable resources for contests, publisher listings, business articles and agent contact details.
You can also join the society of illustrators in your area and be an active member of the club to stay up to date regarding available opportunities. Make sure you join the events and meetings with some award-winning illustrators, authors, and publishers. Attending workshops with them may help you build up a strong network to take your artwork to the whole new level.
Other than this, you can join the talent marketplace online where you can flash out your unique portfolio to capture the attention of big agencies. You can also become a part of exhibitions where you can showcase your recent work to the relevant audience. Entering illustration competition at a local and global level may also open up new opportunities for your career.
Key Takeaway:
Now you have gone through all the interesting information about how to lead a successful career with your creative artwork. It is high time to enter the market with your stunning illustrations and grab the opportunities to work with big agencies.
Even if you find awesome commercial opportunities to publish your illustrations, never forget to update your portfolio on a regular basis to build a strong market presence. It takes huge practice and continuous efforts to become a successful illustrator, you should share your journey with the world via your portfolio.
So, get ready power up the cute imaginations of the kids with your colourful and vivid visuals.