Help me pick a (style) lane, please!

Hi there!

For the past few years I have been planning to escape my dreadful corporate career and hopefully move into a career as a freelance children's book illustrator. Now, as I'm finally at the stage where I can start assembling my portfolio, there is a problem. I have a bunch of pieces in three quite distinct styles (all of which I feel comfortable working in, and which I enjoy equally much), and I feel I need to pick one to build my first portfolio in. I'm imagining being able to build more portfolios down the line, but for now I probably need to just pick a lane.

So, with all that said, I need your advice. Which style do you think is most likely to get me work as a children's book illustrator?

I appreciate any and all input and guidance you can provide me with.

Style 1: muted colours, shaded forms, low detail
Style 2: vibrant colours, visible brushwork, medium detail
Style 3: black pen, blocky, vibrant colours, high detail

carlianne

@mia-clarke
#1 and #2 don't feel different to me. Just different approaches for a different mood. I'd go with those ones since you seem to be doing more of that anyway.

Have you tried doing the dream portfolio or putting your piece in the middle of a 9x9 square of other professional artists to see how it stacks up? I found both of those assignments to really help me narrow my focus

Kristen Lango

@mia-clarke I relate to this question a lot, and while I think it's a valid inquiry, I think you should focus less on "which style should I choose" and more on the mastery of illustrative drawing.

I say this because I'm trying to do the same thing, and I feel it has helped take some of the pressure around this question off my shoulders.

I think you can do this by taking classes here, checking out books from your library to help you define what you like in children's illustration, and just staying in a constant state of study/curiosity about the field/industry.

I know this all might sound a bit vague, but I hope this was of help to you!

Melissa_Bailey

@mia-clarke some illustrators work in more than one style, and that's ok. They've mastered more than one style, can render consistently, and get regular work.

Agreeing with @Kristen-Lango -- instead of focusing on style, focus on honing your visual storytelling skills. Practice drawing children, environments, things commonly seen in children's books. Pay special attention to sequential art and being able to consistently illustrate the same character(s) over and over again.

I mention character consistency and sequential art because it is essential in illustrating children's books, and I don't see that in the above illustrations. In a 32 page picture book, expect to illustrate the same character 20 or more times.

Read a lot of children's books, too. You'll find that there is no one "picture book style" -- just about every artistic style appears in picture book illustrations.

Focusing more on skill and less on style, you'll probably find that you'll organically settle into a style all your own during the process. And as time passes, it will probably keep evolving, and that's okay too. That just naturally happens with illustrators, and if you have your foundational skills down and are a stellar visual storyteller, you'll keep getting work.

@carlianne Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I have done the 9x9 several times, and I agree it’s a good exercise, but I haven’t used it as a means of picking which of my own work I like better, so I’ll try that! ️

@Melissa_Bailey Thank you for your advice, Melissa, I’ll take it to heart. The pieces above are all part of little universes, where the same characters appear several times in several pictures, but even still, character consistency is something I still struggle with. I’ll do as you say and focus there rather than worrying about the style!

@Kristen-Lango Great advice, Kristen, thanks a bundle! I’ll do as you suggest and focus on my skills instead.

Melissa_Bailey

@mia-clarke you're so welcome, Mia! Keep us informed and let us know how it's going so we can cheer you on!

Kristen Lango

@Melissa_Bailey Couldn't have said it better than this!

Griffin McPherson

I’m also still working on developing my style. Though there are practices you can do to land a specific style more quickly (Lee’s dream portfolio is worth a look btw) I think the mindset to take on here is that you haven’t arrived at the point on your artistic journey where your style is clearly defined and that’s totally okay. Many professional artists say that they feel they didn’t have a "style" until years into their career. Think less on marketability and more on connecting with your creative roots. Which of your styles do you like? What resonates with you the most. Focus on that and that is where your best artwork will come from, and your style with it.