Practical guides to images and books
Journal
Clear guidance for preparing an illustrated book, choosing a visual direction and understanding the work from the first brief to publication-ready files.
How can I keep my brand from looking like every other brand in my sector?
Build a visual identity true to your business, personality and distinctive features, without adopting the dominant conventions.
When should I approve my book’s drawings, and how should I handle a text change?
Approve your book’s drawings at the initial sketch stage, after checking the storytelling and choosing the direction I will develop across all the images. If you subsequently change the text, request a review of the scenes concerned: a structural rewrite during storyboarding changes the project’s scope.1, 2 When illustrating a book, I begin by clarifying […]
What should the image show, and what should children be left to infer?
The illustrator must show the clues needed to connect the action; I advise leaving children to develop the interpretations those clues make possible. To decide how to share this work, start with what the words make accessible, then look for the gesture, gaze or spatial relationship that gives readers a way to grasp the implicit […]
Why is a custom illustration more than just a pretty drawing for my brand?
A custom illustration gives visible form to what your brand wants to communicate. It goes beyond the pleasure of looking.
Should I use photos or illustrations for my brand image?
Photography or illustration: how do you choose? A photo shows a verifiable reality, while illustration conveys an idea and creates a distinctive visual language.
How can you keep characters consistent in a picture book, and what are the limits of AI?
To keep characters consistent in illustrated books, you need to establish the identity of each character in a precise visual bible.
Why Traditional Artistic Training Makes the Difference in Children’s Illustration
Because traditional training gives an image a foundation in drawing, volume and expression that digital tools do not create on their own.
What should you prepare before commissioning a children’s-book illustrator?
Prepare a stable manuscript, budget, schedule, format, publishing route and useful references before commissioning picture-book illustration.
How many illustrations does a 32-page picture book need?
A 32-page picture book does not require 32 images. Learn how spreads, full pages and spots are counted after the story has been paginated.
Illustrator or AI for a children’s book: test the narrative, not one image
Compare an illustrator and AI with three connected scenes. Test character continuity, action, revisions, page rhythm and final-file responsibility.
What does a hand-drawn brand identity include? A Real French case study
See how drawing becomes a usable identity through the Real French case: mark, type, colour, variants, applications and agreed final files.
How to brief editorial illustration through to publication-ready files
Text, image purpose, format, approval and final files: build an editorial illustration brief that works for print or digital publication.
How much should you budget for picture-book illustration?
Nicole Hénusse’s picture-book illustration starts at €4,500 for 24–32 pages and roughly 12–15 illustrations. See what shapes the quote.
What observational drawing brings to children’s-book illustration
See how observation supports gesture, volume, light and continuity in children’s-book illustration, with digital tools used for finishing and production.
Does your project need a precise visual eye?
Explore Nicole’s work in illustrated books, editorial illustration and brand identity, then tell Nicole about your project.