Be Kind Butterfly - Kids Picture Book

Commissioned by author Adele Harty, I illustrated a 25 page rhyming picture book about a butterfly. Elle, the butterfly has been born with no colour on her wings and must go on an adventure with her mum to find her colour. The book teaches kindness to kids aged 2-5.

Adele wrote the book during the pandemic in 2020 whilst working in the ambulance service. Her son inspired the story and has been with her every step of the way from writing, seeing the initial drawings, to self publishing.

My brief was broad - pastel colours and spot illustrations throughout the book. High detailed pages and double page spreads were not necessary, just whimsy spot illustrations per page. Elle should be brightly coloured and fun.

First I presented a mood board:

Next I presented storyboards:

Followed by the first character design, Elle:

Elle actually ended up changing a little when we reached the next stage as I decided the 5 finger hands were a bit weird and went for mitten hands instead!

Next up were the other characters:

And after approval and a few tweaks from Adele, I moved to the main picture book illustrations. I thoroughly enjoyed this - working with a limited colour palette, a small cast of characters and really focused spot illustrations, this book was right up my street.

Here are some finished spreads from the book:

Luckily I’ve got a 3 year old, and he was the best (most honest!) judge of character when he first saw it. It was magical to share the moment of opening the post when it arrived!

[ozzy pic]

If you’re looking for your picture book to be illustrated in a similar style, with a similar process, please get in touch.