Locations to Illustrate for Your Picture Book Portfolio

Oh the places you’ll go, in your illustrations that is. The more travel in your work, the more exciting your portfolio will be. In this blog series, we are exploring the places, near and far, that publishers are looking for when searching for illustrators. There is so much to explore in each location, we only touch the surface here. Please use these as prompts to make each illustration a unique experience.

Your artwork can take you anywhere, including places you’ve been. Both the beach and a fairground can be peaceful settings or a space to play with busy scenes. Two great summer activities, these locations work well together. Not feeling the summer vibe? Try illustrating how these places feel in the winter. An empty fairground on a cold day could be perfectly tranquil, or the right inspiration for a creepy illustration. Get inspired by how these locations look and how they make you feel.

Beach

Illustration by Astound US Inc. illustrator Alejandra Ruiz?

We love our holidays! Or perhaps you’re lucky enough to live a stone’s throw away from the beach (and enjoy skimming those stones in the waves). Beaches can be sandy or pebbly. You could tackle important current events, such as pollution and plastic waste. On a lighter note, your character may be combing through the rock-pools, learning about the distinctive star?sh, ?sh, crabs, shells. Perhaps their parents sunbathed under the parasol after they used all their energy blowing up the inflatables, now letting their kids play. The balance bucket and spade in hand whilst trying to eat three different flavors of ice-cream… and then picking sand out of the fast-melting cone.