Behind the scenes: Illustrating front cover art
Technology is advancing and it is pretty cool! Here is the process I used to illustrate the cover art for “When I grow up, what will I be?”
Getting started digitally:
In Canva, I created a storybook template laying out the page orientation and text.
In Google Gemini, I created a Storybook Illustrator application. I started by describing the main character and his consistent appearance. Once locked in on the design, I described what we would be doing on each page and meticulously combed through options until I landed on the design I loved. This was my launching off point for mood and layout inspiration.
In Canva, I formatted the entire manuscript and printed out the pages to tape into a sketchbook.
Moving to the analog world:
Session 1: While my son napped in the backseat of the car parked outside a hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, I was in the front seat painting. I blocked out the areas I wanted the colorful title background to be using watercolor brush pens, used a watercolor brush to add a wash layer on the page focused more on drip, let it dry, and then I repeated with watercolor pencils and a smudging technique. Once dried, I used a white watercolor pencil to outline portions of the outer-most shape.
Session 2 (the next day): While my son napped in the hotel, I used watercolor brush pens to write the title lettering. I went over the color fill twice to get a darker fill. Then, I used a white watercolor pencil to outline the letters. Next, I used a white acrylic paint pen to add an outer shadow to the title lettering (three times). Finally, I used fine line ink pens to add an inner outline.
Session 3: Once back home in Texas, I got started on the character drawing of the doctor. I wanted him to look like a more simplified version of the AI version so it would be more representative of my artistic style, better suited for a children’s book, and easier to replicate many times over. I used fine line ink pens to outline the shape of his body (free-hand). Then, I took white acrylic paint pens and shaded in the interior silhouette twice (letting it dry in between). Next, I used fine line ink pens to outline his clothing and then painted over the outline with the white paint pens. Once dry, I used watercolor brush pens and watercolor pencils (with wetting the tip of the brush and grafting some of the pigment) to add vibrancy to the boy without over-saturating him. I did this 2-3 times to layer it on. Then, I took the white acrylic paint pen and ensured the lab coat was as white as possible and added the subtitle of the book. Finally, using the fine line ink pens, I added the details to the outline and facial features.
Session 4: I wanted to get some rest and come back to the drawing to make sure I loved it before starting on the astronaut and chef drawings. After going over the coloring once more, it got the stamp of approval and I began repeating the process for the other 2 drawings.
Back to digital for the finishing touches:
Once complete, I will scan the paper ad upload into Canva, replacing the AI version in the manuscript.
Once all illustrations are complete, I will print the manuscript to ensure the layout looks right in print and then send to be published. Hopefully the book will be fully illustrated by end of April or early-May! But then again, it all depends on my kiddo’s nap schedule!
First look at the final cover art
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Blog post, photos, and videos by Laura Teichen. © 2026 Moonbeam Learning Studio LLC. All rights reserved.