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How to Illustrate a Children's Book If You Can't Draw
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2024
- I will show you how to illustrate a children's book for KDP without having to sketch a single image...if you don't want to. Learn a simple way to get images and how to layer them on top of each other to create beautiful illustrations for your self-published children's picturebook.
Also, I apologize for the inconsistencies with the volume.
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For collabs contact me @ mamadoesit2@gmail.com
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CLUBHOUSE: @itsashamac
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FACEBOOK: / itsashamac
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Tools/Resources I use and endorse (*not affiliate links):
Media Creator/Editor: www.canva.com/
Photo Editor: www.gimp.org/
eBook Creator: designrr.io/
Website Builder (service): www.magnoliadigital.com/
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Thanks for watching!
Check out this detailed video on drawing and formatting for KDP!
This was the most beneficial video I have watched. I have been looking for days how to illustrate my books and nobody has went into details like you have. Bless you girl
Oh well thank you! And you’re welcome 🤗❤️ Best of luck on your project
I agree
Don't stop doing what you do please, I am a new follower and I plan on using your experience in journaling your way through publishing, formatting and marketing your own children's book. Blessing continually be upon you.
Excellent. Finally, someone explains precisely how to do it. Awesome job!
This is ah-mazing Asha. I felt like I could do something on CANVA but I now I know I can. I LOVE Canva and use it for EVERYTHING, it's so awesome!!!
I never clicked so fast when I saw your title!! I have been needing this kind of advice to self publish my 1st book, and I see another viewer created a book just from this video!! I’m subscribing and liking this video, and will watch your other videos as well….thanks for all you do!!
You have no idea how glad I am to help! Good luck on your journey 🤗 And please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions I haven’t already answered.
You have made my day with showing us how to illustrate a book. I see it's a simple process. Thank you!
You're a blessing! Thank you so much for explaining this. You are awesome!
Thank you for showing how to actually make a book on canva. This was so helpful. You are so creative and I am happy you made this video. I am going to try to make a book now too.
Wow, this was an excellent video! Thank you so much for being so detailed showing the step by step process. I hope your video gets many more views and likes. It really really deserves to.
Thank you so so much! That's truly encouraging!
Thanks, thanks, thanks! This was awesome. I have written several stories, but haven’t published because of not having illustrations. Looking forward to trying these.
This was amazing! Thank you so much. There’s hope for this person who can’t even draw stick figures!
Hi Thank you for this wonderful video. i have a picture book idea and hadn't a clue about how to make it happen. I have done a lot of research recently and I am becoming more encouraged!
Great job sharing direct information in a friendly way without spending too much time talking about things other than the topic! Very helpful! Hope your move and business are both doing well!!! Blessings to you and your family!!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that.
Amazing! Not sn author but other day I bought an amazing personalized book for my babies from LionStory! It allows my babies to use their creativeness and build their own story :) ❤️
Thanks so much, Asha! You have no idea how much you have helped me. Awesome Video!!
You are so very welcome. Thanks so much for watching!
Awesome. Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks Asha...you just gave me some hope!
Really great video, Canva is great. Definitely going to try this out!
Thank you so much for sharing this very helpful video. Abundant blessings!
Superb work and explanations!! You are amazing! Thank you
This is an excellent tutorial!! Thank you so much.
Thank you! Very helpful and motivating.
Blackgirlmagic💫🤸🏿♀️😍 Her puff is just right💯. I've been looking for this video. We need more authors like us, like YOU! Thannnnnnnnnnk you!!
Thank you SO Much! YES! Representation matters!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing!! Great video. 👍🏻😍
This is so great. Thank you so much for this video. I learned quite a bit. CANVA is quite more versatile than I expected.
You’re welcome! It’s my absolute pleasure ☺️
Thank you! You gave us new ideas!!
Omg…this has help me so much. Thank you.
Very informative and helpful! Thank you!
The audio was a bit low for me but thankful for headphones because this content is amazing. You've done a wonderful job teaching us! Appreciate you for sharing with us.
Thank you!
ASMR vibes 😂 You’re awesome! ❤️
Awesome info. I have been paying a ton of money to have illustrators draw for me, not to mention waiting on them. This info will help me. I will subscribe to Canvas Pro and do my own illustrations. Thank you so much,
Good luck!
Thank you for the video. You have such a good eye for design💕😊
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that.
I've used canva a tiny but wow, I've learned so much! Thanks!
You are so very welcome ☺️
Thank you so much!!! This is encouraging!!!! I can't draw at all!!!
Great video! Thank you so much!
Sis this video has helped me so much , i spent all of yesterday wondering how il go about my book..haha sis thank you so much sis
You're very welcome! It's my pleasure, really.
Great video, super helpful!
Very helpful and concise. Tyfs
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Amazing video, thank you!
Thanks so much for watching!
Hi from the DMV (Northern VA)! This video is exactly what I was looking for - thank you!! Quick question: How do I know what size each page needs to be in Canva? Say, if I wanted my finished printed book to be 9"x9".
This is perfect! You only missed setting the size of the page. This was really useful!
Thank you! Yeah I’ve been getting a lot of questions about trim size lately. I’ll have to do a video on that.
Thank you so much queen! So much. Sorry if I missed it, where specifically did you create your characters for your book. I’m having such a hard time and I’d love to make my own characters.
Brilliant.
Thank you.when I started creating my own illustration .I was was happy to remove that it don't take alot of money when you put your time and effort in it
Thanks Asha, nice video, God bless you.
Thank you! You’re so very welcome 🤗
Thank you, Queen!! 🙏🏾🔥❣️
My pleasure!
You just changed my life. 😊
Awesome! I’m so glad I could help 🤗
Such a great informative video Ty my daughter and I are working on a Canva and KDP picture book. How/where did you create your Drawling that little girl in your book is adorable!
Thank you! I actually drew that character by hand with pencil and outlined it with a black ballpoint pen, scanned it into my computer and colored it in using a free software called GIMP.
You are smart. I was going to hire someone from Fiverr. But maybe I can do this myself. Thank you!
You can hire someone if you want to save your time. But if you have enough time and creativity, it's a nice option to do it on your own.
Very informative...thank you!
My pleasure!
This video was very helpful, thank you so much I have been looking for something like this for quite some time now. Once again thank you. Nex time speak a little louder, I had to use a speaker to hear you lol. Beautiful work
This was a great video!!
Thank you! 🤗
Thanks I’ve been doing the same, but with the free version. You have convinced me to pay the $13/ month.
You're so welcome! It's totally worth it especially for teachers.
Hi -thanks for the video - what size page do you use for the pages and do they automatically fit for KDP - thanks, Alan
Great video!!
Very clever!
Thank you!
Very useful video 👍🏾. I’m curious as to what you used to draw your character, did you just draw on paper and then scan it or did you use a special app/ software for drawing ?.
I use paper and cheap artist pens for my drawings. Check out this video czcams.com/video/gaT9SQXCxEQ/video.html where I go into great detail on how I sketch, scan and edit.
You can also use the sketchpad app.
this is truly brilliant, how long did it take you to illustrate your book using canva?
Thank you, I love how you split the scenes between pages. Did you set the page size up to match your finished book dimensions when you started your blank canva project, or did you have to account for bleed/margins etc after the fact etc?
I set up the proper dimensions at the beginning. If you don’t, when you go to upload it to KDP it will reject it. Then when you resize the template you end up having to move everything around on all the pages to get them back to the proper placement. Whether you do bleed or no-bleed you’ll still need to add the additional crop margins. Great question.
@@ItsAshaMac thank you for replying! Watching your video now where you scan in physical images, which is exactly what I've been looking for. You're the only person I've seen upload a video on that method, so thanks!
@@ItsAshaMac Can you explain bleed and no-bleed and what that means? Thank you in advance. Wonderful video, I learned a lot! And I thought your audio was just fine btw. I would just love to see another video from you going more in depth on the technical stuff like page layout, bleed, and upload to KDP. :)
Awesome! Thank you so much. No problem smacking that I noticed
Haha, awesome! Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much for all of the info!! I was wondering if the Canva book can be uploaded into KDP for an ebook. I was able to do this for my paperback by using PDF Print, however, the ebook does not like my format for some reason. I just wondered if you had ran j to this problem.
I actually use the Kindle Kids Book Creator software for that. You can download it for free and it allows you to create interactive and clickable links.
Great Video!!! I would also like to know what was your trim size and if you found 4.5"x6" template. I understand you need a template to upload to CANVA and then you have to adjust it to their blank page. Thank you for all that you do!!! Best!
There is a calculator on the KDP website. The dimesions vary a little depending on your page count. There's also the lazy way of doing it where you create your document and guess the dimesions. When you upload it to KDP, the preview will tell you what exact dimensions you need. But at that point you may have made too much work for yourself as you would have to possible adjust all of your images. So as I stated at first, check with the KDP calculator.
Thank you so much for creating this video !! I have canva and I’m also in the process of creating several children books but I’m not the best artist. What template did you use on canva to create your illustrations?
I’m so glad this was helpful. I didn’t use a template. I literally just went through and searched “a la carte” for what I needed. If you have any other questions please let me know.
@@ItsAshaMac thanks so much for responding. When you first get to canva and before you can make the boom under “create a design” what design did you choose to create your book. They have so many options like: logo, Instagram post, video etc, which one did you use to create your book ? Again thanks so much for responding ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
very helpful, thanks
My pleasure!
I love the editorial on using canva to illustrate a book without any drawing skills or having to go through the work of doing it all yourself.
I have listened to your other videos. Thanks for all you share. I did want to let you know that the sound is ok with the video at first and then it gets really quiet. I had a hard time hearing you.
Thank you. I’m aware of the sound issue. I think this was my first video on which I did a voice over 🤦🏾♀️🥴 I had no clue what I was doing. But I promise the quality’s increasing lol!
@@ItsAshaMac it’s ok. I just didn’t know if you knew. Your videos are great. Your very much appreciated!
What program did you use to draw your own main character to upload? Do you have a tutorial for that? PS this video is so helpful! Thanks!
I drew it on just regular watercolor paper and scanned it in on my computer with my hp inkjet printer with the stock Windows scanner program and uploaded it to Gimp. Simple as that. I’m sure there’s a better program for it. As soon as I try some out I’ll upload a video. Thanks for watching!
Thank you. This is a great video. You mentioned that you drew the little girl. How did you get that illustrated so that you were able to upload it to canva? It doesn't look like a crayon/market/color pencil to paper illustration, but more like a computer software illustration.
I drew the character in pencil and lined it with a black artist pen. You could also use a ball point pen or thin sharpie. I scanned it onto my computer with my printer/scanner and uploaded it to a free software called Gimp. There I 'bucket filled' all of the colors giving it that computer generated look. I saved it to my computer and uploaded it to Canva.
I also removed the background of the image once I uploaded it to Canva.
@@ItsAshaMac This is very helpful. Thank you so much for this video!
Hello Asha Mac, I have several projects that are going forward as of now, and I really enjoy your videos and simple sweet arrangements for creating great little books for kids. Two questions, is Canva as good as the reviews say, and how often do you use Canva?
Canva is awesome! I literally use it for all of my graphic content. It's a necessary tool in anyone's digital toolbox.
Try it out for free and draw your own conclusion.
@@ItsAshaMac totally awesome and brilliant 👏 thanks for your help and response 👍 this is great news
Can you do this if you are self publishing with a publishing company that's not KDP? I love that you make your own illustrations. You did a great job. If I create a spread for my children's book can I just print out the spread for the publisher or do I email them to them? Totally new at this and it's my first children's book
So different publishing companies require different formats. Which company do you plan on using?
Thank you so much :)
My pleasure 😊 Thanks for watching!
Hello, great video. My question is, did you use all your images for your book from canva?
Thank you! It's actually a mixture; mostly my own drawings as well as some royalty-free graphics.
May I ask how to search for set of characters which are all uniform?
Thank you for this video. I just finished writing a children's book but I'm afraid to use canva. Is it ok to sell a book that has art from canva or are there copyright laws against it?
Congratulations! And don't worry, Canva graphics are copyright free. Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you so much for this ! May you share what software you used to create the character !?
Thanks for watching! I actually draw all my characters and some of the other components by hand using basic artist tools. Then I upload them to GIMP for editing and finish the entire illustration in Canva.
@@ItsAshaMac your a beautiful artist ! Keep it up !
Great video. What software did you use to draw Wanda?
I drew the outline by hand and then colored it in in Gimp. I then uploaded her to Canva and removed the background so that I could use the illustration freely.
Amazing ideas but what is the don't you've used?
Question, So is it ok to use the images in canva for my book do I have to worry about copyright or using someone elses images when I publish my book.
Canva's content is copyright free however they do have a sort of "disclaimer" on their site:
All free photos, music and video files on Canva can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use.
If a photo, music or video file contains an identifiable person, place, logo or trademark, please ensure you check the image source or contact us if you’re unsure. We can’t guarantee that any free images, music and video files have the appropriate releases for commercial use.
Attribution is not required but always appreciated.
You can modify the photos, music and video files. Be creative and edit the media as you like.
Because of that I usually stick to using the pro images unless it's just an accent or something. I hope this answers your question. Sorry for the delay!
When you drew Wanda, did you draw her free hand and upload her, or did you draw her on this site? Or another online drawing platform?
I drew an outline of Wanda freehand and then scanned it into my computer with my printer/scanner. I edited it in Gimp by brightening the white background, darkening the sketch lines and using the eraser tool to clean up some of the stray lines. Then I used the bucket fill tool to fill in all the colors.
Great video, I have finished illustrating my book. When I download my the pages with illustrations they are showing the outlines of their boxes. How can I get rid of them?
Are you using Canva? I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "outlines." Are you saying that there is a textbox around the entire text or an outline around each individual letter/word?
I am using Canva, and it's a box outline around each separate graphic.
"Leave a legacy for your family; like --yeah, you get to tell your story, man! And if not, well, the worst thing that can happen is that it turns out like crap" 🤣 Loved it. It's true though.
This is a great video.
What size did you use for this book?
Thank you! This book is 8.5 x 8.5
@@ItsAshaMac Is this the size you put in Canva when you started from scratch?
Did you have to redraw the characters or was there a way to duplicate it and change her posture?
I had to redraw characters. The good thing is that the more you practice the easier it becomes ☺️ It’s seems very daunting at first but it really does get so much easier!
Are the margins already set to 6x9 using Canva or does it have to be converted? If so how do we then convert it
Do you mean when you create your template? Either way, you must set your dimensions at the start, when creating your document. Just remember that if you don’t select “full bleed” when uploading to Amazon, KDP will reject just about anything that has color to the edge of the page 😵💫😅 lbvs. I hope this helps 😊
It's Asha Mac thank you for the video. In Canva did u use 8x8 or 9x11 or 6x9 to create your pages?? We didn't see how you got to your dimensions.
Great! But, how do you change the pose of the astronaut ???
I had to draw each pose.
Can I take Canva elements, alter them, and use for a book without getting copyright violations?
Yes. 100%.
I'm confused on what pages the front and back of the cover goes when using canva?
The cover is actually a separate file. Create a project that is the width of both pages combined. For example, if you were creating a book that measured exactly 6x9 the cover file would be 12x9 (this is an estimation). And the front of the cover would be on the right half of the project so that when it gets folded it is on the front. Does that help?
When you're done, you just download as a PDF then upload into kdp?
Yes. Exactly.
You don't know what you don't know, right?! I am just getting ready to illustrate my first children's book. Does it matter what sizing you are using in Canva or is there a special setting to select for a book project?
Once you choose what size you actually want to make you book (see the options on KDP) then you set your template for that size. Choose ‘custom dimensions’ from the ‘create new design’ tab in Canva. Switch the dimensions from pixels to inches and set your size there. Just remember to create your cover in a different project/document/template in Canva since the cover is done as one page (back and front) and the interior is done as individual pages and not spreads.
I hope that wasn’t too confusing 😵💫❤️
@@ItsAshaMac I think you're due for another video on how to choose page layouts, consider page bleed, complete a cover, and then download and publish to KDP. Haha! This was a GREAT tutorial, I'm inspired to get Pro to create a children's book. I've used the free version for infographs and marketing materials. Thank you so much for such quality content!
Just wondering, are the images on Canva free for commercial use or are they copyrighted? Thanks
This is what it says as per the website: All free photos, music and video files on Canva can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use. If a photo, music or video file contains an identifiable person, place, logo or trademark, please ensure you check the image source or contact us if you're unsure.
I try to stay away from images with identifiable people. But if I do happen to use one (which is almost never) I give credit. For illustration purposes, in my opinion, you should be fine.
@@ItsAshaMac thank you!
How did you make the character? Was that a separate program ?
If you’re asking about the astronaut, I drew that and scanned it into gimp to edit and then uploaded it to KDP. If you’re asking about the apples, I break down how I created those right there in Canva.
@@ItsAshaMac thank you so much!!!! I’ll download gimp. Great video
how do you get the final illustrated book from canva into KDP? I'm guessing you can upload it?
Good question. You have to download it from Canva as a "PDF Print" file. The "Download" button will be on the upper right hand side of your canva screen. And remember to have two separate files 1. an interior file and 2. a Cover file. Both PDF Print.
Then log into KDP. On the main page (Bookshelf Page) select the "+ paperback" option. This is where you put in all of your book's information and receive your ISBN. And after you've put in all your information you will be taken to the page where it asks you to upload your files.
Once you upload them you must open the preview window in order to approve your book. If there are any errors they will be detailed on the left side of the preview window. Just read what is indicated to be wrong and go back to Canva, fix them and dowload it all over again. You won't have to put in all of the book information in KDP again though.
Sorry for the long response. I hope this helps. Good luck!
@@ItsAshaMac ok thanks for letting me know! Also, I was wondering how you created Wanda? Did you make the character on Canva too? I think creating an original character is essential because it’s the only way that I can change facial expressions to match each scene etc
How do you draw a character and put it on Canva
I draw my images on sketch paper, scan it onto the computer with my printer (some people take photos of their drawings with their phone in bright outdoor light), edit them in Gimp if necessary, then upload them to Canva.
Where did you do your drawings? Procreate?
I sketched them on paper and scanned them into gimp to edit.
Il try it sis , sis is everything okay with you , i saw you were not active for some time.. ❤️ hoping everything is fine there sis
Yes all is well! Thank you so much for asking. My oldest son just started preschool and I’m weaning the younger one. So things have just been a little hectic 🥴😵💫 Thank you so much for watching and let me know if I can be of help in any sort of way. 😊
@@ItsAshaMac 😁😁😁 ❤️ im so happy you are fine sis ❤️ yes sis you really helped me , I'm trying to make some art...but I'm so not sure where to begin you know.. and I had some ideas for children's story books.. hehe I got some ideas from you to make them on canva 😁 Sis thank you , May god give you strength to do everything for your kids .. ❤️
This is great for everything but the character which you drew 🤷🏽♀️ so what about those of us who can’t draw how do we create a character?
You can actually purchase some illustrated characters pretty cheap on sites like creativefabrica.com but you can also find them in the elements tab on Canva. You just have to get a little more creative with your design as their positioning is already determined.
I have wrote a short children's book only about 12 pages I was wondering why I was watching you how to illustrate if you don't know how to draw how the layout your books should look like before you even put the pictures in I need a little help please
I may need some clarification on excatly what you need help with. Feel free to DM me on IG @it'sashamac and I'd be more than happy to try!
I am regretting that algorithm put this video in front of me... I suggest all of you save 2 years worth of subscription on any platform like this, go on fiverr and take someone to do it and/or take time and learn to draw... It is sad what people find helpful, each of these comments makes me feel like i am trolling here, which means i studied for no reason in this field as i can't help amateurs being authors with decent artwork ... Good luck putting even more trash into the world... Kids deserve better but hey, who cares but us professionals??!
if you do something for yourself and doing few copies for friends I would totally support it as being creative is great!!!
Everyone has to start somewhere. As did you. Maybe the algorithm should apologize to you for misjudging the type of help/content it thought you needed. Thanks for your input 🤗
@@ItsAshaMac i didn't start in software... I encourage you to do the real work and learn fundamentals if you want to do it as a full author... The software didn't help you, but provided you tools to do it if you know how... Take a year drawing 40 min a day and you will be way better in canva, and surround yourself with really good books to strive and look up to it... Don't put people into creating something that is not worth it... You have plenty of cool videos on other topics and nice personality! Thanks for replying and i am saying this with love and from natural position to advice.
The point isn’t to start here and stop here. Some people are so stifled by their inability and skill that they never even try. This gives people a place to channel their creativity and continue to learn. Sometimes you just need to start no matter where it is. If you can’t understand that I feel bad for you and hope you’re in no position to motivate anyone.
I do appreciate your opinion though. It helps me make my point. Thank you.
I can't hear anything
Great video, except for the barely there audio :)