Illustration directions and finished book work

Work & Styles.

See how an author’s photo of a child, pet, home, or meaningful object can guide a recognizable story character or setting. Then explore fictional style studies and the finished cover, interior pages, and revisions of Ducky and the Thumb.

See photo-referenced art See original concept books See the finished book ↓

Fictional source photo of a child in a yellow raincoat — 1Start with a photo

Storybook transformation of the same fictional child at a glowing tree door — 2Become the character

Photo-referenced story artKeep the recognizable details. Change the world around them.

Optional photo-referenced story art

Photos can become characters and settings—but they are never required.

A complete picture book can begin with your manuscript or idea alone. If you want to include personal references, a child can become the explorer, a pet can become the hero, and a real house can hold the magic. Photos of people, places, rooms, toys, drawings, and keepsakes can all help make a story feel unmistakably yours.

How photo-referenced art works

A child becomes the explorer.

Carry the face, hair, clothing, and meaningful details into a new adventure.

Fictional source photo of a tricolor dog with a teal collar — Fictional source

Storybook transformation of the same fictional dog on a lighthouse path — Story hero

A pet becomes the hero.

Preserve the markings, collar, ears, expression, and unmistakable personality.

Fictional source photo of a pale-blue Craftsman house — Fictional source

Storybook transformation preserving the fictional house in a magical blue-hour scene — Story setting

A real place holds the magic.

Keep the porch, roofline, windows, garden, room, or landmark readers know.

These are privacy-safe fictional demonstrations, not client work: the source child, dog, and house are AI-generated examples created specifically to show the transformation process.

Start with a photo, pet, or place

Pip style studies

One character. More visual directions.

Compare how color, texture, depth, and energy change the feeling of the same recognizable character. Your book selects one approved direction and keeps it consistent.

Request a free sample

Pip carrying a finished book through a tactile cut-paper story world

01 · Cut paper + gouache

Tactile storybook adventure

Bold shapes, handmade texture, and dimensional page turns.

Pip discovering a glowing story seed in a luminous watercolor garden

02 · Watercolor + pencil

Lyrical garden detail

Soft edges, luminous color, and a gentler emotional pace.

Pip flying on a pencil above a city made from stacked books

03 · Screen print + gouache

Graphic, bold, and kinetic

Selective color, strong diagonals, and clear action at a glance.

Pip binding a tiny book in a handcrafted felt and miniature-paper workshop

04 · Felt + miniature set

Warm, tactile, and immersive

Dimensional materials make a fictional world feel touchable.

Pip and every scene above are fictional, artist-directed AI concept studies created to demonstrate style range and character continuity. They are not client projects or photographs of a physical studio process.

Original fictional concept books

Three audiences. Three formats. Three visual languages.

Each demonstration begins with a different reader and story need, then aligns the page plan, emotional tone, and illustration direction around it.

Read the concept studies

Fictional concept

Nori and the Borrowed Moon

Ages 3–6 · 24 pages · Cut paper + gouache

Gentle bedtime reassurance built around generosity and belonging.

Explore Nori →

Fictional concept

Zadie Sparks and the Very Loud Cloud

Ages 5–8 · 32 pages · Graphic STEM comedy

Big visual energy for curiosity, observation, and collaborative problem-solving.

Explore Zadie →

Fictional concept

The Library Beneath the Tides

Ages 7–10 · 40 pages · Lyrical watercolor

A more spacious adventure about originality, memory, and finding one’s voice.

Explore the Library →

Portfolio disclosure: These three titles, stories, author names, and images are original fictional studio demonstrations. They are not client work or published books.

From a chosen look to a complete book

Ducky and the Thumb

A warm story about Cheyenne, Ducky, and the comfort of a familiar friend—developed into a complete square picture book with its illustrated cover, coordinated pages, recurring characters, included revisions, and finished presentation.

Author: Jerrian Hawkins
Format: Square picture book
Work shown: Cover, interior, revisions
Illustration style: Warm storybook realism

Open the complete book case study