"The Gentle Pen" - Life as an Artist!
- plowmanpublishing
- Jul 20
- 3 min read
Behind the Brush: The Countless Hours That Go Into Illustrating a Children's Book
By Liv McLean
When readers open one of my books and see the bright faces of kids, animals, or fairy-tale scenes come to life on the page, I hope they feel joy. I hope it sparks a giggle or an “aww!” or even a moment of reflection. What they may not realize, though, is just how much time, energy, and passion go into every illustration.
Let me take you behind the scenes for a moment.
It All Starts with a Sketch
Before a single drop of paint hits the page, there are weeks—sometimes months—of planning. I begin with rough thumbnail sketches, usually spread across every spare scrap of paper I can find. I work to capture posture, emotion, and movement in the most natural way possible, primarily when the characters are based on real kids (and many of mine are!).
Then come the character studies. Each one of my littles, or the kids from I’m Not Like You, has to look the same from every angle, on every page. That’s no small feat when you're painting by hand.
🎨 The Painting Process: Hours and Hours (and Hours)
Once the layout is planned, I move into the real time-consuming work: the painting.
Each full-page illustration can take between 10 and 30 hours, depending on its complexity. Multiply that by 28 or 32 pages, and you're talking about hundreds of hours, just for the artwork. And because I use hand-painted techniques in either acrylic or watercolour, every stroke has to be intentional.
There’s no quick “undo” when painting traditionally. One wrong stroke means starting over or delicately fixing it without muddying the colours.
And I paint every tiny detail—freckles, blades of grass, buttons on coats, the glint of joy in a child’s eyes—because it matters to me. It’s personal.
🧠 But It’s Not Just Painting—It’s Problem Solving
Illustrating a book isn’t just about making things pretty. It’s visual storytelling. I’m constantly asking myself:
How can I blend my story with this image?
What colours help the reader feel calm, excited, or proud?
Does this character tell a story?
It’s a puzzle. A challenge. And a labour of love.
💛 Why I Do It Anyway
So, why spend hundreds of hours hunched over my desk, with paint on my elbows and eyes burning from the strain of concentration?
Because of the moment when a child points to a page and says, “She looks like me! ”Because of the messages from teachers who say, 'Your book sparked a conversation in our classroom that we’ve never had before.”Because art has power, and children deserve beautiful, thoughtful, meaningful art in the stories they read.
🌟 Your Support Means the World
Suppose you’ve read one of my books—whether it’s Barrel Racer Hazel, Finnie Minnie Meow, The Ruckety Tuckety House, or I'm Not Like You (soon to be released)—you’re seeing the result of months (sometimes years) of work. Every page is painted with intention and heart.
If you want to support artists like me:
Please leave a kind review wherever you purchased the book.
Share the story with a classroom, friend, or family.
Visit www.livmclean.com and sign up for my blog.
Or send a message to say, “Hey, I saw the work—and I love it.”
Those small gestures make a big difference to creators who are working long hours behind the scenes to bring more colour, magic, and meaning into the world.
Thanks for taking a peek behind the curtain.
With paint on my hands and gratitude in my heart.
Gently,
Liv McLean
Author & Illustrator of Stories That Take Time—But Last Forever