How to Draw a Children’s Book
A 21-day guided project. One simple email a day. One finished 16-page book at the end.
Written and illustrated by you — for a child under five.
What you will make
By Day 21 you will have a complete little book: simple words, clear pictures, and a dummy you can hold in your hands and read aloud.
To keep this doable (and joyful), we are making either:
An ABC book
All 26 letters, with a few letters on each page so the book stays 16 pages. Big pictures. Short words. Easy for little ones to point and say.
A counting book
Numbers 1 through 10 (or 12). Count the butterflies, the snacks, the trucks. Simple and satisfying.
This is a book for children under five. Short words. Big pictures. No complicated plot. That is a feature, not a limitation.
Choose a subject (keep it simple)
Pick one lane and stay in it. You may choose your own subject if it is just as simple as these three:
Butterflies
Wings, colors, flowers, a garden. Easy shapes. Beautiful pages.
Food
Apples, pancakes, soup, cookies. Everyday objects you can look at while you draw.
Trucks & cars
Dump trucks, fire engines, taxis. Kids love wheels. You already know how they look.
How the 21 days work
Each morning you will get one email with one task. The task is small on purpose. Do it that day. That is the whole method.
- A new email every day for 21 days
- One clear assignment in each email — think, sketch, write, or finish
- A live group call every Friday for show-and-tell
- A finished 16-page book by the last day
The first email (Monday) will ask you to think through your subject. Do not race ahead and draw the whole book this weekend. Let the days do the work.
The shape of the three weeks
Daily emails will spell out each step. This is just the map so you know where we are going.
Think it through
Choose your subject. Make a word list (A–Z grouped across the pages, or 1–10). Thumbnail a 16-page dummy. Test a simple drawing style you can repeat 16 times without burning out. Friday: show your idea and thumbnails.
Draw the book
Turn thumbnails into real pages. Keep the pictures big and clear. Write the shortest possible line of text for each page. Friday: show a handful of finished pages.
Finish and hold it
Complete remaining pages, add a cover and title, assemble a simple dummy (stapled, clipped, or folded). Friday: show-and-tell the finished book. Celebrate.
Friday show-and-tell
Every Friday during the 21 days we will meet live as a group. Bring whatever you have that week — messy thumbnails count. This is not a critique roast. It is encouragement, a look at how other people solved the same problem, and a chance to ask questions.
What you need
Materials
- Paper or a sketchbook (copy paper is fine)
- Pencil and eraser
- One color tool you already like — colored pencil, marker, crayon, or watercolor
- Optional: phone or scanner to photograph pages
Time
- Most days: 20–40 minutes
- A couple of drawing days may run longer if you are having fun
- Friday calls: about 45–60 minutes
You do not need fancy paper, Procreate, or a publishing plan. You need a pencil and 21 days of showing up.
A note from Kurt
Welcome. I am glad you are here.
A children’s book looks like a big project until you shrink it. Sixteen pages. One subject. Words a four-year-old can hear once and repeat. That is a project a busy adult can actually finish.
We are not trying to get an agent. We are trying to make something a grandchild, a neighbor kid, or the child you used to be would want to hold. Daily practice is how that happens — not talent, not a perfect first page.
Read the emails in order. Do the day’s task even if it feels small. Come to Friday with whatever is on the page. I will be there with you.
You can do this.
— Kurt
A Dad Who Draws
What happens next
Watch your inbox on Monday. That first email is where we begin — thinking through your subject before we draw a single finished page.
If an email does not arrive, check spam and promotions, then add the sending address to your contacts.
