Six Different Perspectives for Illustrations in Children’s Book
Using different visual perspectives throughout a children’s book will keep the reader engaged while also showing more detail, story, and emotion!
The way you look at a scene will change how you feel about that part of the story.
When you are designing your illustrations through thumbnails, make sure to use a wide variety of view points to look at each page. Certain points of view make more sense during different parts of the story—you can match the angles with the words!
Basic Foreground/Background Perspective
Underneath Viewpoint/Looking Up Perspective (Worm’s Eye View)
Looking Down as a Perspective (Bird’s Eye View)
A Framed Perspective in Your Illustration
The Far-Away Perspective (Aerial Perspective)
The Cross-Section Perspective
Learn more about these six different points of view to use in your kids book illustrations and also find ideas on how to use perspective in images to add emotion, suspense, and magic.
I am an illustrator and will talk about two books that I have illustrated— “Maybe A Whale” (written by Kirsten Pendreigh) and “Mother Aspen” (written by Annette LeBox).
1. Basic Foreground/Background Perspective
In this visual point of view, there is a defined foreground and background—though the action may occur at either site.
In the first image below (from ‘Maybe a Whale’), the little girl is the focus of the image while her mother stands in the background. In the second image (also from ‘Maybe a Whale’), the mother and daughter are carrying their supplies to a campsite in the background of the image (one could argue it is the middle-ground) while the starfish are hanging out in the foreground.
(This can be one-point perspective, two-point perspective, three-point perspective etc. You don’t have to be technical in this POV—I’m simply talking about a scene that is at eye-level and has a foreground or background. If you want more nitty-gritty options check out ‘Sketch Like an Architect’ blog post here)
Why use a foreground/background perspective? This is a great point of view to show both scene and action. You can highlight details of the surrounding area (starfish, rocks, beach, etc) while also showing the action taking place in your book. This POV is also creates a strong connection between your characters and their environment.
How do you create emotion with this point of view? Create a mood or emotion through your use of scene—either background or foreground. In the first image, the fog, ocean, and limited view of the beach are boxing in the characters, creating the feeling of being contained or trapped. In the second image, the expansive horizon and sky create the opposite feeling—they are free and adventurous!
2. Underneath Viewpoint/Looking Up Perspective (Worm’s Eye View)
Looking up from below is a fun point of view to use in your children’s book as it creates a surprising image! In the picture above (from ‘Maybe A Whale’) we see the kayak from below, looking at it through a smack of jellyfish and some friendly seals. The ocean colors and the light streaming through the water create a magical point of view!
Why use a looking up perspective? This point of view is fantastic for showing how our story looks from others outside the main story—for example, from the POV of a seal or a mushroom (below). Taking a look at the characters and story in an unexpected way gives us new perspective!
In“Mother Aspen” we can look up at the trees for a beautiful shot of the sky and leaves. Here, we are looking up at a gathering of mushrooms as well, giving us a unique ground-level perspective view!
3. Looking Down as a Perspective (Bird’s Eye View)
The unique thing about a view point that looks down on a scene is that it is not one we could normally see! Most of use aren’t high above the tree tops or looking at a scene from the ceiling of a room—which is why it creates a magical POV.
Why use a looking down perspective in your kids book? Use this POV to show more of a scene than you can see at ground level. It’s a ‘pull back and enjoy’ type of moment in your book where you can explore unseen things and let the reader immerse themselves in the environment.
How does the looking down point of view add magic and emotion? Of course, it depends on your story, but for these two books I used a lot of color and light to create a magical scene.
Because you will see more of the scene from above (especially the ground or ground-level) you can add in a lot more color and detail in these types of pictures.
Add emotion by playing with the spacing between your characters and the surrounding environment, their size in the scene, and the light/color that are most prevalent throughout. (Learn more about color creating story in my article here)
4. Framed Perspective in Your Illustration
Framing a scene in your children’s book is a compositional technique can happen in many ways, using elements in the picture. It always creates a perfect situation to direct the reader’s eye towards a specific spot in the illustration.
For example, in the image above I use the tent entrance to frame the scene. This uses the foreground/background POV talked about in #1 — but it also creates a more encompassing point of view that lets the reader feel like they are really in the story! That is the magic of this kind of perspective in your book’s images.
Why use a framed POV in your book?
This point of view is perfect for giving a reader a glimpse through the character’s eyes. It also works well to create an immersive feeling in the environment—don’t you feel like you’re in the tent?
A frame in the image will immediately direct the reader to look at what is being framed, in this case it is the pod of whales in the background. You can use trees, curtains, architecture, landscape, a window…
5. The Far-Away Perspective (Aerial Perspective)
Using a distant point of view in an illustration can give the reader a rest from the close-up action, let them see the entire scene, and allow for a bit of extra magic. This is similar to #1 but without the foreground area. As well, #2 (looking up) and #3 (looking down) can also be from a far-away point of view.
The above illustrations from ‘Maybe A Whale’ and ‘Mother Aspen’ are both serene night scenes, designed to create atmosphere in the story and give a beat of rest during the action. The large swaths of color and emotional lighting also help to add a dash of magic to the scenes.
Why us a far-away/aerial perspective in a children’s book illustration? Use this POV to really show off the environment of the story—whether that is a forest, an ocean, a bedroom, a city…give the environment a moment to shine! You can also use a far-away view point to show a change in time of day, the passing of time or seasons, and a restful moment.
Because this type of point of view doesn’t allow for a lot of details, it isn’t the usual choice for an action sequence or for a ‘very-important’ moment in the plot or story.
6. The Cross-Section Perspective
This is a super unique and fun point of view to do in a children’s book! Usually a cross-section requires showing the reader something they wouldn’t really be able to see in real life—such as inside a fox den or a whale swimming beneath a kayak. It communicates extra insight into the scene or story without deviating too much from the other illustrations in the book. (You may recognize it from technical drawings in books where they show you a cross-section of an engine or a building to let you see the details inside.)
Why us a cross-section point of view? When things are hiding in your scene, whether that is a snail in a shell or a monster under the bed, you can give the reader a special perspective that the character does not have! This puts the reader ahead of the story. It can also be an educational tool, especially in non-fiction books.
Those are my six favorite points of view for kids books! Don’t forget, you can mix and match as well—these are just starting points. Whatever you do, try to change up the point of view on each page and keep the reader interested in your story. Best of luck!
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