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Art styles

AI illustration styles for KDP books

The same characters, in the style you choose: 61 illustration styles in 10 families. Every page is painted with your character sheet as a reference, so your hero looks the same from the cover to the last page. Prefer something else? Describe your own style or upload a reference image.

  • Picture book 13
  • Painterly 4
  • 3D & crafted 7
  • Line art 7
  • Comics & manga 7
  • Photo-real 2
  • Vintage 8
  • World & heritage 5
  • Minimalist 4
  • Educational 4

Picture book

Classic children's book media: watercolor, gouache, pencil, collage, cartoon, silhouettes.

  • Watercolor storybook illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in soft transparent washes with visible paper grain and a pale evening sky
    Watercolor storybook Soft, traditional watercolor with visible paper grain and gentle blooms: the timeless picture-book look.
  • Gouache picture book illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in flat matte gouache shapes under a teal sky, with a setting sun over a winding river
    Gouache picture book Opaque, matte gouache with bold simplified shapes and chalky dry-brush edges, like a contemporary award winner.
  • Soft digital painting illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, painted digitally with grainy brushes, warm rim light and a sunset over a lake
    Soft digital painting Cozy, grainy digital painting with rounded shapes and warm rim light: modern and very readable.
  • Modern cartoon illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a 2D cartoon with big friendly eyes, clean outlines and flat colors, holding a green book in a sunset valley
    Modern cartoon Clean 2D cartoon with confident outlines, flat colors and expressive faces. Converts to clean line art for B&W.
  • Kawaii illustration sample: a chubby, big-eyed kawaii fox reading a green book on a mossy root, with a squirrel, a bluebird and little hearts in a pastel sunset
    Kawaii Ultra-cute chubby characters, sparkly eyes and pastel candy colors. Also great as bold coloring pages.
  • Colored pencil illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, drawn in colored pencil with directional hatching and paper tooth showing through, under a sunset sky
    Colored pencil Hand-drawn colored pencil with visible hatching and paper tooth. Also works as graphite for B&W books.
  • Crayon & oil pastel illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, drawn in waxy crayon strokes with a bright blue sky, an orange sun and colorful leaves
    Crayon & oil pastel Waxy, joyful crayon strokes in bright primaries, as if drawn by a gifted child.
  • Paper cut-out collage illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, built from layered cut and torn paper, with paper leaves, a sun and hills in soft shadow
    Paper cut-out collage Layered cut and torn paper with visible edges and soft shadows: graphic, tactile and bold.
  • Felt & fabric illustration sample: a felt fox with stitched seams holding a green book on a mossy root, with felt mushrooms and acorns and a village at sunset
    Felt & fabric A handmade felt-and-fabric craft world with stitched seams, photographed in soft light.
  • Classic ink & watercolor illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, drawn with a fine nib pen and washed with soft watercolor, vignetted into white paper
    Classic ink & watercolor Edwardian-era nib pen linework washed with transparent watercolor, vignetted on white paper.
  • Soft pastel & chalk illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in powdery chalk pastel under a dusky lavender sky, with the sun setting over hills
    Soft pastel & chalk Dreamy powdery pastel on toned paper with glowing night light: made for bedtime stories.
  • Silhouette shadow theater illustration sample: a young fox and its open book as black cut-paper silhouettes on the roots of an old oak, against an apricot and violet sunset over a lake
    Silhouette shadow theater Solid black cut-paper silhouettes with lace-fine edges against glowing twilight skies, like a shadow-puppet show.
  • Spooky whimsical illustration sample: a big-eyed fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of a twisting oak with spiral branches, with a lantern, an owl and a full moon over a gothic town
    Spooky whimsical Charming-spooky storybook art: spindly big-eyed characters, crooked curly trees and candlelit plum, teal and pumpkin tones.

Painterly

Fine-art painting looks for storybooks and covers.

  • Classic oil painting illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in a warm oil painting with impasto brushwork and golden-hour light over a valley
    Classic oil painting Rich impasto brushwork and warm chiaroscuro light with a fine-art storybook feel.
  • Naive folk art illustration sample: a young red fox reading a patterned blue book on the mossy roots of an old oak covered in painted leaves, acorns and flowers, beside a lake village, in flat folk-art perspective
    Naive folk art Flattened perspective, decorative patterns everywhere and bright saturated color with handmade charm.
  • Fantasy digital painting illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in an epic digital painting with sun rays through the oak and a castle among waterfalls and mountains behind
    Fantasy digital painting Cinematic concept-art painting with volumetric light and deep atmosphere for epic stories.
  • Ink wash (sumi-e) illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in black and gray ink wash on pale paper, with misty mountains and a single small red sun
    Ink wash (sumi-e) Expressive East Asian brushwork in graded black ink with abundant negative space.

3D & crafted

Animated-film, clay, plush, low-poly, folded-paper, wooden-toy and embroidery looks.

  • 3D animated film illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a 3D animated film character with big expressive eyes and soft fur, in front of a sunset valley and a castle
    3D animated film A polished family-film look: stylized characters, soft global illumination and cinematic color.
  • Claymation illustration sample: a plasticine fox reading a green book on a mossy root, with clay mushrooms, an owl in the tree and a sunset behind
    Claymation Stop-motion plasticine characters with fingerprints and tool marks on a handcrafted miniature set.
  • Plush toy diorama illustration sample: a plush fox holding a green book on a mossy root, with a plush squirrel, hedgehog and rabbit in a blurred miniature set
    Plush toy diorama Cute plush toys in a miniature tilt-shift diorama with warm nursery light.
  • Low-poly 3D illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, built from flat-shaded triangular facets under a pastel sunset sky
    Low-poly 3D Faceted polygon characters and landscapes with flat-shaded facets and soft pastel light.
  • Origami & papercraft illustration sample: a folded-paper red fox reading a little paper book on the roots of a paper oak, photographed in soft light with a lake behind
    Origami & papercraft Folded-paper characters with crisp creases in a paper diorama, photographed in soft studio light.
  • Wooden toys illustration sample: a carved wooden fox with a painted face reading a little book on the roots of a round wooden toy oak, with toy trees and a village behind
    Wooden toys Painted wooden peg dolls, chunky blocks and rounded toy trees in a bright nursery world: simple, solid and cheerful.
  • Embroidery illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, stitched in satin stitch and French knots on natural linen, with a stitched sunset over a lake
    Embroidery Thread painting stitched on natural linen: satin-stitch fills, French knots and back-stitch outlines.

Line art

Black-and-white line work for coloring pages and B&W interiors.

  • Bold & easy coloring illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a coloring page with thick, even black outlines, big simple shapes and a white background
    Bold & easy coloring Thick uniform outlines and big simple shapes: the easiest coloring style to see and to color, for kids, beginners and seniors.
  • Kids coloring (cartoon) illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a kids' coloring page with clean medium outlines, closed shapes, bushes and a white background
    Kids coloring (cartoon) Cute cartoon scenes in clean medium-weight outlines with regions sized for crayons.
  • Pen & ink illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in black pen and ink with crosshatched bark and a white background
    Pen & ink Classic black nib linework with crosshatching and stippling: the chapter-book and novel interior standard.
  • Intricate adult coloring illustration sample: a detailed coloring page of a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, with patterned fur, a decorated book, a patterned tree and a lake landscape
    Intricate adult coloring Every shape filled with fine decorative patterns (florals, paisley, feathers) for relaxing, detailed coloring.
  • Mandala illustration sample: a round, symmetrical mandala coloring page with a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak at its center, woven into petals, leaves and acorns
    Mandala Radial, symmetrical mandala patterns woven around the subject.
  • Realistic line drawing illustration sample: a realistic contour drawing of a fox looking down at an open book among oak roots, black lines on white
    Realistic line drawing Accurate, naturalist contour drawings: animals, plants and places as they really look.
  • Pencil sketch illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in a gray graphite pencil sketch with soft shading and construction lines, in an oak forest landscape
    Pencil sketch Expressive graphite sketch with soft tonal shading and visible construction lines.

Comics & manga

Inked comic, manga, noir, 1930s cartoon and pixel-art styles for panels and graphic novels.

  • American comic illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in bold comic inks and flat colors, with autumn leaves and a sunset over a lake
    American comic Bold inks, dynamic angles and flat cel colors with a subtle halftone texture.
  • Manga (screentone) illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in black-and-white manga inking with screentone shading and bright light rays through the trees
    Manga (screentone) Clean G-pen inking, speed lines and screentone dot shading in pure black and white.
  • Ligne claire (BD) illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in uniform clean outlines and flat bright colors, with a hillside village, a castle and a lake behind
    Ligne claire (BD) Franco-Belgian clear line: uniform outlines, flat bright colors and detailed backgrounds.
  • Anime illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, with crisp anime line art and two-tone cel shading under a bright blue sky with cumulus clouds and a lake town
    Anime Crisp anime line art, two-tone cel shading and vibrant key-visual color.
  • 1930s rubber-hose cartoon illustration sample: a grinning rubber-hose fox with pie-cut eyes and white gloves reading an open book on the roots of an old oak, in orange, teal and cream
    1930s rubber-hose cartoon Bendy rubber-hose limbs, pie-cut eyes and bouncy squash-and-stretch, like a vintage animated short.
  • Noir ink, one spot color illustration sample: a young fox reading on the roots of an old oak on a rainy moonlit night, all in black and white ink except the crimson book
    Noir ink, one spot color Stark black brush ink with heavy shadows, rain and slatted light, plus one single red accent.
  • Pixel art illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in 16-bit pixel art with a castle and mountains on the horizon
    Pixel art Retro 16-bit game look: crisp square pixels, a limited palette and dithered shading.

Photo-real

Photographic looks for cookbooks and non-fiction.

  • Food photography illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak beside a picnic of berries and bread on a linen cloth, as a styled daylight photograph
    Food photography Appetizing styled food shots on rustic tables with soft daylight, built from each recipe.
  • Editorial photo illustration sample: a photorealistic red fox looking down at an open book on a mossy oak root, in natural autumn light with a lake behind
    Editorial photo Natural-light, magazine-quality photography for guides and lifestyle books (never real people).

Vintage

Print and poster looks from the past: mid-century, 70s, engraving, risograph, linocut, art nouveau, art deco and tattoo flash.

  • Mid-century storybook illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in a 1950s-style print with three flat spot colors, a big sun and slight misregistration
    Mid-century storybook 1950s–60s limited-palette lithograph look with geometric shapes and slight misregistration.
  • 1970s storybook illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in earthy mustard, olive and burnt orange with soft grain, over a valley with a church at sunset
    1970s storybook Earthy mustard, olive and burnt-orange palette with soft grain and nostalgic warmth.
  • Victorian engraving illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a 19th-century wood engraving with fine parallel hatching, black ink on off-white paper
    Victorian engraving 19th-century wood-engraving hatching in high-contrast black: perfect for novels and classic puzzle books.
  • Risograph print illustration sample: a pink fox reading a green book under a teal and pink oak, in grainy risograph overprints with a yellow sun
    Risograph print Indie-zine riso look: two or three spot colors with grainy overprints and misregistration.
  • Linocut print illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, carved as a linocut in black, brick red and ochre on cream paper
    Linocut print Hand-carved relief print: chunky shapes, white gouge marks and two or three flat inks with a hand-pressed texture.
  • Art nouveau illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, set against a golden halo and flowing vines with pink flowers
    Art nouveau Flowing whiplash curves, a halo behind the subject and flowers woven all around, in sage, dusty rose and soft gold.
  • Art deco poster illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, under symmetrical stepped arcs and golden sunburst rays, with a teal lake on either side
    Art deco poster 1920s–30s travel-poster elegance: streamlined geometry, sunbursts, symmetrical staging, black, gold and teal.
  • Tattoo flash illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a tattoo flash design with red roses, a swallow, stars and an empty ribbon banner on parchment
    Tattoo flash American traditional flash: heavy black outlines, flat bold red, green and yellow, roses, swallows and blank banners.

World & heritage

Historic art traditions: Japanese woodblock, Persian miniature, illuminated manuscript, mosaic and stained glass.

  • Japanese woodblock (ukiyo-e) illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a Japanese woodblock print with curling clouds, an indigo sky and a snowy mountain across the bay
    Japanese woodblock (ukiyo-e) Edo-period woodblock print: even bold outlines, flat color planes, graded skies and stylized clouds and waves on washi paper.
  • Persian miniature illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in a Persian garden with cypresses, a tiled fountain, a peacock and a patterned carpet
    Persian miniature Refined courtly painting: flat stacked perspective, patterned carpets and tiles, cypress gardens and gold detail.
  • Illuminated manuscript illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, on burnished gold leaf with curling blue and red acanthus vines, ivy and a castle by a lake
    Illuminated manuscript Medieval painting on vellum: flat stylized figures, gold-leaf highlights and curling vine margins in deep blue, red and gold.
  • Mosaic illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, laid in small stone tiles in terracotta, ochre and sea blue with visible grout
    Mosaic A scene laid in small stone and glass tiles with visible grout, in terracotta, ochre and sea blue. In black and white, a mosaic coloring page.
  • Stained glass illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as ruby, amber and emerald glass panes held by thick black lead lines, with a glowing sunset behind
    Stained glass Jewel-tone glass panes held by thick black leading, with light glowing through. In black and white, a stained-glass coloring page.

Minimalist

Flat, one-line, doodle and folk-pattern styles.

  • Flat vector illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in flat geometric shapes with no outlines, a limited muted palette, a sun and layered hills
    Flat vector Geometric flat shapes in a limited modern palette with subtle grain: clean and editorial.
  • One-line drawing illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book at the foot of a tall, looping oak, drawn as a single unbroken black line with lots of white space
    One-line drawing A single unbroken black line with elegant loops and lots of white space: calm and contemporary.
  • Scandinavian folk illustration sample: a symmetrical folk-art oak with birds, acorns, red flowers and hearts on cream, with a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak at its center
    Scandinavian folk Symmetrical flowers, leaves and birds in red, navy and mustard with cozy hygge warmth.
  • Marker doodle illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as felt-tip doodles with pastel fills, little stars, leaves and a rising sun
    Marker doodle Casual felt-tip doodles with wobbly lines and a few pastel highlighter fills, like a bullet journal.

Educational

Diagrams, isometric cutaways, blueprints and naturalist plates for fact books.

  • Scientific diagram illustration sample: a textbook diagram of an old oak with a trunk cutaway showing its rings, roots underground, round close-ups and empty label boxes, and a young red fox reading a green book at its base
    Scientific diagram Precise cutaways and cross-sections with room for labels (labels are typeset, never drawn).
  • Naturalist plate illustration sample: a naturalist field-guide plate of a realistic red fox on the mossy roots of an old oak, looking at an open book of plant and bird drawings, in fine ink with soft watercolor tints on cream
    Naturalist plate Vintage field-guide plates: fine ink linework with delicate watercolor tints on cream paper.
  • Isometric world illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, on a small square isometric island of ground with rocks and a little waterfall
    Isometric world Clean 30° isometric cutaways of houses, cities and machines, with flat colors and tiny figures.
  • Blueprint illustration sample: a young fox reading an open book under an old oak, drawn in white lines on blueprint blue, with front, side and back views of the fox, the book and an oak leaf with dimension lines
    Blueprint Engineering-drawing look: white technical lines on Prussian blue, with a faint grid and dimension lines.

Questions about styles

Will my characters look the same on every page?

Yes. Main characters get a reference sheet in the style you pick before the pages are drawn, and every illustration is painted with it as a reference, from the cover to the last page.

Can I sell books illustrated in these styles?

Yes, on a paid plan: paid plans include a commercial license for the books you make, and free-plan exports carry a preview watermark and can't be sold. KDP asks you to declare AI-generated images, including the cover, when you publish.

Can I use my own style instead?

Yes. Describe a style in words or upload a reference image, and it is used for the character sheets and every page like a library style.

Is text ever painted into the illustrations?

No. Titles, captions, dialogue and page text are typeset on top of the art, so they stay sharp in print and you can edit them at any time.

Make it with kdpbook

Pick a style, keep your characters.

Start with a sentence, choose a style and meet your characters before a single page is painted.

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