There are plenty of children’s illustration portfolios out there that look polished. The technique is strong, and the style is appealing. But sometimes, even when all the “right” boxes are ticked, something’s still missing. And that missing piece is often “authenticity”.

Drawing for 10 minutes daily, helps to build confidence, spark ideas, fight procrastination, and develop your unique style amongst other things. Little daily efforts slowly grow into a confident and successful creative habit .

Find out what those ten reasons are here.

Have you ever been told, “Just keep making work and your style will come”? I have. I clung to that advice for a long time. Five years, actually. I drew constantly, tried everything, experimented and ended up completely stuck and burn out.

Here are three things I wish I’d known sooner.

I used to believe that I would never succeed as an illustrator because I didn’t think I had any style. I saw others post their art on social media and I was always in awe , and envious of the success they seemed to have. I tried to emulate others style in order to have that same success, and I did manage to successfully copy other artists as a means of experimentation, but i could only copy a particular piece of art. That’s until my brain realised that style and voice are two separate things that are equally important for an illustrator.

To enhance your art, gather diverse reference images, prioritize stock photos, and make quick observational sketches to identify key details. Use your sketchbook to compile and remix elements from multiple sources, avoiding over-reliance on a single image. This approach develops your unique style and deepens your understanding of subjects.

When we think of burnout, it’s often tied to demanding careers or overly busy schedules. However, burnout can happen in creative fields too—yes, even art. While art is often considered a joyful, therapeutic activity, artists can find themselves feeling overwhelmed, uninspired, or creatively drained. This is what many describe as “art burnout”. But what exactly is it, and how does it happen?