Children’s book illustration · Cover & interior design

I Can Be Pretty.

A picture book by Edward Holmes that looks beyond appearance to celebrate intelligence, creativity, kindness and courage. Expressive characters and flowing, textured shapes turn moments of self-doubt into a world of possibilities.

My role: storyboard development, original illustrations, cover design and interior text layout. Written by Edward Holmes.

Curly-haired girl in a yellow headband lifting her curls against a textured blue background — Original character illustration

Smiling red-haired girl wearing round glasses and braces — Expression and character

Girl in a striped yellow top standing confidently with her arms folded — Confidence and individuality

Square I Can Be Pretty picture book shown in a studio mockup — Cover presentation · AI-generated book mockup

View the original cover wrap

Blue illustrated front cover and yellow back cover for I Can Be Pretty — Original cover design · Back-cover copy is placeholder text

The finished book

Room to imagine.
Room to become.

The text and illustrations move together across each spread, from questions about appearance to the many things these girls can be.

Curly-haired girl imagining straight hair, with verse arranged across the spread — Questions and possibilities

Girl imagined as a scientist, beside the finished poem layout — I can be pretty intelligent

Girl designing at a desk, with the poem beside her — I can be pretty creative

Explore two more spreads

Girl climbing a colorful rock face alongside the verse — Strength and confidence

Girl leaping across flowing yellow shapes alongside the verse — A world of possibilities

Facing pages paired from the original print PDF for this portfolio presentation.

From sketch to finished book

Planning the story.

Sixteen storyboard spreads establish the characters, visual rhythm and space for the text before the illustrations are developed in color.

Sixteen pencil storyboard spreads showing character concepts, page compositions and text positions — Early storyboard · Composition, character development and text placement

Next projectThe Giving Tree of the Desert ↗

I Can Be Pretty.

Room to imagine.Room to become.

Planning the story.

Room to imagine.
Room to become.