From concept to children's book in 40 hours

Project:

It has always been my dream to write and illustrate a children's book, but I never had the time.

Challenge:

Thanks to AI-powered tools like Midjourney, it's easier than ever to create high-quality illustrations. However, the challenge lies in consistently portraying the same character.

Outcome:

In 40 hours, I created a charming children's book with lovable characters—something that would have previously taken 1-2 illustrations in the same amount of time. This was accomplished bit by bit, often in the evenings.

Brainstorming with ChatGPT

I already had a clear idea in mind but used ChatGPT to refine and expand the details.

Expand on the following base idea for a children's book aimed at kids aged 4-8:
{INSERT BASE IDEA}. Create a full story that includes the following elements:

A unique and lovable main character (animal, magical creature, or child).
An exciting and educational adventure that teaches an important life lesson (e.g., friendship, teamwork, curiosity).
Vivid settings that inspire the imagination (e.g., magical forests, underwater cities, outer space).
A simple yet meaningful problem or challenge for the character to solve.
A recurring, memorable phrase or saying that kids can easily remember.
Give the book a title, briefly describe the plot, outline the main lesson, and suggest ideas for illustrations.

How do I maintain the same character and style consistently?

Midjourney now offers a personalization feature that could help with this—though it wasn't available when I did my experiment. While I know a few techniques used by AI influencers, they didn’t quite achieve the desired result here. However, with a few tricks, I managed to create a consistent character portrayal.

Post-processing was unavoidable

I learned a lot during the process, and I believe I could finish the next book in 30 hours or less. Unfortunately, German bureaucracy slowed me down a bit, so I still need to wait a little longer to publish the book.

Conclusion

A fun project and I learned a lot. I think I can finish the next book in 30 hours or less. Unfortunately, I was slowed down by German bureaucracy, so I have to wait a little longer before I can publish the book.

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