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A Lifelong Creative Calling, Finally Brought to Life
For many creators, the hardest part of making a book isn't imagination, or even the story itself.
It's time.
The time it takes to illustrate a full children's book is the single challenge that stops more projects than almost anything else.
For Patti Nemeroff, this was exactly why her ideas remained unfinished for so many years.
Meet Patti
Patti is a professional graphic designer with decades of experience. Earlier in her career, she ran a successful design business.
Now retired, she finally had something she hadn't before: time.
Time to explore new tools. Time to finish what had lived in her imagination for years.
Learning to work with AI was new even with her design background. But instead of replacing her skills, AI expanded them.
She now has three children's book projects in progress, each with a different approach.
Every Tool She Tried Gave Her the Same Headache
Patti tried several AI platforms hoping to finally illustrate the children's books she'd been carrying with her for a long time. But every attempt led to the same frustration. Each new image meant a slightly different character. That might be fine for single illustrations but for an over 30-page children's book, it's a deal-breaker. When character consistency isn't solved, progress stalls.
Until Patti finally found a solution where her characters stayed the same from one scene to the next.
"I was using OpenArt, Midjourney and a couple of other things. I was trying, but I was never getting consistent anything. It was just so frustrating. And then all of a sudden, boom, there you were. And it was like, oh my God."
If you've experienced the same frustration, you're not alone. Learn more about how to illustrate a children's book with AI while maintaining character consistency.
A Breakthrough That Changed Everything
Patti's first AI-illustrated book follows Rory, a goofy, energetic dinosaur, and Tiki, his thoughtful parrot friend. They're building a treehouse together, and Rory is the kind of character who falls in mud, hangs from vines, and dreams up wild plans while Tiki tries to keep him out of trouble.
Getting Rory right was critical. But with other AI tools, every new generation meant a different-looking character. Then came the breakthrough moment:
"I remember one day he came out and it was like, oh my God, that's Rory. That's him. Once I had him, I was able to keep him, which was amazing to me. I was able to have him be in all the scenes that I want and do all the crazy stuff I wanted him to do."
34 pages. Same character. Every time.
That's when the book finally started moving forward.
Writing and Illustrating Together
Patti originally planned to write the entire story first, then illustrate it.
Once her characters were consistent, she discovered something unexpected:
it was easier and more fun to write and illustrate at the same time.
Visual moments sparked new story beats. “I found it was easier to write it and illustrate it as I went. I came up with ideas as I went through.”
The story grew organically from the images.
This insight is especially powerful for:
- first-time authors
- non-designers
- creators who feel stuck staring at a blank page
You don’t need the full story written upfront. Sometimes, the images help you find the story.
From Generation to Publication-Ready
Patti doesn't stop at generating images.
She refines every page with a professional eye:
- upscaling illustrations for print
- adjusting backgrounds for light and clarity
- making final tweaks in design tools when needed
This isn’t “one-click” publishing. It’s creative control, supported by AI.
Why This Story Matters
When we asked Patti what this journey meant to her, her answer said it all:
"This has renewed my whole outlook on my artwork. It's given me the ability to illustrate my books."
Her story is proof that you don't need to be an AI expert to start!
Remember, even if you don't have a design background, writing and illustrating simultaneously can unlock momentum you didn't know you had.
Patti's Advice for New Creators
This week, Patti is publishing her first children's book on KDP!
She's also starting the next one, fueled by how much joy the process has brought her.
Her guidance is simple and powerful:
Start with an idea. Outline the story. Then focus on getting your characters right first. Once you have that "that's them" (right characters) moment, everything else flows.
For step-by-step guidance on creating your own consistent characters, check out our user guides or watch our tutorial on creating children's book illustrations with character consistency.
Ready to Start Your Own Story?
Whether you are just starting out, or finally returning to an idea you have carried for years, Patti's journey shows what becomes possible when creativity meets the right moment and the right tools.
We congratulate Patti on publishing her first children's book on KDP, and on already starting the next one. Her joy and momentum are truly inspiring for our entire community.
If you would like to hear Patti share her experience in her own words, you can watch her video feedback here:
And if her story inspired you to start creating your own, Neolemon is the best place to begin.
Bring your characters to life, keep them consistent, and finally move your story forward.
