01
Book covers
A cover that stands out on the shelf and fits the book.
- Key visual with character, mood, and series recognition
- 2–3 fully developed cover variants to choose from
- print-ready artwork incl. spine & flaps
Stories you can feel.
I'm Kim Gerkensmeier, a children's book illustrator based in Hanover. I work in watercolor and ink, drawing characters with edges and quirks that kids take to heart right away.
For publishers, agencies & studios
From manuscript to print-ready page.
Got a manuscript, a cover idea, or a text that needs a picture? I create illustrations that grow out of the story itself, developed closely with you and delivered on schedule.
Book covers
Book illustration
Character design
Editorial
6published book projects, from the cover to the final spread
120+illustrations and characters in watercolor, ink, and digital
10years at the drawing table, through every revision round
Portfolio
Selected projects to leaf through
From picture books to a daily ink series: every project has its own tone.
Watercolour series · 2025
Peachtober 2025
One drawing a day to the daily prompt, every October: small watercolours in nightly blue and warm light, full of animals, stars and quiet wonders. The 2025 edition — from Stripes to Whisker, sheet by sheet.
Watercolour series · 2024
Peachtober 2024
The first Peachtober round: a small watercolour to the prompt every day, from “Sparkle” to “Pearl.” This is where the series found its nightly blue, its warm light and its fuzzy animals.
Ink series · 2024
Inktober 2024
Every October: 31 days, 31 ink drawings, unfiltered and direct. The 2024 prompts turned into a journey around the world — lighthouses, pyramids, a rooster on the mountain ridge and ghosts by the campfire, hatch by hatch.
From the studio
Single works
Studies, experiments, and in-between characters from the sketchbook.
01 / 04
Services
Four services around the book
From the first sketch to print-ready files, with a focus on characters and mood.
02
Book illustration & story
Picture-book pages with a common thread, from storyboard to print.
- Visual dramaturgy & page layout as a storyboard
- full-page scenes, double spreads, and small vignettes
- consistent characters throughout the entire book
03
Character design
Characters you recognize after a single page.
- Character drafts, turnarounds & expression sheets
- pose and expression studies for every scene
- color and style guide to hand over to the team
04
Editorial
Illustrations for magazines and the web, right on deadline.
- Visual concept for the text idea, quickly aligned
- expressive key images & spot illustrations
- pictograms and series for recurring formats
How a project runs
Step by step, no blind flight.
Three stages from manuscript to finished page. You always know where your project stands.
01
Briefing & sketch
We clarify story, audience, and tone. Then you get the first pencil sketches to weigh in on.
02
Color & feedback
I work out composition and colors, you give feedback. Revision rounds are a fixed part of the plan.
03
Final artwork & handover
At the end you have print-ready files in watercolor, ink, or digital, in the formats your production needs.
About me
Watercolor, ink, and a desk by the window
“Pictures tell stories even where words are missing.”
I work with watercolor, ink, and colored pencil; the iPad handles the finishing touches. My favorite characters are the ones that make kids and grown-ups grin at the same time.
The little market stall
Postcards, stickers & prints
Hand-drawn motifs on natural paper, available via Etsy.
Postcard »Geese Friendship«
2,00 €
Sticker set »Cozy Days«
4,00 €
Print »Peter's Journey to the Moon«
16,00 €
Let's talk about your project.
Planning a book, a cover, or an illustration? Send me a few lines about it. I usually reply within two working days.