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World & heritage

Stained glass illustrations for KDP books (AI)

kdpbook.io can illustrate your whole KDP book in the stained glass style: each main character first gets a reference sheet in this style, and every page is drawn from those sheets so the characters look the same from cover to last page. It is recommended for 8 of the 36 book types (including picture book, kids' coloring book and illustrated storybook) and prints in color and black & white.

Jewel-tone glass panes held by thick black leading, with light glowing through. In black and white, a stained-glass coloring page.

Family:
World & heritage
Color:
Color and black & white
Audiences:
Early readers, Middle grade, Teens (young adult), Adults, Seniors (large print)
Book types:
8 recommended
Use this styleAll styles

Already wrote the story? Illustrate your children’s book with AI.

Making coloring books for kids and adults? AI coloring book generator.

Stained glass illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as ruby, amber and emerald glass panes held by thick black lead lines, with a glowing sunset behind
Every style draws the same subject, a fox with a book under an oak, so you can compare them
The look

What stained glass looks like

Stained glass: the scene built from jewel-tone panes of ruby, sapphire, emerald, amber and violet glass, separated by thick, even black lead lines, with light glowing through a subtly mottled glass texture.

Best for

Adult and kids' coloring books, activity books, devotionals, poetry, guided journals, picture books and illustrated storybooks.

Better avoided for

Realistic scenes and fine facial detail.

Made for

Books that suit stained glass

In print

How stained glass prints on KDP

  • The thick lead lines stay well above KDP's 0.75 pt minimum. In black and white, panes of at least 3 mm stay easy to color.
  • In color it prints on white paper: KDP's standard color uses 50–61 lb (74–90 GSM) paper and premium color 60–71 lb (88–105 GSM). KDP recommends premium color for image-heavy books such as children's books and cookbooks.
  • On black-and-white interiors, KDP asks for printed lines of at least 0.75 pt and recommends gray fills of at least 10%.
  • KDP needs images at 300 DPI or more at print size; every illustration is prepared at that resolution.

Compare what each interior costs with the printing cost calculator, and read how to choose the trim size and paper.

Consistency

Same characters, every page

Before the pages are painted, each main character gets a reference sheet in this style. Every illustration is drawn with those sheets as references, so faces, clothes and colors stay the same from the cover to the last page. Text is never painted into the art: titles, captions and dialogue are typeset on top.

Early readers Middle grade Teens (young adult) Adults Seniors (large print)

Prompt tips for stained glass

  • Florals, birds, butterflies and angels make classic stained-glass pages.
  • Ask for large panes for kids and beginners, smaller ones for detailed adult pages.
  • In color, name a sunset or a bright sky behind the subject to make the glass glow.

Similar styles

Other world & heritage styles, and how each one differs from stained glass.

  • Japanese woodblock (ukiyo-e) illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, as a Japanese woodblock print with curling clouds, an indigo sky and a snowy mountain across the bay
    Japanese woodblock (ukiyo-e)

    Even bold outlines, flat color planes and graded indigo skies, where stained glass has jewel-tone panes held by thick black leading.

  • Persian miniature illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, in a Persian garden with cypresses, a tiled fountain, a peacock and a patterned carpet
    Persian miniature

    Flat stacked perspective, carpets, tiles and gold detail, where stained glass has jewel-tone panes held by thick black leading.

  • Illuminated manuscript illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, on burnished gold leaf with curling blue and red acanthus vines, ivy and a castle by a lake
    Illuminated manuscript

    Gold-leaf grounds and curling vines of medieval manuscripts, where stained glass has jewel-tone panes held by thick black leading.

  • Mosaic illustration sample: a young red fox reading an open book on the mossy roots of an old oak, laid in small stone tiles in terracotta, ochre and sea blue with visible grout
    Mosaic

    Small stone tiles and grout lines following each shape, where stained glass has jewel-tone panes held by thick black leading.

About stained glass

Which books suit the Stained glass style?

Stained glass is offered for picture book, kids' coloring book, illustrated storybook, adult coloring book, kids' activity book, guided journal and more. You can still pick it for any other book type, or describe your own style.

Can Stained glass be printed in black and white?

Yes. Stained glass has a black-and-white rendering for B&W interiors, which KDP prints for less than color.

Is stained glass good for a coloring book?

Yes, it is one of its best uses. Its black-and-white version divides the picture into large closed panes with thick lines, which kdpbook offers for both kids' and adult coloring books.

Is stained glass only for religious books?

No. It suits flowers, animals and fairy tales as well as devotionals; the subject comes from your book, not from the style.

Make it with kdpbook

Illustrate your book in stained glass.

Describe your book, keep this style, and watch every page get painted with the same characters.

Use this style

2,000 free credits · no card required