[School Festival] Cover Illustration Ideas

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

The cover illustration for the school festival is often chosen from many submitted works.

Some of you are hoping to be selected this year.

Here, we introduce cover illustrations that were actually chosen, works created for submission, and tips on how to draw illustrations.

It’s perfect if you’re thinking, “I can’t decide what to draw,” or “I want to see other people’s work.”

Use this as a reference and try creating a one-of-a-kind illustration of your own.

You can enjoy the process of drawing, too.

Turn your ideas into reality and have fun taking on the challenge of the cover illustration!

[Cultural Festival] Cover Illustration Ideas (21–30)

American comic-style illustration

How about a design inspired by American comics—like MARVEL, which is widely known as the source of many film adaptations? It gives the impression of adding impact to the characters’ movements and the surrounding embellishments.

Bold, clearly drawn outlines that emphasize the characters are a major hallmark of American comics.

With well-rendered elements such as explosive backgrounds, star motifs, and emphasis lines, the content conveys directly and powerfully the sense of characters moving forward into the future.

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Illustrations of characters and students

It’s an illustration that conveys a light, cheerful atmosphere, with students participating in the school festival lined up alongside characters.

If there’s an official mascot character for the festival, it would be easy to understand if that character is included.

The key point is depicting interactions between the characters and the people, conveying an image of the everyday world of school intersecting with the extraordinary world of the characters.

The number of characters and people also matters; the more there are, the more the lively feel of the festival is emphasized.

In addition to the mascot, incorporating popular characters could also draw attention.

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A fantasy-style illustration

A fantasy world that differs greatly from the real one—the kind everyone has experienced through manga, games, or novels.

How about conveying the excitement of the event with an illustration that evokes that kind of enchanting atmosphere? Even within fantasy, there are many directions to take, so choosing which motifs to incorporate is an important point.

Since it’s a time when the extraordinary of a school festival is added to the everyday of school life, motifs that make it feel as if parts of the real world have transformed into fantasy should be easy to understand.

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An illustration with a choir competition as the main theme

Among the various events in student life, this illustration focuses on the choir competition.

The key point is how to build the world by centering on the expressions while singing.

By depicting scenes around the singer that recall memories, viewers can imagine the effort accumulated up to that moment and the feelings poured into the song.

How about creating a dynamic composition where the emotions contained in the song and the messages you want to convey through it radiate outward from the singing voice?

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Illustrations that evoke a sense of the season

While autumn is the standard season for holding school festivals, the timing can vary depending on the school.

By fully embracing the season in which it’s held, you can feel both the excitement of the festival and the unique pleasures of that time of year.

It’s also important that students see their own school festival as a cherished event that colors the season, which helps strengthen their commitment to making it a success.

Isn’t it essential to skillfully incorporate seasonal motifs that highlight the fun atmosphere of the festival?

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An illustration of cheerful students

@mikeneko0518
I have a midterm tomorrow (well, technically today), so what am I doing staying up so late...Cultural Festival Cultural Festival Preparations #Illustration #Bookmark Cover #IWantToBeChosen earnestly; desperately; sincerely; ardently #Pen drawing beginner Pen drawing #TestTomorrow Recommendation translation #I hate math I hate English #KindOfAnExamTaker
♪ Traffic Jam 8-bit ver. – Nirukajitsu

How about an illustration that straightforwardly conveys the most important feeling for a school festival that colors youth—fun? Centering on figures who are smiling and moving forward with their friends, it expresses the excitement leading up to the event.

With a composition that lines up people with various expressions, it conveys the image of unique personalities coming together toward something enjoyable.

It’s also recommended to enhance the sense of fun with elements like figures who look like they’re jumping and decorations around them that convey liveliness.

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An illustration inspired by a popular anime

By using popular anime that are trending around the time the school festival is held—works that symbolize the era—as illustration motifs, you’ll likely draw more attention from those around you.

It’s also a big plus that, when you look back on the memories later, it clearly conveys when the event took place.

You could depict expressions and compositions that stay true to the original work, or it might be fun to create original movements and expressions.

In addition to character motion, adding dialogue to enhance originality is also recommended.

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