Chalk Pastel

A chalk pastel storybook from your photos

Velvety soft pastel strokes, dreamy blended colour and gentle grain.

Sample spread illustrated in the Chalk Pastel style

The world of Chalk Pastel

Powder-soft strokes, nursery light, colours that feel like a lullaby sounds. Chalk pastel is the tenderest style in the catalogue, made for welcoming somebody brand new to the world.

Best for: New babies, first birthdays, bedtime-soft stories.

Who it suits

The first book in a life, given to people who are exhausted and sentimental in equal measure. It is deliberately the softest thing here, and that softness is why it suits a nursery shelf better than a bookshelf.

Which photos work best

The most forgiving style for newborn photos, which are almost always imperfect. Slight blur, odd hospital lighting and a face half hidden by a blanket all survive the translation, because the style blurs edges anyway.

How it differs from Watercolour Storybook

Watercolour keeps features defined; pastel lets them dissolve into the colour. For a newborn the dissolving is lovely. For an adult it reads as vague, and watercolour is the better choice. See Watercolour Storybook

Questions about this style

Is it only for babies?

Mostly. First birthdays and bedtime books are its other home. Past about five, children usually want stronger colour than this style offers.

Does the grain print well?

Yes. The texture is part of the artwork rather than an artefact of the file, so it reproduces on the printed page as it appears in the proof.

Your photos, this style

Every Fableself book starts from your photos. Your people are redrawn faithfully, same faces, same hair, same spark, inside this style's world, across every page of an original story written for you. Every page is reviewed before it reaches you. You approve a full digital proof before any payment.