Best Children's Book Illustrators

What a good children's book illustration package includes

Children's book gigs are priced per illustration or per book. Check that the package states:

• Number of illustrations and whether they are single pages or spreads.
• Character design sheets, approved before the pages.
• Stages: sketches, then final color, with approval at each.
• Text space planned on each page.
• Cover: included or separate.
• Files: print resolution, sizes and bleed for your printer.
• Rights and how AI tools are used, if at all.

Choose an illustrator whose portfolio already shows children's books in a style you love. Consistency matters: look for several pages from the same book, not just single showcase pieces, so you can see how they keep characters recognizable from page to page.

How to brief a children's book illustrator

1. The full story, split page by page.
2. Trim size and page count from your printer or platform.
3. Characters: age, look, personality, clothing.
4. Setting and mood.
5. Reading age of your audience.
6. Style references, ideally from the illustrator's own work.

Approve the character sheet carefully before any pages are drawn. Changing a character's look after ten pages are finished means redrawing ten pages. Ask for the sheet to show each character from several angles.

Agree on a clear payment schedule tied to stages: for example part after character sketches, part after page sketches and the rest after final art. Picture books are long projects, and stage payments protect both you and the illustrator if plans change midway.

What drives the price

• number of illustrations and spreads
• detail and style
• character design and number of characters
• cover, layout and text placement
• rights: book only or wider use
• the illustrator's experience

Check your printer or publishing platform's color and file requirements early. Some print in CMYK and need files prepared accordingly; bright screen colors can look duller in print. Ask the illustrator to prepare a test page and order a single printed proof before finishing all the art.

Red flags

• Characters that change from page to page in samples.
• No sketch stage.
• Vague answers about rights or AI use.
• Art that copies well-known characters.
• No knowledge of print sizes or bleed.

Plan the schedule backwards from your launch date. Picture books take time: character design, sketches for every page, revisions, final art and layout. Rushing the last stages is where most mistakes and inconsistencies appear.

For the cover, read our book cover guide. For editing the text, see our book editing guide, and for general illustration our illustration guide.

Quick pre-order checklist

• I have the story split page by page.
• I know the trim size and page count.
• Characters will be approved before pages.
• Rights and AI use are agreed in writing.
• Files will match my printer's requirements.