How to Find and Hire Children's Book Illustrators: Complete Guide
Learn how to find and hire the perfect children's book illustrator. Complete guide covering portfolios, contracts, pricing, and working with illustrators for your picture book.
Why Finding the Right Illustrator Matters
Choosing the right illustrator is one of the most important decisions you will make when creating your children's book. The artwork is probably 50% of a picture book, but its impact is even greater than that. You can have an okay story with amazing illustrations and that book will do really well. You can have a fabulous story with so-so illustrations and it just won't fly.
The illustrator you choose will make or break your experience of creating your picture book. Not only that, but it is also going to be a very important part of how other people experience your picture book. The right illustrator brings your characters to life, creates the visual world of your story, and helps readers connect emotionally with your book.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about finding and hiring a children's book illustrator. You will learn where to find illustrators, what to look for, how to evaluate their work, and how to work effectively together to create a book you are proud of.
What You Will Learn
- Where to find qualified children's book illustrators
- What questions to ask before hiring
- How to request and evaluate samples
- The single best way to take months off the illustration process
- Best practices to avoid delays and stay on track
- How to create an effective illustration brief
- Understanding contracts and ownership rights
Where to Find Children's Book Illustrators
There are several places you can look when searching for a children's book illustrator. Each option has its own advantages and considerations.
Author Groups and Communities
One of the best ways to find an illustrator is to ask other authors. There are tons of children's book author Facebook groups and communities where you can connect with other authors and ask for referrals for illustrators they have worked with and really appreciated.
When you ask in these groups, you can get honest feedback about what it was like to work with specific illustrators. Authors will share their experiences, both positive and negative, which helps you make an informed decision.
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
If you are a children's book writer, SCBWI is a great society to be a part of. They have chapters all around the US and probably outside the US as well. They also allow some of their illustrators to post portfolios, so you can get a sense for your local area illustrators and what their work looks like.
The SCBWI community is pretty close-knit. They have chapter meetings and things like that, making it a great place to reach out and make connections with both writers and illustrators. This can be especially valuable if you want to work with someone in your local area.
Freelancing Sites
You can also connect with freelancing sites like Fiverr, Freelancer.com, and Upwork. While there are some diamonds in the rough in some of these places, and there are some amazing illustrators, it is a little bit harder to vet them.
Some of these sites do have feedback and you can see that this person has done 40 projects and has a five-star rating. Some of their previous artwork is out there so you can kind of get a sense of their work.
Exercise Caution with Freelancing Sites
It is very easy for illustrators on freelancing sites to grab artwork from other portfolios and pass it off as their own. You really do have to take a little bit more caution when you are working through freelancer sites. Always request a paid sample that matches your specific project to verify they can actually create the work they claim to have done.
Curated Illustrator Lists
Some publishing programs and author communities maintain curated lists of illustrators who have worked successfully with their authors. These illustrators are familiar with the process, understand timelines, and have proven track records of delivering quality work on time.
These lists can be valuable because the illustrators have already been vetted by other authors and understand the expectations of the publishing process. They know the contracts, timelines, and quality standards required.
What to Look For in an Illustrator
Once you start looking at illustrator portfolios, you need to know what to evaluate. Here are the key things to consider before you hire someone.
Art Style That Matches Your Vision
First of all, do they work in a style that you are attracted to? Go take a look at their portfolio. Does their artwork match the vision you have for your book? Can you see your characters and story coming to life in their style?
Remember that you will be looking at these illustrations for a long time. Make sure you genuinely love the style, not just think it is acceptable. The artwork should excite you and make you want to show it to everyone.
Willingness to Accept Work-for-Hire Contract
This is a question that you should be asking them before you fall in love with their artwork. Are they willing to accept a work-for-hire contract?
Work-for-hire means you are going to pay the artist a fee that is not a lowball fee but a fair price for their artwork. In return, they are going to give you ownership, not just a license, but the ownership of the artwork. You are contracting with them to create artwork that you will own.
Some illustrators will not do that. They prefer to work and they will say, "Don't worry, I will license you the images." But if you do not own them and you want to use them for other purposes besides your children's book, maybe you want to do t-shirts or other things, or maybe somebody comes to you and says they want to create a show on Nickelodeon for those characters, they are not your characters. You cannot negotiate that. You have to go to the illustrator.
What if that illustrator says no? What if they are playing hard ball? You can lose opportunities. That is why you want the ownership of that artwork. They are your characters in your mind. The illustrator is going to bring them to life and you love them for that, but they are not going to own your characters. Your dog, your family, characters of your grandkids, those are yours.
Ask About Work-for-Hire Before You Fall in Love
Ask that question before you fall in love with their artwork because by then a lot of people just say, "Oh, I will just deal with it. What are the odds that something will happen?" Unfortunately, when it does happen, it is usually a pretty massive issue. Always clarify ownership rights upfront.
Level of Experience and Skill Set
What level of experience does this person have? What kind of skill set do they have? You can usually tell based on the artwork in their portfolio. If you are asking people for references, you can get a sense of what they are thinking and how it was to work with that person.
You can also tell by just asking them how long they have been doing this and get that dialogue going. It is important for you to know what you are getting into. Experience matters, especially when it comes to understanding the children's book illustration process, meeting deadlines, and handling revisions professionally.
Communication Skills
There are some amazing illustrators all over the world. Many of the best illustrators you will ever work with are outside of this country, the US. Sometimes communication can be a problem.
As long as you know what you are getting into and you understand that yes, there is a little bit of a communication thing and things get lost in translation but you are okay with working through that, at least know where you stand. The only way that you are going to learn that is by engaging upfront before you hire that individual and contract with that individual.
Location and Time Zone
Consider location and time zone. If you have restrictions, you really want somebody in the US or you really want somebody from a particular area of the country, factor that into your search. Also consider whether time zone differences will affect your ability to communicate effectively and meet deadlines.
Budget Considerations
Spend a little time ahead really thinking through what you can afford and what your budget is. We will talk more about illustration costs later in this guide, but having a clear budget in mind helps you focus your search on illustrators who can work within your price range.
Remember that you can sometimes negotiate with illustrators to adjust the complexity of their style to fit your budget. If you fall in love with an illustration style that is way above what you budgeted for your project, you can talk with that illustrator and say, "Can we do this kind of style but what can we do to it so that it can be more of like a 70 to 80 a page? Would you do less details in the background? What could we do? Maybe less depth to all the shading and things so that it is not quite three-dimensional?" You can kind of talk with an illustrator and devise how best you can take the art you love and help make it fit more into your budget.
The Sample Process: Your Best Investment
The best $150 that you are going to spend on your book project is requesting illustrator samples. This is the single best way to take months off the illustration process and ensure you are working with the right person.
Request Samples from Three Illustrators
I recommend that you choose three illustrators and you pay $50 to each of them to create a sample. Give them the same exact directions so you can see how the three people interpret your scene or your sample differently.
You will select a character. You will have three illustrators, so $150 total. When you get the samples, provide feedback even if you love it exactly the way that it is. Come up with some tweak. Can you turn the head slightly? Can you move the position of the dog a little or whatever?
Why Request a Tweak?
If one of these illustrators has taken something off of the web and is passing it off as their own artwork, which has happened, when you try to ask them to go and change it and move it or do something a little different with it, all of a sudden they cannot do it or it is immediately obvious that that is not their work. Asking for a tweak helps you verify they actually created the artwork.
Evaluate Communication and Responsiveness
The other benefit of doing that is you also get to see how well they communicate and how well they apply or understand your directions and how quickly they reply to it. How well is their communication and how does it feel working with that individual?
Make a note of those communication skills and the ability for them to take direction and make your updates in a timely fashion. This is crucial because you will be working together for weeks or months. Poor communication can derail your entire project.
Meet One-on-One with Your Preferred Illustrator
If out of the three, one clearly is the one you are leaning towards, before you sign any kind of contract, make sure they are willing to meet on Zoom and chat with you. If they are not, that is going to make that project really difficult to get through when you are struggling with something and you just need a face-to-face conversation.
Some artists will say no, they do not do that. They do everything by email. Some will only communicate through Messenger. I expect somebody I am working with to be able to get on the other end of a Zoom call and walk through things with me. If they are not willing to do that, then I cross them off my list.
This meeting is your chance to discuss your vision, ask questions about their process, and make sure you are both on the same page before committing to a contract. It is also a good opportunity to see if your personalities mesh well, which can make the collaboration much smoother.
Creating an Illustration Brief: The Single Best Way to Save Time
The single best way to take months off the illustration process is to create a detailed illustration brief. Many authors are currently working with an editor, and that editor is getting your words in order. While that is happening, it is perfectly fine to go out and start interviewing and getting samples from illustrators.
What you do not want to do is start jumping into actually moving forward with illustrations until your edit is completely final. But once your editor has finalized your words, the next step is to take your words and create an illustration brief.
What is an Illustration Brief?
An illustration brief is a document that breaks down your story page by page. You take your words and put them into page numbers. This is called pagination. You can work with your editor to paginate your story, take the words and spread them out so that they go across 32 pages or 36 pages or whatever comes up with that nice flow of how your words will work and how page turns will be.
As a result of working through that, now you have got what the words are going to go on each page. Add some notes and talk to the illustrator and tell them what is important.
What to Include in Your Brief
For each page, include the words that will appear on that page, notes about what you want to see in the illustration, and sample images when helpful. For example, if your story involves a specific type of tree or animal, include a reference image so the illustrator knows exactly what you mean.
You might say something like, "On page 8, some kids are singing carols and musical notes above them with the words 'jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way.' On the left side, I want a house all decorated for Christmas with decorative Santa and Mrs. Claus in front of the house."
Include Visual References
Imagery can also be helpful. If your story involves cultural elements, specific settings, or animals that might not be familiar to your illustrator, include reference images. For example:
- If your story is set in a farmer's market, include images of what that looks like in your culture
- If your character is a specific type of animal, include reference photos
- If you want a specific hairstyle or clothing style, show examples
- If your setting is a real place, include photos or descriptions
Remember that illustrators from different countries may not be familiar with elements that seem obvious to you. A gray squirrel in New England looks very different from squirrels in other parts of the world. Providing visual references prevents misunderstandings and revisions.
Balance Guidance with Creative Freedom
There are some people that say, "You know what, I would much rather just have the illustrator decide what they want to do." If you truly want to give more control, that is fine. If you have specific things that you want to see in your mind that you want put out there, put those notes in your brief.
When you actually complete the illustration brief and you have already selected the illustrator and the contract is signed, put together a Zoom meeting and go through it together. Go through your notes, the different things on each page, and have that back and forth. "This is what I see. What do you think? You have other ideas?" They might say, "You know, I have got something in mind. I want to show you on this." I think it works really well when there is that back and forth, give and take.
There are sometimes I go through an illustration brief and I come up to a page and I think, "I have no idea how the illustrator is going to accomplish this. I have nothing in my mind." I just say, "Whatever you think. Feel free to use your discretion to illustrate what this page is asking for." I will tell you that those are some of my favorite pages in my books, the ones that I had no clue about and I did not provide too much guidance on. I just said, "Do whatever you think." That is probably no coincidence. I gave this artist an opportunity to include and to use their own imagination to get things done.
I just urge you to be willing to have some give and take. Give the illustrator an opportunity to be creative. But if you say, "Go ahead, have at it," and then you kind of see what they give you and you do not like it or, "Gee, that is not at all what I had in my mind," it could end up with a lot of back and forth, a lot more stress, a lot more angst, a lot more time that the illustrator needs to spend to get this correct, and maybe even impact your relationship.
If there is a lot of back and forth and they are expecting one level of effort and that doubles or triples, it can create a rift between an author and illustrator when that kind of thing happens. So I like to try to walk that fine line. The more you can do with your words, your notes, giving them some guidance, the more quickly that they can meet your needs.
The Importance of a Proper Contract
Do not move forward with an illustrator without a contract or agreement. This is non-negotiable. A proper contract protects both you and the illustrator and ensures everyone understands the expectations, timeline, and deliverables.
What Should Be in Your Contract
Your contract should clearly state that you own the copyright. There should be no royalties that you have to pay. You should get the source files, meaning the actual Photoshop files or Illustrator files with multiple layers and things so that you can use those to create other marketing material or eventually someday if you need to have a tweak done and maybe the illustrator is no longer around, somebody else can get in and manage some tweaks for you so that you can continue to move forward.
The contract should also specify the timeline, milestones, payment schedule, number of revisions included, and what happens if either party needs to make changes or if there are delays.
Never Sign an Illustrator's Contract Without Review
If an illustrator sends you their contract, do not just sign it. Many illustrators, even experienced ones, use contracts that favor them, not you. Have a legal professional review any contract before you sign it, or use a contract template designed to protect authors. If you have questions, make sure you reach out. If you would like me to check out a contract, I am not a legal professional but there are some things that I have been burned on that I would look for and give you some advice. But my primary advice is please, if you have questions, talk to a legal professional.
Key Contract Points
Essential Contract Elements
- ✓You own the copyright and all rights to the artwork
- ✓No ongoing royalties or licensing fees
- ✓Source files will be delivered (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.)
- ✓Clear timeline with specific milestones
- ✓Payment schedule (typically partial upfront, balance on completion)
- ✓Number of revisions included in the price
- ✓What happens if deadlines are missed
- ✓What happens if either party needs to terminate the contract
Best Practices for Working Together
Once you have selected your illustrator and signed the contract, the real work begins. Here are best practices to avoid delays and stay on track throughout the illustration process.
Clearly Communicate Character Traits
Make sure you are clearly communicating character traits and important information that you want your illustrator to know. Provide detailed descriptions of your characters, including their appearance, personality, and how they should look in different emotional states.
If your character is based on a real person or animal, provide photos from different angles. If your character has specific clothing or accessories that are important to the story, make sure to include those details in your brief.
Agree on Milestones and Timelines
Once you have signed the contract and they have a sense of your project because they have done your sample and they have walked through your illustration brief, now they should have an idea of how long it is going to take them to put together your storyboard.
Once you finalize your storyboard with them, they should have a better understanding of how long it will take them to turn that into detailed sketches and into color art. Make sure you are having those discussions and that you are holding them accountable and reminding them, "Okay, so this is going to be done by such and such, right?" You are just keeping them aligned so everybody is moving towards a specific date.
This is a project management thing. Whatever is measured improves. If you draw a line in the sand with a date and you put dates there, you have that measuring stick. How are we doing towards our dates? Do we think we are still going to make that? In order to meet your deadline for the book to be published, you need to have these dates. When you are bringing those to the attention of the person that you are working with, now they have got a goal. It is very easy otherwise for people to just lose track of things. It is not that they mean to miss out on dates, but make it something that you always revisit and check on regularly.
Consider Incentives or Penalties
If time is a critical thing or you have got some issues, then you can look at incorporating incentives or penalties. I like the carrot instead of the stick. Say, "If you meet this deadline, I am willing to give you a $200 bonus or $500 bonus." If you deliver after that time, you know, you will pay this much which is something different.
Incentives can also help if you are working on a really tight timeline. I would probably be doing things like that if I were trying to deliver a project in plenty of time for Christmas because if it goes over, then you can lose out on a lot of Christmas sales. I would incorporate some sort of incentive and maybe even a penalty if it is delivered late, it is a penalty of this much per day after it is supposed to be delivered. At that point, you just need to make sure also that you are not causing those delays which could be penalizing the illustrator.
Make Changes Early, Before Coloring
Make changes early, prior to coloring. If you find something in the storyboarding process you want tweaked, it is very, very simple and easy to change. If you wait until you have got your color illustration and you all of a sudden your friend or somebody says, "I think maybe that here should be different," if you are that far, now you have got to go back to the beginning with a specific thing or character or something. It is a very time-consuming process for an illustrator.
It also can be very stressful if you are trying to get something finished. Just be cognizant of the fact that early changes are very good. Get them nailed down. Late in the game, after you have kind of gone ahead and approved them to move forward with coloring, I would do everything you can to avoid major changes at that point of the process. Or if you do request them, then be willing to compensate the illustrator for doing it for you.
Respect the Artist's Process
I have worked with some artists that tell me, "You know, I prefer that you just hold off on your feedback until I finish the first pass at all of these images. I am going to send them to you as I get them done, but do not tell me anything because I want to get through my process first." That is great.
Some want you to provide some feedback along the way and then they will finalize things a few images at a time. Just ask, "What is your process? What works best for you?" Then try to respect that process.
Avoid Over-Communication
One illustrator contacted me one time and said, "Can you help me with your author? I am meeting my deadlines and I am doing what I should be doing, but I am getting emails almost every day. I am getting messages in my messenger. All kinds of questions, all kinds of tweaks, all kinds of changes, and I am just not able to focus on my work."
Just remember you can over-communicate because it can derail them. You want this experience to be just as good working with you as it is for you to work with them. You want to build a partnership that you can hopefully do a lot more than one book together. So we want to make sure we are being respectful.
Limit Rounds of Revisions
Limit the number of rounds of revisions and do not take things personally. In that situation I just mentioned, going back and saying to the author, "We need to let this person do their work. What you are doing is sidetracking them and making it really hard for them to focus on the deliverable ahead. Let us kind of gather your feedback and review it."
It would be very easy for that author to take it personally like, "Oh, you know, this is bad," and start getting a rift between the author and the illustrator. I also tell the illustrator, "Do not take it personally if you deliver something that did not quite hit the mark. It might be absolutely beautiful artwork, but the author had something a little bit different in mind. It is no detriment, you know, no negative thing for you. It is just something we need to work through to get the final product to be where the author needs and wants to have it."
It is a lot of that. We just need to make sure from an interpersonal perspective that we also do not put up our guard or cause issues because we are taking things personal. This is all business and it is about getting things done and it is about a mutually satisfying relationship that you are building.
Understanding Illustration Costs
Illustration costs vary widely based on the style, complexity, and experience of the illustrator. Understanding these costs helps you set realistic expectations and find an illustrator who fits your budget.
Simple Illustrations: $50 to $70 Per Page
Simple illustrations typically cost $50 to $70 per page. These are illustrations with not a lot of background detail and a limited number of characters. Certain styles are much easier to work in than others. Simple, flat illustrations with minimal shading and detail fall into this category.
More Complex Artwork: $75 to $90 Per Page
If you get to $75 to $90 a page, you are looking at more complex artwork with more shading, more characters sometimes, and more detailed backgrounds. These illustrations require more time and skill to create.
Highly Detailed Illustrations: $100 or More Per Page
As you kind of move towards $100 or more, you start to get a 3D effect. You start to see that whole other-worldliness that starts coming out. These are highly detailed, often three-dimensional looking illustrations that require significant time and artistic skill.
Negotiating to Fit Your Budget
Let us just say you fall in love with an image and you just love it, but it is way above what you budgeted for your project. That does not mean you cannot talk with that illustrator and say, "Can we do this kind of style but what can we do to it so that it can be more of like a 70 to 80 a page? Would you do less details in the background? What could we do? Maybe less depth to all the shading and things so that it is not quite three-dimensional?"
You can kind of talk with an illustrator and devise how best you can take the art you love and help make it fit more into your budget. Many illustrators are willing to adjust their style to work within your budget, especially if it means landing a complete book project.
Total Book Cost Estimate
For a typical 32-page picture book, illustration costs range from approximately $1,600 (at $50 per page) to $3,200 (at $100 per page) or more. Factor this into your overall book budget along with editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing costs.
