Wrote an amazing, could-be-the-next-bestselling children's book? To make your book a reality, you need an equally amazing children's book illustrator. But where do you find one?
Read this post to know how to find a children's book illustrator for hire and what to expect when working with them.
I am going to make your search a lot easier but introducing myself first, because I am a children's book illustrator too. And I have illustrated MANY picture books. Plus, I do book designing too - picture and text layout, providing you with print ready files.
My art style is fun, colorful, bright, crayon/pencil like and light and shadows make my work very lively. I am sure my art would suit your story a lot!
But if you really are looking for something else, then I guess I will have to point you to another direction or several other directions actually:
Fiverr : My honest opinion about Fiverr is that it has many budding illustrators over there hence they are willing to create art for low prices but the difference in quality is pretty evident so if you are on a tight budget, try Fiverr. I have noticed that a lot of people are selling AI generated images and passing off it as real, handmade art so you might get scammed if you can't distinguish between AI generated 'art' and actual art.
Tip: Try to find that artist's social media or portfolio website to see if they actually have an art career or if they share any videos about their process.
2. Upwork : That's where I started from! It is also a platform for clients to connect with freelancers and I do think that it is much more strict in terms of its verification for freelancers. I remember I had to have to a video call with someone from their team for ID verification.
I think prices for artists on Upwork are a bit higher than the ones on Fiverr. The AI image problem still remains so always ask about their art process and portfolios.
3. Instagram : You can find many artists on Instagram but it can be a bit tough to commission them because you don't know if they have an account just as a hobby or as a professional artist. Many of them are represented by agents and you will have to go through their agent to hire them. And their fee is on the higher side because their agent takes a commission fee too.
4. Behance : A pretty good website filled with portfolios but many artists are represented by agents so you might want to check that.
By the way, working with agency represented artists is a good thing. It's just that if you are a self-publishing artist on a tight budget, then it might not be the best option for you. But if you have a big budget then go ahead!
How to approach a children's book illustrator for hire?
Shoot them a simple message with your requirements. Do not send your manuscript to anyone and everyone.
Message example:
Hi! I am name from place (country - helps the artist know what time zone you are in). I have written a children's picture book of _________ number of words and it will be a ______ number of pages book. I require ___________ number of single / double spread illustrations and ________ spot / vignette illustrations along with the front and back cover. I want the illustrations in ____ format (.png , .jpeg, .pdf, vector, - .ai etc) I would like the work to be done by date. This book is about theme. I loved your art and your portfolio looks like a great fit for my book. Kindly let me know if you are interested in discussing this further and if you are available for it. Please let me know an estimated price for it too. I am self-publishing this and my budget is __________ to __________ USD.
Thank you for your time!
What happens when they reply? Maybe they agree to work with you and their work is within your budget OR they quote a price way more than what you can pay them. Of course, you are going to have to find another illustrator BUT please, do not ghost them. Let them know (politely) that you won't be able to work with them.
This is what you can message them:
Hi! Thank you for getting back to me. I am glad you are interested in my story. Unfortunately, I do not have the budget to hire your services right now. Hopefully, we can work on a book together in the future. I will be sure to refer your work to fellow authors. Thanks again.
See? Not that hard! It's okay to let artists know that you are working with a small budget. No one expects every self-publishing author to spend 10,000 USD + on getting their book illustrated. Just let the people you sent an inquiry to, know that you will not be able to work with them. Don't leave them hanging. And, who knows, when your books start doing well in the future, you might actually be able to spend more on getting other books illustrated *fingers crossed*.
If you find someone nice (like me) then go ahead, and sign that contract.
I am going to post more about contracts and the process of working with an illustrator in my future posts so make sure you are on my mailing list!
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