Find your perfect Illustrator.
You’ve got a concept for a great childrens book. Now you need great illustrations.
We have a team of talented Australian childrens book illustrators ready to lend their skills to your book project.
Guide
How to produce your childrens book.
Make your book happen.
Enquire with us today to get our concise guide to producing illustrations for your childrens book by commissioning an industry professional book illustrator.
You’ll find 5 powerful tips that walk you through which steps to take to ensure your illustrator is properly prepared and can create your illustrations just how you want.
portfolio
Sample our Illustrators.
Our illustrators are true creative professionals.
Over the years, we have built up a portfolio of illustrators who specialise in a range of styles. Click on the styles below to start the process of commissioning brilliant images from some of Australia’s best childrens book illustrators. See the price index for an indication of each illustrators price range.
Stray Leaves
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Timeless
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Hushed Hues
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Lovely Lines
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Imagine That
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Daring Adventures
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Kooky Chooky
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Delightful Darlings
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Soft Harmonies
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Enchanted Dreams
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Dynamic Detail
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Illuminate
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Untamed Entities
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Projects
Published Childrens Books.
We’ve managed the illustration process of quite a few childrens books over the years. See our illustrators in action with this sample backlog of published childrens books.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
For authors
How much does illustration cost?
The cost of illustration is dependant on a couple of important factors, but namely which illustrator you choose, what kind of illustrations you need (vignette or full page), and how many unique illustrations you need.
Who owns the rights to the illustrations?
The illustrator owns the rights to the images during the illustration process. After the illustrations have been completed and the illustrators time has been paid for, you as the author are given permission to use them in any way related to your book. This includes the book itself and any promotion of the book (such as social media graphics or flyers and posters).
If you want to create any merchandise or use the illustrations in any other way (expecially in a way that generates extra profit for you), you will need to purchase the illustrations from the illustrator.
What is a storyboard?
An illustration storyboard is a rough sketch of scene and character ideas that authors can provide to their illustrators. This will help your illustrator understand your vision for the book and the kinds of illustrations that you are needing.
What are the different types of illustrations?
There are two main types of illustration: vignette and full page.
Vignette illustrations don’t cover the whole page and can be placed to fit around the text without the illustrator needing add blank space for the text. They can be large and fill most of the page, or smaller and have more text.
When do I decide on book size?
The time to decide on book size is before you commission illustrations. This is expecially important when your book will include any full page illustrations. If you decide to change the size of your book part way through or after the illustration process, you will most likely have to pay extra to adjust the images or risk your book looking amateur as your illustrations no longer fit properly.
Talk to our childrens book professionals if you need some guidance on which size is best for your project and budget.
How many alterations can I have and what can I alter?
There are a fixed number of alterations that you can request.
What is the typical page count of a childrens book?
A childrens book typically has 36 pages.
You also have to have an even number of pages to make sure that there are no blank pages at the back of your book. This is because of how the printers print books and cannot be negotiated.
How much does printing a childrens book cost?
The cost of printing your childrens book is dependant of a few different factors: book size, page number, paper quality, binding type, and volume.
Book size: Smaller book sizes are cheaper than larger ones as they require less paper, less ink, and less cost to freight. Orientation also affects cost, making portrait cheaper than landscape.
Page number: The number of pages also effects cost in a similar way to book size (paper, ink, and freight), but also determines production time. Smaller books are quicker to print.
Paper quality: The paper used in childrens book is often premium white stock as you want the illustrations to pop from the page. We recommend sticking to this option, as alternatives such as board books are a very expensive endeavour.
Binding type: Some binding types are more expensive than others due to material cost and production time. Saddle stitch is the cheapest option and typically involves staples or thread. Hard cover is the most expensive.
Volume: printing in a greater volume is cheaper than printing small quantities at a time. This is because it brings the per unit cost down. If you cannot print in quantities greater than 200, print-on-demand may be the option for you. Talk to our childrens book professionals for more guidance on this matter.
What is the difference between book design and illustration?
Illustration is not book design. The illustrator handles only the creation of the illustrations, while book designers decided on the layout of the book.
Our in-house book designers will choose whether your book requires one or multiple fonts and the visual presentation of the text, where your vignette illustrations are placed and how they compliment the text. They will also design your front cover, spine, and back cover with all the neccessary information such as title, your name, your illustrators name, barcode and ISBN, blurb, and author biography.
Does the illustrator layout my text?
No, the illustrator only creates the illustrations based on author instruction. Your text layout will be handled by our in-house book designers.
Can I contact my illustrator directly?
There will be some instances where you and your illustrator will have direct correspondance, but it will be managed and overseen by our project manager to ensure that everyone’s best interests are being represented properly and the process remains professional.
For illustrators
Who owns the rights to the illustrations?
During the illustration process, you as the illustrator own the rights to your work. Once the author has paid in full for your time, they are entitled to use the illustrations for anything that relates to their book (i.e. the book itself and any social media promotion/flyers/posters).
If they wish to make any merchandise or other out of your illustrations, they will need to purchase the specific illustrations from you.
Will you look at my portfolio?
We are always open to illustrators submitting their work for our review and consideration. Use the contact form and give us a short illustrator bio, along with any social media/website links that relate to your illustration business.
We aim to get back to any enquiries withing 3-5 business days.
Are you hiring?
Because of the nature of our business and how our authors have ultimate control over which illustrator they work with, we don’t directly hire any illustrators. Instead, we work with a variety of illustrators on a contractual basis.
If you’re interested in working with us, we are always open for portfolio submissions. Use the contact form and give us a short illustrator bio, along with any social media/website links that relate to your illustration business.
We aim to get back to any enquiries withing 3-5 business days.
Will clients contact me directly?
There will be some instances where you and your client will have direct correspondance, but it will be managed and overseen by our project manager to ensure that everyone’s best interests are being represented properly and the process remains professional.