The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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Patrick 5 star rating

Brighton, United Kingdom

With 30 years experience designing covers for the UK's top publishing houses, I also art direct, illustrate and do hand lettering for covers

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Historical Mysteries, and Science Fiction.

Louise 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

Hello, I am an Illustrator living & working in Somerset. My style is honest, inviting & brings the everyday to life.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Home & Garden, Weddings, Short Story, and Fashion & Textiles.

Work experience:

  • Ernest Journal - Tina Smith, Jo Keeling
  • Author Andrew Sutton
  • The Hunterian Museum & Glasgow University
  • Curator of 'Museum of memory', Kate McStraw,
  • Tina Smith, Dan Linstead -Immediate Media
  • Pretty Nostalgic
  • Another Escape
  • Upper Hand Press. (William Cass, Author & Ann Starr, Publisher)
  • Marbella Club Hotel & Smokes Creative

Berenice 5 star rating

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Award-winning book designer with an MA in Graphic Design & Typography. I bring your words to life with design tailored to your readers.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies, Classics, Women's Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Non-Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Pearson and Penguin
  • M&M Communications

Jem 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I have over 20 years experience in designing bestselling book covers

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Action & Adventure, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, and Sports & Outdoors.

Work experience:

  • Simon and Schuster
  • Transworld

I manage a small design studio in central London. Publishing services include book design, project management and art direction.

Genres: Architecture, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Religion & Spirituality, Parenting & Families, and Design.

Work experience:

  • Duncan Baird Publishing
  • Smith and Gilmour
  • Self-employed

Hello, I am a creative Designer with more than 10 years of freelance experience working from London to the publishing market worldwide.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult, Historical Romance, Romance, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Andy 5 star rating

Brighton, United Kingdom

An illustrator of children's picture books, Young Adult books and book covers. A humorous style with expressive characters.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Humor & Comedy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Minds eye productions
  • Artworld
  • Climax
  • Beyond Reality Games
  • Self-employed

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Experienced Illustrator and Designer, Specialising in Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, YA , and Mystery.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Artist Studio London
  • Print Studio
  • Self-employed

A designer by day and illustrator by night. Passionate about art, books and bringing stories to life.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult, Classics, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Themes & Motifs, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Award-Winning illustrator with a textile design background specialising in decorative floral illustrations with vintage aesthetic.

Genres: Fashion & Textiles, Non-Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance, Antiques & Collectibles, Health & Wellbeing, Nature, Themes & Motifs, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Children's picture book illustrator and designer with a love for classical and whimsical designs through watercolour textures.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • TryHackMe
  • IncSub
  • Self-employed

Graphic designer and art director with over 15 years experience working in the publishing industry.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery & Crime, and Middle Grade.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House

Is an Irish illustrator living in London who loves to create artwork that captures the moments between moments in pop culture.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Entertainment, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Book Designer and Illustrator with experience working with publishers such as Harper Collins and Random House and love for literature!

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Romance, Short Story, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Marmalade London
  • 20Ten Creative Ltd

Smashing illustrated maps, cartography designed to your targeted readership. Good at getting the design right first time.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Design, Non-Fiction, Geography, Humanities & Social Sciences, Travel, Holiday, Transportation, Nature, and History.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Creative designer/Non-fiction Arts, Biography, History, and all fiction. 25+yrs experience.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Photography, Design, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Nam Aidsmap
  • Self-employed
  • Thames & Hudson

Tom 5 star rating

Liverpool, UK

I'm a freelance artist and illustrator based near Liverpool, UK. I specialise in whimsical, fantastical and retro-futuristic art.

Genres: Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Hire the best book illustrators in the UK

You’ve done the hard work of getting a story on paper. Now let us help you find the perfect illustrator to bring your words to life.

In many genres, particularly those for a younger audience, the words and the pictures will become intertwined. Both should complement the other perfectly. If you think back to your most beloved children’s books, chances are that you still vividly remember the art that brought the story to life in front of your very eyes. So whether you’re publishing a children’s book or a technical piece of writing, your story deserves the illustrations that can illuminate it and take it to the next level.

But how can you find the perfect illustrator for your story? It’s probably not a surprise that talented illustrators are highly in-demand. But it’s not enough to simply be gifted. The ideal illustrator should have previously worked in your genre and have years of experience in the industry. More importantly, their style of illustration must match with your own unique voice.

If you’re struggling to find the right book illustrator to fit this profile, Reedsy can step in. Our book illustrators have worked for the biggest publishers and the most prestigious illustration agencies in the UK. We rigorously vet and accept only the top 3% of talent in the industry to ensure that you’re seeing the best freelancers available. What’s more, our platform lets you browse each illustrator’s individual gallery, so that you can get a feel for their illustration style before you commit to a collaboration. So what are you waiting for? Simply sign up for a free Reedsy account today to meet the perfect book illustrator for hire in the UK who can breathe life into your story.

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Step 3

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Request quotes from up to five freelancers at any time. They’ll look at your sample pages to give you a tailored quote as well as a sense of how they work.

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