The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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James 5 star rating

Chester, United Kingdom

Simple, but fun pencil and pen illustrator. I love middle grade, chapter books, and non-fiction for kids and adults.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Business & Management, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Humor & Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • James Warwood Books

Emma 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A freelance book cover designer with over 20 years of experience working across a wide variety of imprints at HarperCollins and LittleBrown.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Classics, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Little Brown
  • HarperCollins

A experienced and passionate children's book illustrator bringing stories to life through magical artwork.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Vanessa 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

🟡 Experienced book designer available for book cover and interior book design/typesetting. 🟡

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Poetry, Thriller & Suspense, Humor & Comedy, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Nick 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I am a book cover designer with 20 years experience. I have designed everything from thrillers, crime books and illustrated womens fiction.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • HarperCollins

Jason 5 star rating

Hassocks, United Kingdom

Book jacket design designer with over twenty years experience in the industry.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Philosophy, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, and Technology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

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A creative designer based in Central London, specialising in; marketing, cover design, branding and graphic communication.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Literary Fiction, Design, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Art, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Freelance illustrator with over 10 years experience creating dream like, fanciful imagery based heavily around animals and creatures.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Music, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Award winning illustrator and designer. I love illustrating magical and strange worlds. Let's start working on making your project sparkle!

Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Classics, Young Adult, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Longman Group
  • Oxford University Press
  • Aberystwyth University

With over 20 years as a designer I can create for you an eye catching and professional book cover design that will get your book noticed.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Historical Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Ghost Design
  • Allcity Media
  • Self-employed
  • Various

Children’s books are my passion! I love to bring stories to life with whimsical, joyful watercolour-based art. Communication+collaboration!

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chick Lit, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Little Steps
  • Clavis Publishing
  • Catch a Leaf
  • Urban Wildlife Explorers

I’m a seasoned cover illustrator with more than a decade of experience, collaborating with some of the leading figures in science fiction!

Genres: Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Epic Fantasy, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Ogden Media Ltd
  • Daniel Arenson
  • Chris Fox Writes
  • Not Yet Studios

Book cover artist specialising in illustration and fine art photo collage. All covers come with cover reveal graphics. No AI 🙅🏻‍♀️

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Women's Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Dark Romance, Romance, and Romantic Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Hollyoaks, Lime Pictures
  • Self-employed
  • Left Bank Pictures

I'm an illustrator with over 15 years of experience, specialising in book covers and children's books.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Picture Books, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Illustrator / designer with a conceptual approach to story telling through eye catching illustration

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Book designer and illustrator. 20 years experience in publishing. Penguin, DK, Orchard, Templar, Scholastic, Ladybird, BBC, JKP and more.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • DK, Ladybird, BBC Children's Books, Disney's Planet
  • 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 2

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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.

Step 4

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Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.

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