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.

Sarah 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

Specialist children's book illustrator and designer, creating beautiful and engaging books and content.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Pearson Education
  • John Brown Media
  • Redan Publishing

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

Edward 5 star rating

Brighton, United Kingdom

Graphic Design professional with over 20 years experience specialising in cover design and illustration.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Nature, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fantasy, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Warner Music
  • Penguin Books UK
  • Self-employed

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: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Romance, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Women's 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, Humor & Comedy, Middle Grade, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

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

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Experienced and multi-talented book designer who can help make your book something special. Covers, layout, typography, beautiful imagery...

Genres: Design, Non-Fiction, Architecture, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Entertainment, Photography, History, Travel, and Art.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Thames & Hudson

Hi, I'm Ed and with 30 years of publishing experience as a designer, illustrator and art director, I'm looking forward to working with you!

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Education & Reference, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Tall Tree Ltd
  • Self-employed
  • Marshall Editions

Designing books since 2018, working across commercial fiction, literary fiction and non-fiction.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Penguin Random House

Award-winning illustrator with 20+ years of experience. Passionate about historical research, rich detail, and immersive, story-driven art.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Cultural & Ethnic.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Children's illustrator specialising in comical animal paintings (actual and invented), with over thirty years experience in the business.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Alice 5 star rating

Northampton, UK

I love to bring worlds to life through vibrant characters and intricate details, creating immersive narratives through my illustrations!

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Coming of Age, LGBTQ Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Inkwell Printing
  • Self-employed

Children’s book designer & illustrator with 5+ years’ experience creating engaging, print-ready books and visual worlds.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Picture Books, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, and Holiday.

Work experience:

  • Yandex
  • Alpina.Kids Publisher
  • HSE DESIGN LAB

Picture books and middle grade illustration, covers & interiors. Creating illustrations that dance around your words. 100% human made.

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

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

A passionate children's book illustrator bringing stories to life for 15+ years :)

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

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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