The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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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

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

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.

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

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

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

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Senior designer in publishing with nearly ten years' experience in book jacket design and illustration.

Genres: Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Poetry, Literary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Music, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • Birlinn Ltd
  • Freelance

Mickey is a multidisciplinary award-winning creative specialising in art direction and design. Her style is bold, colourful and playful!

Genres: Travel, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Health & Wellbeing, Cultural & Ethnic, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Design, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • ACNE
  • Self-employed

Experienced illustrator with humorous, quirky, detailed style. Offers illustration, project management, book formatting and cover design.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Psychology, Middle Grade, and Children's.

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

Illustrator based in the South West who loves to make bold, playful and colourful full of characters.

Genres: Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, Physics & Chemistry, Children’s Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Mathematics & Statistics, and ELT.

Work experience:

  • Dorling Kindersley
  • Self-employed

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

Graphic Designer & Illustrator for Trade Fiction Covers and Children’s Picture Books.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Poetry, Literary Fiction, Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • Bloomsbury Publishing

Andy 5 star rating

Birmingham, UK

I’ve been helping people tell their stories through my art for over 20 years! Let me help you tell yours!

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Picture Books, Children’s Non-Fiction, Career Guides, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Lime Media
  • Lunar Animation

Mia 5 star rating

Shrewsbury, UK

I specialise in illustration for children aged 3-7. I create endearing characters using vibrant colour palettes, soft textures and detail.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • MarcoPolo Learning

My name's Sophie, I'm a conceptual Illustrator specialising in Health, Science and well-being.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Health & Wellbeing, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Life Sciences, and Math & Science.

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 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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