The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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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

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

Illustrator specialising in vibrant covers for adult & children's fiction/non-fiction. Bloomsbury Publishing, The Guardian, The WSJ

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Classics, Contemporary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Neo Creative
  • Self-employed
  • Virtue / Vice DACH
  • Strukt Vienna

I’ve been an illustrator since 2008 I work in editorial, publishing and advertising.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Steampunk, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Jess 5 star rating

Birmingham, UK

Jess has 20 years of experience illustrating books for publishers such as Bloomsbury, Orchard Books, Usborne and Oxford University Press.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Book cover designer and illustrator working primarily in adult non fiction and fiction.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Philosophy, Short Story, Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Writing & Publishing, Anthologies, and Poetry.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

I'm a London-based illustrator, specialising in the following styles: Comic/graphic novel, Painterly and vector designs

Genres: Anthologies, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Science Fiction, Travel, Non-Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Offshore International Advertsing
  • Big House Media
  • South African Fashion Week

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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

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

Ben 5 star rating

Salisbury, UK

Illustrator, cover designer and hand-lettering specialist working with Bloomsbury, Penguin, Hachette, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming of Age, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Young Adult, Art, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

With over 20 years of editorial graphic design experience, I am creative, reliable and able to deliver projects on time and within budget.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Travel, and Music.

Work experience:

  • APL Media Limited
  • The Big Issue
  • Self-employed

Hello, I'm a creative and versatile artist who can provide fun, colourful and engaging illustrations that align with your project's vision.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, and Middle Grade.

Work experience:

  • Self Employed

Adam 5 star rating

Cheltenham, UK

I am a book designer with over 40 years experience collaborating with authors to produce intelligent, creative solutions.

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Music, Entertainment, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Mystery & Crime, Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Haymarket Publishing
  • CW Communications
  • The Architectural Press
  • Wordsearch
  • Redwood Publishing
  • Burnett Associates
  • Pearce Marchbank, Studio Twenty
  • Self-employed
  • Graphic Design: A Concise History

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

Published book illustrator, specialised in picture books and character design.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Picture Books, Young Adult, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Illustrator with over 15 years of experience, specializing in history, psychology, and science themes. Worked with Apple and Absolute Radio

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Nature, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Children’s Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Coming of Age, Short Story, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • My Fat Fox Ltd

I'm a passionate and creative book designer with over 20 years experience.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, True Crime, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Education & Reference, Economics, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Packt
  • Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Biteback Publishing
  • Grade Design
  • 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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