The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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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

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

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

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

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

Illustrator with over a decade of experience working with Macmillan, Little Brown, HarperCollins, Tor Books and more.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Dark Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Nature, Non-Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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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, Design, Education & Reference, and Fashion & Textiles.

Work experience:

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

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

Award-winning illustrator with 10+ years of experience, specializing in picture books and middle grade with a focus on light and color!

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Nature, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Artist and Illustrator, I love creating compelling worlds full of natural forms, expressive figures and creatures both real and fantastical

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Comics & Graphic Novels, and Historical 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

I specialise in narrative cover illustration and artwork for books, film, and music.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Hi, I'm Rich. I create story-driven Illustration that capture emotion and atmosphere to bring your words, worlds and characters to life.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Experienced Illustrator Crafting Engaging Picture Book & Middle Grade Art with a Distinctive Textured, Printmaking Style.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, and Picture Books.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

I create book covers, editorials, and character illustration that bring narrative worlds to life with depth, and a love for the handmade.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, and Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits.

Work experience:

  • Artist Studio London
  • Print Studio
  • 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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