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

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, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Humor & Comedy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

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

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

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

Bringing 25+ years of whimsical, joyful and colourful illustration to the publishing industry. Unique, fabulous drawings just for you!

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Bek 5 star rating

Basingstoke, UK

I'm an experienced UK based illustrator who has an extensive working background in illustrated map design.

Genres: Geography, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Travel, Nature, Architecture, Children’s Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, and Holiday.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

I am a book cover artist with a wide range of styles and who loves anything fantasy and whimsical.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Dark Romance, Romance, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, and Contemporary Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Ink Slinger

A Japanese illustrator currently based in London, UK Speciality: Illustration for Landscape, Architecture, Cities

Genres: Travel, Non-Fiction, Holiday, Fiction, Calendars, DIY & Crafts, Coming of Age, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, and Architecture.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Graphic designer and art director with over 15 years experience working in the publishing industry.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery & Crime, and Middle Grade.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House

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

I am an experienced freelance illustrator, with more than 40 titles published in children’s and youth literature.

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

Work experience:

  • Germano Ovani

Experienced Illustrator and Designer, Specialising in Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, YA , and Mystery.

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

Work experience:

  • Artist Studio London
  • Print Studio
  • Self-employed

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

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

A super friendly digital artist specialising in fantasy and sci-fi art for book cover work and illustration. I don't use AI in my artwork.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • RedBedlam
  • Yazino

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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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