The best book illustrators for hire near Oakland

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Elia 5 star rating

Oakland, CA, USA

Illustrator with robust experience who loves crafting vibrant picture books with engaging and dynamic characters. Based in California!

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Local Language
  • Local Language Art

Samantha 5 star rating

California, United States

Children's Illustrator and designer specialized in colorful, whimsical illustrations with experience from Disney.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Jam City
  • RockYou Inc.
  • Walt Disney Interactive
  • Book Buddy Media

Gillian 5 star rating

Oakland, CA, USA

I'm an illustrator from California specializing in vibrant pictures with a hand-drawn feel for YA, children's, self-help, and biographies.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, Coming of Age, Young Adult, Calendars, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Hokyoung 5 star rating

New York, United States

I am an illustrator interested in making images with strong moods and narratives.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Classics, Mystery & Crime, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Ashley 5 star rating

Portland, ME, United States

I'm an art director, graphic designer and illustrator that loves book design, typography and the interplay of graphics and text.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, Home & Garden, Middle Grade, Education & Reference, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Macmillan Children's Books
  • Sellers Publishing, Inc.

Annemieke 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, United States

Hi! I'm a cover designer with 10 years of experience, specializing in YA fiction. Clients include HarperCollins and Galison/Mudpuppy.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Architecture, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Design, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Candice 5 star rating

Iowa City, IA, United States

Award-winning fantasy illustrator. 100% hand-made with no generative AI. Providing cover design, typography, marketing assets, and more!

Genres: Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Children's, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Bovard Studio, Inc.

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Mary Ann 5 star rating

New York, United States

With 20+ yrs experience in fiction, rom-com, wellness and career guides, my clients include Simon and Schuster and PenguinRandomHouse.

Genres: Career Guides, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House

Dana 5 star rating

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

I have illustrated children's books for Scholastic, Random House, Penguin, Grosset & Dunlap, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Hallmark Cards

Jake 5 star rating

Blacksburg, SC, United States

With 2k covers and counting, I design genre-faithful covers that help authors look professional and convert browsers into buyers.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Print Depot
  • Self-employed

Talitha 5 star rating

Fort Wayne, United States

Experienced award-winning illustrator and designer. I can help with your next book concept!

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Caroline Teagle 5 star rating

Brooklyn, NY, United States

I am not accepting any new requests to collaborate at this time.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Entertainment, Mystery & Crime, True Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House
  • Random House
  • Penguin Publishing Group
  • HarperCollins

Tom 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Whimsical, expressive illustrations for children’s books, editorials, and brands—crafted to spark imagination and bring stories to life.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Judith 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, United States

Lettering artist and illustrator for 25 years. Bold, clean, graphic style—bright color palettes—contemporary look.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Design, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Themes & Motifs, and Plays & Screenplays.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Katerina 5 star rating

Richmond, CA, USA

I focus on creating charming, whimsical characters, cute animals and unique atmosphere.

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

Work experience:

  • freelance

Ashley 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I'm an agency Sr. Art Director with a MFA in creative writing. Background in illustration and branding. Designed 40+ books for Reedsy.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Poetry, LGBTQ Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Write Bloody Publishing
  • NPR - Austin, TX
  • Gap Online
  • Ladders
  • Democratic National Committee
  • Bully Pulpit Interactive

Nat 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN USA

I'm a cartographer, researcher, and designer with over 30 years experience.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Travel, Education & Reference, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Geography, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Hedberg Maps, Inc.
  • Self-employed

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Hire the best book illustrators in Oakland, California

For authors working on picture books, finding the right illustrations to captivate little readers is of utmost importance. A good book illustrator will be able to breathe life into your characters and make your story vivid and immersive.

Finding an illustrator is a challenge for many self-published authors, especially those who aren’t quite sure what they need. For instance, it is important to understand the various styles used by illustrators, so you can know exactly which one you want — don’t hire a line artist if what you want is lush, colorful illustrations. Likewise, illustrators who work on fairy tales will not have the same style as those who work on novels. This is why you need a collaborative partner with experience in your specific genre, so you can clearly imagine what your book will look like if you hire them on the basis of their portfolio.

At Reedsy, we have some of the best book illustrators in Oakland, who can provide all sorts of illustration styles for your book. Sign up to meet them and start requesting quotes.

How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

Step 2

Browse

Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

Step 3

Request quotes

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

Collaborate

Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.