The best book illustrators for hire near Oakland

Sign up for free to meet top book illustrators on Reedsy

Michael 5 star rating

Oakland, CA, USA

Illustrator and cover designer specializing in fun, colorful, character-driven imagery for middle grade and genre fiction.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Picture Books, Humor & Comedy, Steampunk, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

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

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

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

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

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

📞 Chat with our team

Need a hand finding the perfect professional? Our team is here to help. Get in touch for recommendations.

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

Jake 5 star rating

Blacksburg, SC, United States

Versatile, easy-going and ready to work for you!

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

Work experience:

  • Print Depot
  • 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.

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

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

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

Joel 5 star rating

Nashville, TN, USA

Middle Grade Book Cover and children's illustrator with over 7 years of experience specializing in book covers, picture books, and more!

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Awana
  • Source of Light

Travis 5 star rating

Louisville, KY, USA

Fantasy map illustrator. Clients include Penguin Random House and Sourcebooks.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Urban Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks
  • Kidsbooks Publishing

Creative book designer with proven ability to craft visual stories—Previous clients include Red Hen Press, Not a Cult, Los Angeles Magazine

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Anthologies, Women's Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Short Story, LGBTQ Fiction, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Red Hen Press
  • Not A Cult Media
  • Los Angeles Magazine
  • Whole Foods Market
  • Self-employed

Jerry 5 star rating

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Designer, Art Director and Illustrator. I specialize in Big, Bold Thrillers and True Crime.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Action & Adventure, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, True Crime, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, and Medical Thriller.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • St. Martin's Press

Browse 2,000+ additional profiles

Create your free Reedsy account and begin requesting free quotes.

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.