The best book illustrators for hire near Oakland

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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

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

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

Brianna 5 star rating

New York, United States

I'm a freelance book cover designer and illustrator with nearly a decade of in-house experience at a top publishing house.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Travel, Poetry, Historical Fiction, Music, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Sports & Outdoors, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Lauren 5 star rating

New York, United States

You can, and should, judge a book by it's cover.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Historical Fiction, Anthologies, Women's Fiction, Short Story, and Photography.

Work experience:

  • Little, Brown and Co.
  • St. Martin's Press

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

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, Non-Fiction, Young Adult, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Lesley 5 star rating

White Plains, NY, United States

Creative art director and book cover designer specializing in commercial woman's fiction, young adult, and romance.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, African American Fiction, Anthologies, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House (Formally Penguin Group USA)
  • Penguin Group USA
  • St. Martin's Press
  • Tor Publishing Group

Penny 5 star rating

Holbrook, United States

I have been lucky enough to work as a Children's Book Illustrator since 2007.

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

Work experience:

  • self employed

Karen 5 star rating

New York, United States

Hello! I'm an award-winning illustrator and Grammy® nominated designer with 20+ years in the publishing, arts and entertainment worlds.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Design, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Photography, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Picture Books, Children's, and Contemporary Fiction.

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.

Elynn 5 star rating

South Orange, United States

A versatile, creative, collaborative book design professional who designs covers and interiors with a focus on the children's market.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Comics & Graphic Novels, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Freelance

Carl 5 star rating

Portland, OR, USA

I'm a writer and illustrator with over a decade of experience with publishers like Simon and Schuster, Archie and IDW. Let's talk!

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Erin 5 star rating

Andover, NY, USA

Freelance illustrator specializing in children's illustration, animals, and nature themes.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Stewart 5 star rating

Morgantown, WV, USA

Over 30 years in publishing. Art Direction, Graphic Design, Typography, Illustration, Project Management. Two cats are also here to help.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, True Crime, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Seattle Metropolitan Magazine
  • Sasquatch Books
  • Seattle Weekly
  • The Rocket
  • Self-employed

Rose 5 star rating

Pasadena, CA, USA

I help engage young and young-at-heart readers with visually inspiring illustrations and fun characters in whimsical environments.

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

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

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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.

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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.