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

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

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

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.

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

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

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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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

Ricardo 5 star rating

Philadelphia, United States

I'm illustrator and Graphic Designer. I love the freedom children's book illustration brings. I love small details just kids can understand.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Nature, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Fantasy, and Action & Adventure.

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

Charles 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Illustrator - Charlie believes in a future where somehow, against all odds, we make it. Tell me your story! Let’s bring it to life.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Gaming & LitRPG, LGBTQ Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Coyote & Crow

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

Sara 5 star rating

Englewood, FL, USA

Children's book illustrator and character designer. Digital artist. Loves anything whimsical, cute, and bright.

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

Work experience:

  • Kristi Grigsby LLC
  • Joyin, Inc.
  • Alison Isaac
  • Siva K. C. Penamakuru
  • Ken Gagne
  • AviaGames, Inc.

Yumiko 5 star rating

Melbourne, FL, USA

Japanese picture book illustrator and author based in Florida, creating lively, endearing characters that young readers can relate to.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

jon 5 star rating

Cleveland, OH, USA

Freelance illustrator based in the Mid West. I've been creating imagery for all sorts of projects and industries for over a decade.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Psychology, Classics, Literary Fiction, and Poetry.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Storybook book illustrator creating charming, detail-rich art that brings stories to life.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

sarah 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Illustrator with a passion for drawing delicious food and drink! Also a comics nerd, and the artist behind the Let's Make! cookbook series.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed
  • fathead design

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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.