The best book illustrators for hire in the United States

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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

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

Jake 5 star rating

Blacksburg, SC, United States

With 2k covers and counting, I design genre specific 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

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

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

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

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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

Rayna 5 star rating

Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Illustrator whose art packs a big message through representation and bold colors. Let me bring your project to life!

Genres: Cultural & Ethnic, Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Leticia 5 star rating

Portland, ME, USA

Professional illustrator covering the gamut from editorial to surface illustration, with over 25 years experience. Playful line, bold color.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Fiction, Calendars, Nature, Home & Garden, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Holiday.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Mike 5 star rating

Maplewood, NJ, USA

I’m a dynamic and bold freelance illustrator and comic book artist based out the the greater NY area

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels and 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.

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

Charlie 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, USA

With over 25 years of illustration experience, I love turning my clients' visions into captivating visuals with passion and precision.

Genres: Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Horror, Mystery & Crime, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, True Crime, Non-Fiction, Espionage, and Comics & Graphic Novels.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Megan 5 star rating

Morristown, NJ, USA

I'm a children's book illustrator who loves all things cute. My work features cute characters in natural and fantastic environments.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Josh 5 star rating

Columbus, OH, USA

Illustrator for MG and YA publishing with a passion for captivating characters and emotionally driven narrative storytelling.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Short Story, Young Adult, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Elevate Pictures
  • Pawn Creative
  • Ohio Department of Natural Resources
  • Llewellyn Publishing

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Hire the best book illustrators in the United States

Whether you’ve written a picture book, chapter book, or technical book, you’ll need a stellar illustrator to bring your project to life. Of course, one of the great things about illustration is that there are so many different styles to choose from — but that can also make the process of selecting an illustrator rather difficult. From cartoon-like illustrations to more realistic drawings to simple line art, how can you decide which illustrator’s style is right for your book?

You may already know how you want your illustrations to look, especially if you’ve flipped through other books in your genre and can envision similar art alongside your story. However, if you have no idea what kind of illustrations you want, looking through professional illustrators’ sample galleries is the perfect place to start. You’ll be amazed how your ideas begin to take shape once you’ve glanced over just a few artists’ work.

That’s why, if you’re seeking a book illustrator for hire in the United States, you can’t go wrong signing up for Reedsy. Not only do we have tons of experienced professionals all over the USA, but you can start looking through their portfolios today — for free. You can even request quotes from the illustrators you love, so the two of you can begin creating a beautiful book together as soon as possible.

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Step 2

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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

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