The best book illustrators for hire in the United States

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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

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

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

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

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

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Taylor 5 star rating

Atlanta, GA, USA

Author, illustrator and graphic designer specializing in commercial, humorous kidlit.

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

Work experience:

  • Emory Univeristy
  • Self-employed
  • University of Illinois
  • Simantel

Kourtney 5 star rating

Beaverton, OR, USA

I'm a professional illustrator that specializes in psychological, mystery, and nature inspired cover and interior book illustration.

Genres: Anthologies, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, True Crime, and Art.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Kelp Blue
  • Fantasy Flight Games LLC
  • Breathe Magazine
  • Colossal Media Inc.

RJ 5 star rating

Portland, Maine, USA

Editorial cartoonist and freelance illustrator specializing in humorous illustrations for kids and adults – a master of many styles.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Humor & Comedy, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Freelance artist/illustrator with a love of all things fantasy and sci-fi.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Urban Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Kat 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, USA

An artist and illustrator, a long-time education professional, and a lover of animals and the outdoors.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Minnesota Literacy Council

Illustrator for adult and YA fantasy and speculative fiction with 5 years experience working in freelance illustration and character design

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Steampunk, New Adult, Young Adult, Young Adult 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

Vita 5 star rating

Dover, NH, USA

Book designer (covers, interiors) • Typesetter • Illustrator • Art Director • Graphic Designer • obsessed with food, dogs, and yoga.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Heinemann Publishing, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Kleinfeld Paper
  • Curriculum Associates
  • Carnegie Learning

Natalia 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Award-winning children's book illustrator and designer with over 15 years of experience working with publishers around the world.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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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.

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.

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