J C Perry

J C Perry – Designer

Award-winning children's picture book illustrator, designer and animator. I paint digitally in a gentle watercolour style.

Overview

I've been a children's illustrator for the last eight years and a graphic designer and animator for 25 years. I've illustrated six of my own picture books, three of which went on to win awards, and 16 books for other authors including a traditionally published non-fiction children's book entitled 'The Ice-Cream Sundae Guide to Autism' for Jessica Kingsley Publishers which became an Amazon bestseller.


My experience as a graphic designer means I can also design the book cover and interior ready for the hardback, paperback, and e-book, ensuring that the files are at the correct resolution with the correct amount of bleed area. I can also animate a book trailer for you to upload on social media or your website.


I paint digitally which has two benefits for book illustration - the images don't need scanning in as they're already in the correct format to insert into the book, and I can edit the illustrations more easily when I receive feedback from the author / editor. I always provide rough sketches first for customer feedback before refining and adding color to minimize big changes.

Services
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction Education & Reference
Fiction
Picture Books
Languages
English
Awards
  • Red ribbon winner in the 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for my picture book 'I Am a Shell'
  • Silver medal winner in the 2020 Wishing Shelf Awards for my picture book 'Tom's Zombie Fright'
  • Winner in two categories at the 2022 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards for my picture book 'Ready Steady SAIL!'
Certifications
  • BA Hons Art & Design, Lancaster University
  • MSc Electronic Imaging & Media Communications, specializing in animation, Bradford University

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2017 — Present
I'm currently illustrating children's picture books. I've illustrated a few of my own books, three of which have won awards, and have also illustrated books for other authors including a non-fiction traditionally published book which became an Amazon best-seller.

Self-employed

Jan, 2010 — Present
Designing promotional material for Smoove Move, PIH and AuKids Magazine, illustrating wall murals for Eureka! Children's Museum, and creating animations for the BBC and Scottish Water.

Catalyst Pictures Ltd

Sep, 2004 — Jan, 2010 (over 5 years)
Animating videos for Alton Towers, BBC Bitesize and Hastings Direct. Auditioning and recording actors for voice-overs, adding sound effects, etc.

Aquent

Aug, 2003 — Sep, 2004 (about 1 year)
Work placement at MBNA in Chester, designing leaflets and brochures for their credit cards.

DesignShop Ltd

Oct, 2002 — Jul, 2003 (9 months)
Designed and illustrated printed promotional material and business cards for Greater Manchester Waste, and Royal Mail as well as large scale displays for Ferranti Technologies and DecraLed.

Mediatec

Apr, 2001 — Sep, 2001 (5 months)
Work placement at Dinosaur in Manchester, designing promotional material for gyms and drinks companies.

Portfolio

The Best Nest: A Tale of Roosting Rivalry

Perry, J C

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Jake the Sled Dog

Walker, Keely

Tamarack Gold Books

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Postcards from Papa

McKee, Christina

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Ready Steady SAIL!: A humorous and beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book

Perry, J C

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
I Am a Stone: A beautifully illustrated rhyming story full of fun and surprises (I Am a…)

Perry, J C

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Find It At Christmas: Christmas Activity Book For Kids: 64 pages of holiday facts, games, mazes, puzzles, secret messages, spot the differences and more! (Find It Series)

Gates, Julie

Wise Wren Imprint

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Find It In The Desert

Gates, Julie

Wise Wren Imprint

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
I Want a REAL Unicorn!: A humorous and beautifully illustrated tale of a spoiled brat princess who gets her comeuppance

Perry, J C

Four Geckos Publishers

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Hugs from Papa

McKee, Christina L

Christina's Scribbles LLC

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Ka-Pow! Make Your Own Anime, Manga & Comic Stories and Designs: Unleash your creativity and dream up a designed by you comic books, manga, and ... template layouts & ideas to get you started.

Wise Wren Imprint

Wise Wren Imprint

Cover Design Illustration Typography Production Management
Tom's Zombie Fright

Perry, J C

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
I Am a Shell: The tale of a conch shell who saves the day (I Am a…)

Perry, J C

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Treble Clef Geoff and Friends: First Steps in Music

Gregory, Mark

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
The Ice-Cream Sundae Guide to Autism: An Interactive Kids' Book for Understanding Autism

Elley, Debby

Illustration

J C has 4 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Christina M.

Christina M.

May, 2025

Pinned
Working with J.C. Perry for the 2nd time has been AMAZING!! She is like Working with one side of my own brain. She brings my children's books to life and jer skills are marvelous. Not only is she a fantastic illustrator, she is amazing to work with as a relative new author and self publisher. S...
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J C P.
Thanks for the lovely review Chris 🥰. It was great to work with you again and to illustrate your lovely story. True stories are extra special in my opinion, and it was a pleasure to bring it to lif...
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Keely W.

Keely W.

Feb, 2024

Pinned
It has been an absolute privilege to work with J.C. Perry on my first illustrated children’s book. Jo showed an outstanding level of excellence and professionalism throughout the entirety of this process. She completed the artwork in a timely manner, meeting our deadline, while creating illustra...
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J C P.
Thanks Keely 😊. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you and it was a joy to illustrate your story. Not every author devotes a page of their book to the illustrator like you did, and the fact y...
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Christina M.

Christina M.

Aug, 2023

Pinned
As a first time children's book author I didn't know or understand much about the process. Working with J.C. Perry as my AMAZING illustrator has been a blessing. She guided me and made my heart felt children's book come to life. She responded to every question I had really fast and accurate as a ...
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J C P.
Thank you for such a lovely review Christina. I loved working on your children’s book, and I loved the fact it was based on your family. Good luck with the book’s release, and I look forward to wor...
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Zoé O.

Zoé O.

Jun, 2025

JC was able to adjust a number of files for me on several platforms as they all had different requirements. She is knowledgable about KDP, Ingram Spark and I am sure many more marketplaces. She is also a great person to ask questions to.
J C P.
Thanks Zoé, and all the best with your lovely book.

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