Rich Gemmell

Rich Gemmell – Designer

Hi, I'm Rich. I create story-driven Illustration that capture emotion and atmosphere to bring your words, worlds and characters to life.

Overview

I am now booking in new projects for JANUARY 2027 onwards.

Hi. I’m Rich, a Picture book Illustrator based in the UK.

I have been drawing pictures my whole life. It is my absolute passion. I bring this experience and passion into every book I work on.

Since 2021 I have been working with talented Authors all over the world. Not only can I bring your worlds, characters and stories to life with visually stunning, detailed and colourful Illustrations, I can also design your text and covers. From your manuscript I can make you a fully fledged, bookshop standard Picture Book ready for print.

I am also an experienced Graphic Designer, so I know how to work with your text and layout to deliver a full and complete print ready PDF.

If you have any questions at all about books, printing or Illustration, just drop me a message. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the Illustrations in my gallery and don't forget, I can provide more on request.

I am now booking in new projects for JANUARY 2027 onwards.

Rich

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What some of my clients have said...

"Working with Rich on my book was one of the best decisions I made as a first-time author"

"Throughout the entire process, Rich was professional, communicative, patient, and receptive to feedback. He consistently delivered high-quality work and made the collaboration enjoyable and stress-free."

"Rich was the most kind and understanding person ever! Having him as my illustrator for my very first children's book was such a blessing. He is so patient, generous, and supportive and is STILL helping me through the self publishing process even though the collaboration date is technically done."

"Rich was amazing to work with. He brought my story to life in ways I never imagined."

"I can't say enough good things about Rich! From start to finish, he brought incredible skill and creativity to my book. As a debut author, having an illustrator who had as much fun working on this project as I did, meant a lot."

Services
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction Nature
Fiction
Picture Books
Languages
English
Awards
  • Christopherson Award
Certifications
  • BA(hons) Graphic Design and Illustration

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2010 — Present
I produce bespoke Illustration for any and all medias and formats. Previously I have worked for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Hodder and Bloomsbury. I’ve sold prints all over the world and been published in educational textbooks. Further to my Illustration work, I also work on corporate Graphic Design and Branding. This covers all areas from Marketing Collateral, Brochure Design and Layout, Book Cover Design and Layout, Branded Collateral, Website Design and Social Media Management.

Portfolio

Chairs are for Butts

Keydel, Amber

Lantern & Leaf Publishing

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Carter's Pond

Nassivera, John W

John W. Nassivera

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Bob

Salinas, Aimee I

Aimee Salinas

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Cover Design Illustration Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
The Seahorse Mayor

Sheppe, Ted

Mulligan Entertainment, LLC

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Bella Got Bopped: A Story of Teamwork and Forgiveness

Lanning, Becky

Kid Lit

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Pete Can't Eat Neat (One Big Word)

Costa, Angee

Illustration Book Interior Design

Rich has 11 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Brianne L.

Brianne L.

Jun, 2026

Pinned
Working with Rich on my book was one of the best decisions I made as a first-time author. From the very beginning, he took the time to understand my vision and brought it to life with incredible creativity, care, and attention to detail. The story is deeply personal to me, and Rich captured ever...
Read more
Aimee S.

Aimee S.

Dec, 2025

Pinned
Rich was the most kind and understanding person ever! Having him as my illustrator for my very first children's book was such a blessing. He is so patient, generous, and supportive and is STILL helping me through the self publishing process even though the collaboration date is technically done. ...
Read more
Rich G.
Thank you for such a wonderful review Aimee. Working on this book was a joy and I can't wait to work together again in the future.
Ted S.

Ted S.

Jan, 2025

Pinned
Rich was amazing to work with. He brought my story to life in ways I never imagined. He took feedback well and was always timely. He had great ideas and his artwork is stunning. Can’t recommend him highly enough enough. Perfect 10. Ted Sheppe
Amber K.

Amber K.

Aug, 2026

I can't say enough good things about Rich! From start to finish, he brought incredible skill and creativity to my book. As a debut author, having an illustrator who had as much fun working on this project as I did, meant a lot. My book is about a parenting moment I shared with my own kids, and hi...
Read more
John W. N.

John W. N.

Apr, 2026

Rich Gemmell is an incredibly creative visual storyteller that brought my written manuscript of "Carter's Pond" to life. The colors, line work, and especially the use of light are truly wonderful. Rich created a very strong rhythm and originality in the overall visual flow of the book. His image...
Read more
Rich G.
Thanks for the great review John! Carters Pond was a wonderful story to illustrate, you're a very talented writer which made drawing the book all the more enjoyable. You were a great collaborator f...
Read more

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Most recent contributions

How do you balance creativity with the technical requirements of book illustration, like text placement and bleed margins?

For me, every book starts with a complete rough layout. I will draw out the entire book in rough scribbly lines. This allows me to work quickly on the composition and how the image will work with the text. This also allows me to work out which pages will be full spreads, which will be spots etc. ...
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Where do you go to for inspiration on illustration projects?

I find resources such as Pintrest to be hugely helpful. I can file away reference and inspiration in folders relevant to each project. I also use googledrive to save images and screenshots from things I see. I also keep an extensive photo library from my travels. My main expertise is Picture Bo...
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What are the perks of working as an illustrator via Reedsy?

For me it's the security and support they provide. Both the Client and Service provider are protected. The other thing for me is, Reedsy understands realistic fees for service providers. This is vital to build a freelance career. The quality of clients I've worked with has been very high, and I t...
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