Our Happy
Authors
Hire experienced children's book illustrators for custom characters, engaging story scenes, and professional artwork created specifically for your book.
Finding the right illustrator is an important step in turning a children's story into a visually engaging book. At Blueberry Illustrations, our experienced children's book illustrators create custom artwork for authors, publishers, educators, and organizations seeking professional illustrations developed specifically for their stories.
Our book illustration services include character design, interior illustrations, full-page scenes, spot illustrations, double-page spreads, and children's book cover artwork. Every project is developed around the manuscript, characters, target age group, and chosen artistic direction so the illustrations remain visually consistent throughout the book.
With more than 18 years of experience, over 3,000 authors served, and more than 3,500 illustrated and published books, Blueberry Illustrations works with both first-time authors and experienced writers on picture books, early readers, educational books, chapter books, animal stories, fantasy adventures, multicultural stories, and many other children's book projects.
Custom children's book illustrations created for your manuscript
Experienced children's book illustrators and character artists
Character design, interior illustrations, spreads, spots, and cover artwork
Pencil sketch approval before final color artwork
Consistent characters and visual style throughout the complete book
Want to see our artwork before choosing an illustrator? Browse our children's book illustration portfolio featuring 33 illustration styles and examples from completed projects.
Blueberry Illustrations is a professional children's book illustration agency working with first-time authors, experienced writers, publishers, educators, and organizations. Unlike working with a single freelance illustrator, authors can access an established illustration team with artists, project coordination, and quality review throughout the project.
Our children's book illustrators specialize in character design and visual storytelling for picture books and other children's publishing projects. From developing the first character concepts to maintaining consistent characters, expressions, environments, and artistic style across the complete book, each project follows a structured creative workflow.
Authors can choose from a wide range of artistic approaches while working with one team throughout the illustration process. This makes it easier to coordinate character development, scene illustrations, revisions, and final artwork while maintaining a consistent visual direction for the book.
Choosing a children's book illustrator involves more than finding an art style you like. Authors also need an illustrator who can understand the manuscript, develop recognizable characters, maintain consistency across multiple scenes, respond to feedback, and complete the artwork through a clear production process.
You can also read reviews from authors who have worked with Blueberry Illustrations on their books.
Hiring an illustrator for your children's book should be a clear and collaborative process. From reviewing your manuscript to approving the final artwork, our workflow gives you an opportunity to review the creative direction at each important stage.
You can hire Blueberry Illustrations specifically to create the artwork for your children's book. Our illustration-only projects can include character development, interior illustrations, and cover artwork according to the agreed scope of your book.
If your illustrations are complete and you would also like help preparing the finished book, additional services such as interior layout, typography, print-ready formatting, ebook preparation, and publishing support are available separately.
This allows authors to choose the level of support they need. You can work with our children's book illustrators for the artwork alone or continue with our team for additional book production services after the illustration stage.
The age of the intended reader influences how children's book illustrations are designed. Character proportions, facial expressions, color, background detail, composition, and the relationship between text and artwork can all change depending on the audience and type of book.
Our children's book illustrators adapt the visual approach to the manuscript and intended readership rather than applying the same illustration style to every project.
Picture Books for Younger Children – Expressive characters, clear visual storytelling, engaging colors, and illustrations that help young readers understand the action and emotions of the story.
Early Readers – Clear compositions and character expressions that complement the text without making the pages visually overwhelming for developing readers.
Books for Older Children and Chapter Books – Artwork can include greater environmental detail, more developed character proportions, spot illustrations, or selected illustrated scenes depending on the manuscript.
Educational and Concept Books – Illustrations are planned around the information being communicated, with visual clarity and age-appropriate presentation taking priority alongside artistic appeal.
When you share your manuscript with our team, we can consider the target age group, story type, characters, and amount of text when recommending an appropriate illustration approach for your book.
You do not need to have every visual detail worked out before hiring a children's book illustrator. Some authors come to us with a completed manuscript and detailed illustration notes, while others have only a manuscript, a few character ideas, or examples of artwork they like.
Our illustration team can work with the material you already have and develop the visual direction from there. If you have character descriptions, photographs, reference images, previous artwork, clothing references, or particular settings that are important to your story, these can all be considered when developing the illustrations.
We also work with authors who already have part of their book completed and need professional illustration support for the remaining artwork, provided the existing material can be appropriately incorporated into the project.
The starting point may be different for every author. What matters is that we understand what you already have, what still needs to be created, and the visual result you want for the finished book.
“Writing children's books is a tough field. ‘My’ illustrator is fantastic! He ‘gets it’ when I have an idea and sometimes improves on that idea. He makes my stories come alive. If I add more books to the Snids Series, I pray he will be able to do the artwork.
The first thing people say when they see the books is, ‘What great illustrations!’
Working with Blueberry Illustrations has been a joy. Thank you!”
Over the years, Blueberry Illustrations and books created with our illustration team have received recognition through media features, author achievements, and published projects. These features provide prospective authors with another way to learn about our work and experience in children's book illustration.
Our team has worked with first-time authors, returning writers, educators, and publishers on thousands of children's book projects, creating custom characters, story scenes, cover illustrations, and artwork across a wide range of visual styles.
If you are considering hiring Blueberry Illustrations for your book, you can explore our media features and recognitions alongside our illustration portfolio and author reviews before deciding whether our team is the right fit for your project.
To discuss your children's book illustration project, send us your manuscript along with any information you already have about the artwork you need. You do not need to prepare a detailed illustration brief before contacting us.
Helpful information can include:
If you have not decided all of these details yet, you can still contact us. Send what you currently have, and our team can review the project requirements before preparing your illustration quote.
Let our artists turn your story into a visual masterpiece.
📩 Get a Free ConsultationCan I hire Blueberry Illustrations only for children's book illustration?
Yes. You can hire our team specifically for children's book illustration without purchasing publishing services. Additional services such as layout, formatting, ebook preparation, and publishing support are available separately if you need them.
What should I send to receive an illustration quote?
Send us your manuscript along with any information you already have about the number of illustrations, preferred artistic style, characters, book size, visual references, and project deadline. If some details have not yet been decided, our team can review what you have and discuss the remaining requirements with you.
Can I choose the illustration style for my book?
Yes. You can browse our portfolio of 33 children's book illustration styles and tell us which artistic direction you prefer. If you are unsure, you can share your manuscript and visual preferences with our team before selecting a style.
Can I provide references for my characters?
Yes. Authors can provide character descriptions, photographs, clothing references, setting references, previous artwork, or other visual material that may help communicate how particular characters or environments should look.
Will I see the sketches before the illustrations are colored?
Yes. Pencil sketches are provided for review before the artwork moves to final color. This allows you to review important details such as characters, poses, expressions, scenes, backgrounds, and composition before the final artwork is completed.
Do you work with first-time children's book authors?
Yes. We work with both first-time and experienced authors. You do not need to know every technical or visual detail before contacting us; you can begin by sharing your manuscript and the ideas you already have for the book.
How long does a children's book illustration project take?
The timeline depends on the number of illustrations, artistic style, complexity of the scenes, revision requirements, and the speed of approvals. The project scope and expected schedule can be discussed before illustration work begins.
Can you also prepare my illustrated book for publishing?
Yes. Illustration can be purchased as a standalone service. If you also need assistance after the artwork is completed, page layout, typography, print-ready formatting, ebook preparation, cover setup, and publishing support are available separately.
