Many of my clients ask me to illustrate books about their children or grandchildren. I work from reference photos to ensure that the characters look like their real-life counterparts. I'm often asked if I have a style due to the diversity of my portfolio. Each client has a different idea of how they would like their book to look in terms of an illustration style. I am simply inspired by my clients' enthusiasm for their project, and, together, we create a style that becomes the look and feel of their individual book.

how long does it take to illustrate a book?

Please keep in mind that illustrations can take up to 8 hours to create. One full-color illustration can cost up to $300. Three revisions are included.

BOOK LAYOUT INCLUDED
I use Adobe InDesign for book layout. Upon the completion of each full color illustration, authors receive a PDF book layout that shows the text in place. I find that laying the book out as we go helps the author visualize progress. It also leaves us with a print-ready book when we are done.

E-BOOK VERSION INCLUDED

After your book is complete, I will create an e-book version of your book for free.

COST

Having your book illustrated can cost between $3,000 and $5,000 (or $300 per page). Publishing your book on Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark is free.

Planning to Include A Plushie With Your Book?

I can help you design your plushie. A great place to have your plushie created is Budsies. Click Here to Create a Budsie

important things to know when self-publishing your children’s book

If you are planning to have your children’s book illustrated, then self-publish on platforms like Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark, you are in the right place when you hire me.

If you want your book to be picked up by a major publishing house, you must query editors with only your story (don’t pay to have it illustrated first).

Publishing houses prefer to find an illustrator for you.

Children’s books are typically 32 pages long. The page count includes all pages except for the endpapers.

If your book has a spine, and it is a standard size, it will be easier to market.

Amazon KDP offers you a free ISBN for paperback books.

If you need to purchase an ISBN for a hardback book, you can visit Bowker Self-Publishing Tools.

Both Amazon KDP and Ingram Spark are print-on-demand services. They handle orders, shipping and returns. It is free to set up your account and add your book to both platforms. Your portion of sales is sent to you via direct deposit.

Have your book edited for grammatical errors.

If your book rhymes, consider hiring a Rhyme Coach like: Michelle S. Kennedy , an expert in the field.

There is never a guarantee that your book will sell, no matter how wonderful it is. It is up to you to push it out into the world, pound the pavement and market your book.

There are many options to have your book printed, including having them printed in bulk either domestically, or overseas. If you choose this route, you will have to store thousands of books and handle shipping and returns.

A collage featuring a smiling woman in a white doctor's coat and pink top, alongside a child and an adult woman. There are also two sketches included: one of the woman in the coat and another of the child. Text reads: "Photo reference for doctor" and "My task was to age-up this child to create a main character."
Child stretching in bed, smiling, with window view of sunflowers and sunrise outside.

Character turn-around sheets are created at the start of each book so the author can comment or approve before book illustration officially begins.

Illustration of a young girl named Maddie dressed as a chef, shown in four different angles: front, side, profile, and back. She has blonde hair in pigtails, wears an orange sweatshirt, blue shorts, red sneakers, and a white apron with a pink number 8 on the back. The text reads 'Chef Maddie...' and a small circular inset shows her eating broccoli with a fork.
Book cover titled "Cellphoneitus" featuring an illustrated blond child holding a smartphone, with text indicating the author and illustrator as Bonnie Bright.

Rough sketch put together in Photoshop.

Illustration of a child sitting on an examination table showing a drawing to a doctor, with a jungle-themed background.
A cheerful child in pink pajamas is joyfully stretching on a bed with a polka dot blanket. A stuffed animal is beside them. Sunflowers are visible outside the window, with the sun rising in the background.
Illustrated cover of the book "Cellphoneitus" showing a young boy with blonde hair wearing a red and yellow shirt, holding a blue smartphone against a dark green background.

Final artwork hand-painted in acrylic and touched up in Adobe Photoshop.

A child sitting on a doctor's examination table, holding a drawing, while a doctor in a white coat shows a book titled 'Things That Make Me Special.' The room has a playful design with leaf patterns and animal illustrations in the background.

Here are several sketches of a superdad who was described as wearing a tinfoil collar and who needed to look like my client’s dad.

Three drawings of a cartoon character in different stages: sketch, outline, and colored.
Cartoon character of a muscular superhero with a bald head, angry facial expression, lightning bolt emblem on chest, and red costume.
Sketch of a muscular superhero character with a helmet, standing with hands on hips, wearing loose pants.
Cartoon superhero in a blue costume with a helmet and visor, arms akimbo, confident stance.
A young girl with curly hair, wearing a pink dress and green eyes, looks worried as she covers her mouth with her hand. Behind her is an old, green armchair with a quilt, a small toy mouse peeking out from underneath, and the text 'Secret Title!' overlaid on the image. The background has green striped wallpaper.
Sketch of a dog character running and a sitting dog with steam coming out of its nose.

Title coming soon! Author, Michelle S. Kennedy, asked me to create some sketches to go with her new book. I developed the main characters, beginning with sketch-work and then created full color artwork to represent this title.

Sketch of a person sleeping in a reclining chair and working out how the chair would move if necessary.
Sequence of drawings showing a boy's emotional transformation from surprise and happiness to fear and crying, with the first image colorized and the next four images in black and white.