Illustrations are an important, if not the most important, aspect of any children’s book. When parents and children browse the shelves, it’s the pictures that catch their eyes. It can be tempting to cut corners on illustrations to save money, but this is the one step in the publishing process where you do not want to cut corners.

Illustrations for a 32-page picture book typically cost anywhere between $4,000 and $15,000. This may seem daunting at first, but there is a lot of work that illustrators put into bringing your story to life, and it is worth the cost to have a book that is both well-written and visually appealing. It’s important to find an illustrator that not only has quality artwork, but also matches the art style that you imagine for your book. There are some important things to consider as you search for the right illustrator.

What style are you looking for?

Illustrators bring their own unique style, art mediums and strengths to a book. Some illustrators have a cartoon-like style with exaggerated facial features and bright colors for the characters that they create. Other illustrators have a more simplistic style for their characters. Some illustrators paint with watercolors while others focus mainly on digital mediums. Make sure that you look at a wide variety of illustrators and choose the style that best fits your story. It is important to look at all of the artwork that artists include in their portfolio to ensure that they are able to create all of the characters and scenes in your book. If an illustrator draws beautiful animals but lacks examples of people in their illustrations, you might want to consider if they would be a right fit for the characters in your book. In my search for an illustrator I came across many illustrators that I loved, but I had to pass on many of them because their style did not match my envisioned style for some of my characters. The illustrator that I decided on had examples of both people and animals that I felt matched the style that I pictured for my book. Make sure that the illustrator you choose is able to create images of all of your story aspects, not just some.

What can you afford?

Think realistically about what you are able to afford, and keep in mind that some illustrators can work with you to accept monthly payments if you cannot afford to pay the entire cost up-front. Another way to make illustrations more affordable is to ask your illustrator if they can do spot illustrations instead of full-page illustrations. Spot illustrations often feature a character or scene with a blank background. Some books feature a few pages with spot illustrations, and some books are made up entirely of spot illustrations. These are a couple ways to make illustrations more affordable, but overall illustrations are usually one of the most expensive parts of self-publishing a book. If you cannot afford quality illustrations yet, you should consider waiting until you can afford them rather than settling for an illustrator that cannot match the quality or style that you envision for your book.

Does the illustrator have experience creating images for books?

Some artists create illustrations for marketing, wall art and other purposes. Before hiring an illustrator make sure that they have experience illustrating children’s books. There are certain things that illustrators need to keep in mind as they illustrate your book so that it will print at the right dimensions and not compromise the margins or bleeds of the images. There are also other details that experienced illustrators account for, such as leaving room on each page for text placement. Before deciding on an illustrator, check their website to see if they have illustrated books in the past and be sure to ask them if they are aware of the correct bleeds, color models and dimensions needed to fully design your book.

Do you have a contract?

Before hiring an illustrator, make sure that you have a contract that you both agree on. A contract should include compensation details, a timeline, any extra costs for sketch revisions, and any compensation that will be required if either the author or illustrator decide to cancel the project. It is important that the contract addresses these topics in detail.

How to search for the right illustrator

It is possible to find illustrators through a simple Google search, but I found that it is much easier to search on Instagram with tags such as #illustrator or #illustration. You can also get more creative and detailed with your search by using specific tags related to your book, such as #bearillustrations or #forestillustrations. This allows you to browse artwork quickly and then follow profiles of artists that you like. Illustrators’ profiles will often link to their website and contact information that you can use to learn more about them and their availability. Another way to find illustrators is by searching illustration agencies and databases such as http://www.childrensillustrators.com

However you decide to find your illustrator, have fun and make sure that they are the right fit for you and your book.