Children's book illustration, spread by spread.
Story-led art, age-aware composition, full picture books from sketch to print-ready spreads. Character locked early, mood arc proofed across every page before any colour is committed.
Key facts
- Service
- Children's book illustration — full picture books from sketch to print-ready spreads.
- Starting price
- From $1,800 per book.
- Typical turnaround
- 6 to 12 weeks from character lock to final spreads.
- Output
- Up to 32 spreads, character sheets, end-papers and full source files.
- Specialty
- Story-led art with mood arc proofed across the whole book before any colour is committed.
- Revisions
- Two revision rounds per spread plus thirty days of corrections after sign-off.
A whole picture book, page-turn proofed.
From character lock to final print files — the only piece you handle yourself is the manuscript.
- Up to 32 spreads. Left/right composition, page-turn pacing, mood arc proofed across the whole book.
- Character sheets. Turnarounds, expressions, scale comparisons — locked before any spread is begun.
- Two style samples. Two test spreads in distinct rendering styles before we commit to a full set.
- Roughs, inks, colour. Sketch sign-off at every spread before colour, so corrections happen cheap.
- Hand-lettered display text. Or considered typesetting, kerned to fit the art on every page.
- Layered source files. PSD and Procreate masters delivered per spread, plus a character bible.
- Print & digital exports. 300dpi CMYK with bleed for print, RGB exports for KDP Kids and Apple.
- Full rights transfer. Worldwide copyright in art and characters passes to you on final payment.
Five steps, signed off by you.
Character sheets.
Turnarounds, expression sets and scale studies — character locked before any spread.
Roughs.
Thumbnail every spread, sequence-checked for mood arc and page turns before inking.
Inks & colour.
Spreads inked and coloured in batches, two revision rounds per spread, end-papers included.
Delivery package.
Source files, CMYK print PDF, digital exports, character bible, rights transfer.
Picture books we have illustrated recently.
Six from the last eighteen months. The wider archive sits on the bookshelf.
What authors say after delivery.
Verified clients from the last twelve months. Names changed on request, never quotes.
Three editions, fixed price.
Priced by spread count and rendering style — agreed up front, never invoiced by the hour.
Short picture book
- Up to 14 spreads
- Character sheet & style sample
- Two revisions per spread
- Print & digital exports
Full 32-page book
- Up to 32 spreads
- Character bible & end-papers
- Hand-lettered display text
- Print-ready CMYK with bleed
- KDP Kids & IngramSpark templates fitted
Traditional media
- Watercolour, gouache or ink on paper
- Physical originals shipped at cost
- Up to 32 spreads
- Archive-quality scans & digital masters
Bespoke briefs welcome. Tell us about your book and we'll write back with a fixed quote in 48 hours.
Four promises, written in.
Layered PSD or Procreate masters delivered for every spread. If we worked on paper, the originals come too.
Worldwide copyright in artwork and character design transfers on final payment. Merchandise it, license it — no asking.
Each spread gets two formal revision rounds, plus character review before the book begins.
If a spread truly isn't working we reopen the thumbnail rather than polish a flawed composition.
More about our children's book illustration work.
Our children's book illustration services bring interior artwork to picture books, early readers and chapter books. The team is a small bench of picture book illustrators and kids' book artists, each with a recognisable hand and a published track record. We work with authors who have a finished manuscript and need an illustrator to bring the spreads to life. Most picture book projects ship in 10 to 16 weeks from brief to final artwork.
How full-spread illustrator commissions actually work
A picture book is usually 12 to 14 full spreads plus a cover. The illustrator reads the manuscript, produces a thumbnail dummy for the whole book, then moves through pencil roughs, line work and final art in that order. Two revision rounds are written into each stage. Story illustration sits or falls on character consistency across spreads, so a character sheet is built before any spread is finished — the protagonist has to look like the same child on page 28 as on page 4.
Age-appropriate illustration sets its own rules. Picture book art at ages 3-5 leans warm, large-shape, low-text. Early-reader art at ages 5-7 carries more detail and more action. Middle-grade illustration is typically chapter-opener art and spot illustrations rather than full spreads. We match the assigned illustrator to the age band so the hand fits the reader before the brief even arrives.
Working with a kids' book artist over a longer project
A common worry is consistency across a longer book or a series. We hold weekly check-ins on every spread in flight, share a shared reference board with you, and circulate the character sheet at every milestone. If you're planning a series rather than a one-off, the same kids' book artist is held for the second and third title at the original day-rate so the visual world stays continuous.
Deliverables: high-resolution print files (CMYK), separate ebook files (RGB), a character sheet, all source layered files on request, and full copyright assignment on final payment.
Questions we are asked.
Short, honest answers. Anything else, send to contact@ebookwriting.ai.
What does the starting figure include?
At ebookwriting.ai, the starting children's book illustration fee of $1,800 covers a full set of interior illustrations for a children's book up to an agreed spread count, character design, two revision rounds per spread, and final delivery at print and digital resolution.
How long does illustration take?
Eight to sixteen weeks for a 32-page picture book, depending on illustration density and finish. Character design is locked in the first three weeks so spread production runs to a predictable rhythm.
What happens if a spread isn't working?
Two revision rounds per spread are included, plus a character review at the start so we don't carry a half-right hero through the book. If a spread truly isn't working we reopen the thumbnail rather than polish a flawed composition.
Do I own the illustrations?
Yes. Full rights for print and digital use transfer to you on final payment. The original sketches and final art are handed over at the end of the project.
What files do I receive?
Layered source files for every spread, flattened high-resolution masters, print-ready CMYK exports with bleed, RGB exports for digital use, and a character bible documenting design decisions for any future books.
Do I own the original art if there are physical pieces?
If your project includes traditional media — watercolour, gouache, ink — the physical originals are yours and shipped at cost on completion. For digital illustration the layered source files are the equivalent and are delivered the same way.
Often paired with this.
A picture book, page by page.
A 15-minute discovery call, a written proposal in 48 hours, a fixed-price quote that includes every revision in scope.