Finding An Illustrator

Finding the right illustrator for your project is one of the most important things you can do to ensure a successful book. If the art is ugly, it’s not likely to matter how great the text is. Parents (and children) don’t particularly enjoy ugly books.

Before you start looking for an illustrator, do a few things:

  • Create a pinterest (or pinterest type) board of illustrations and images you like. This will help you determine the style/mood of the book visuals, and also help you know what kind of artist you’re looking for - graphic design? detailed sketches? water color? paper cutting? block print?

  • Determine a budget ahead of time. Most artists won’t work for free. If you’re self-publishing, you need to be able to pay your illustrator or negotiate payment up front. So before you start talking to someone, you need to know what and how you are hoping to pay your illustrator (will you pay them an Advance? Will you pay them some amount now and some once the book is selling? Will you pay them 100% upfront and own the work thereafter, not paying per copy sold? Or something else entirely?) Absolutely DO NOT expect that an artist will work as an unpaid partner simply because they like the vision of the book. It could happen, but don’t expect that.

How to find the illustrator:

  • Start asking around in your community. Talk to people you know who do art or who have worked with designers. Check with teachers at your kids’ schools or people at church. Ask your social media communities. Seek out artists who promote their work on Instagram. You could also try a website which allows you to post jobs for artists to bid on. Ultimately, Jess Blanchard and I met because she was a friend of a friend.

  • Make sure the person you’re interested in hiring is not only a capable artist, but can digitize their art and format it for printing.

  • Share your pinterest board with an artist you’re considering to make sure that he/she thinks they can render the type of art you’re looking for, and that you’re both on the same page in terms of the aesthetic vision for the book.

You found an illustrator. What now?

  • Good fences make good neighbors. In the same way, good boundaries make for a successful business partnership. You need to set working expectations and scope of work upfront - what are the deadlines (for you, and the artist)? how many pieces of art do you expect them to produce? does that number include your covers? what will you pay your illustrator and when? who owns the final art copyright? Be flexible - if you really want to work with an artist, this ought to be a conversation not an ultimatum. Try to find terms which work for both of you.

  • Once this is done, I would encourage you to set and sign a contract with your artist. You can download any number of free generic freelancer contracts from the web (Try Rocketlawyer, PandaDoc, or Honeybook). You can modify a generic contract to suit your needs, add specific language about royalties (if you’re going that route), deadlines, scope of work, etc.

Also check out this website for a few additional notes on hiring an illustrator.