Children's Book Illustrator Needed – Watercolour Superhero Emotions Picture Book

Children's Book Illustrator Needed – Watercolour Superhero Emotions Picture Book Budget: Negotiable (Fixed Price) Project Type: One-time project Timeline: Flexible for the right illustrator Final File Requirements: High-resolution PNG or JPEG, 300dpi, CMYK, print-ready files About the Project I am seeking a talented children's book illustrator to bring my picture book to life through beautiful hand-drawn illustrations. This book is aimed at children aged 4–8 years and focuses on helping children understand, identify, and talk about their emotions in a positive and engaging way. The story follows a young child superhero who discovers that all feelings can be superpowers. Throughout the book, children are introduced to a range of emotions including happiness, sadness, anger, calmness, excitement, loneliness, pride, shyness, and tiredness. The story encourages emotional awareness, self-reflection, and self-acceptance. Illustration Style I am looking for: • Hand-drawn, human-created artwork only (absolutely no AI-generated illustrations) • Soft watercolour illustrations with a whimsical feel • Diverse and expressive child characters • Dreamy, magical environments • Bright yet gentle colour palettes • Strong emotional expression through facial features and body language The artwork should feel warm, imaginative, inclusive, and emotionally engaging. Visual Direction The main character is a young child superhero wearing: • A handmade mask • A towel cape • Gumboots • Everyday children's clothing Many illustrations feature reflections in shallow water, where emotions are represented visually through colour, movement, and atmosphere. Examples include: • Happy feelings shown through sunshine and bright reflections • Calm feelings represented with gentle ripples and warm colours • Sad feelings shown through soft rain and teardrop reflections • Angry feelings expressed through stomping splashes and bold colours • Excited feelings through movement, energy, and playful water splashes The illustrations should help children recognise and connect with each emotion. Scope of Work • Approximately 24-page picture book • Front and back cover design • Character development • Full-page and double-page spread illustrations • Revisions included throughout the process • Final print-ready files supplied What I'm Looking For • Experience illustrating children's picture books • Ability to create expressive and diverse characters • Strong understanding of emotional storytelling • Experience working with watercolour or painterly styles • Familiarity with print and publishing requirements • Reliable communication and collaboration Copyright & Licensing This is a one-time payment project. The illustrator will retain Copyright and Moral Rights under Australian Copyright Law. The author will receive an exclusive, unlimited licence to use the illustrations within the book and associated marketing, promotional materials, educational resources, and book sales. To Apply Please include: • A portfolio link or samples of previous children's book illustrations • Your estimated timeline for completion • Confirmation that all artwork is hand-drawn and contains no AI-generated elements • Your estimated project fee • A brief introduction about your experience illustrating children's books I would particularly love to hear from illustrators who enjoy creating books that support emotional development, wellbeing, social-emotional learning, and mental health for young children.