Children’s Picture Book Illustrator Needed — 32-Page Family/Adoption Story

I’m looking for an experienced children’s picture-book illustrator for my book, The Red Circle Day, written for children approximately ages 4–8. The story follows a young child being raised by two dads who has been eagerly watching a special date marked with a red circle on the family calendar. As the day gets closer, we experience the child’s excitement, curiosity and anticipation. The story ultimately leads to a meaningful first meeting with members of the child’s birth family. The book is about family, identity, anticipation and connection. Adoption is part of the story, but I do not want the illustrations to feel sad, clinical or overly sentimental. The overall feeling should be warm, joyful, safe and authentic. This will be a 32-page, full-colour picture book, likely requiring approximately 12–14 illustrated scenes/spreads plus cover artwork. I’m looking for a contemporary, polished cartoon-style children’s-book aesthetic with expressive characters, strong facial expressions and body language, inviting illustrated environments, and excellent character consistency throughout the book. The central family consists of a young child and two dads. I will provide visual references and character descriptions. A major part of the book is communicating the child’s emotions visually — excitement, curiosity, nervous anticipation, wonder and ultimately connection. The birth family should be portrayed with the same warmth and dignity as the adoptive family. The story is not about identifying a “real” family or replacing one family with another; it is about a child discovering another meaningful connection within their family story. Project scope includes: * Character design/development * Rough sketches/storyboards for approval * Approximately 12–14 full-colour illustrated scenes/spreads * Front-cover illustration * Consistent character designs throughout * Print-quality artwork at 300 DPI * Proper bleed for professional printing * Final high-resolution files suitable for self-publishing * At least two revision opportunities during the sketch stage If you also provide picture-book layout, typography, cover design and print-ready files for KDP/IngramSpark, please include that information in your proposal. Before commissioning the entire book, I would like to begin with a paid character-development/sample illustration milestone. The selected illustrator will develop the central family characters and create one sample scene. If the style and working relationship are a good fit, I intend to proceed with the complete book. The artwork will be used commercially, so commercial publishing rights must be clearly included in our agreement. Please also disclose whether generative AI is used at any stage of your illustration process. I am specifically seeking original illustration work. When applying, please include: * Your children’s picture-book portfolio * Examples showing the same characters across multiple scenes * Your proposed fixed price for the entire project * What is included in that price * Estimated timeline * Number of revision rounds included * Whether cover design is included * Whether layout/typesetting is included * Experience preparing books for KDP, IngramSpark or professional printing * Confirmation regarding whether generative AI is used I already have the manuscript, page structure and emotional direction developed and can provide a detailed scene-by-scene creative brief. I am also developing additional children’s books, so there may be an opportunity for ongoing work with the right illustrator.