Funny Animal Illustrator for Sticker Book

Illustrator for Funny Semi-Realistic Animal Sticker-by-Number Books We are looking for an illustrator to create funny, semi-realistic painted animal illustrations that will eventually be turned into sticker-by-number pages. Please look at the attached PDF before applying. It includes visual examples and explains exactly how we will provide references and art direction. We will provide funny animal photographs as inspiration, but we do not want the photograph copied exactly. Instead, we will tell you which parts of the photograph make it funny and need to stay, and which features we want changed. Sometimes we will provide a second animal photograph to show the markings, ears, coloring, or other characteristics we want incorporated. For example, one of our test images is a funny French Bulldog holding a ball in its mouth. We want to keep the pose, extremely skinny front legs, far-apart eyes, scrunched-up nose, ball in the mouth, and the funny way its lips fold over the ball. However, we want to change both ears so they point forward and change the dog's coloring to the black-and-white facial pattern of a second French Bulldog reference. It still needs to clearly look like a French Bulldog and retain what made the original photograph funny. The attached PDF shows both photographs and our instructions for this exact example. Art Style The animals should be semi-realistic and highly recognizable, especially their breed, facial features and expressions. We do not want a cartoon animal. However, we also do not want photorealism. The final artwork should have a painted appearance with visible brush-like shapes and simplified areas of color, similar to the painted cat example in the attached PDF. This is important because the illustrations will eventually be separated into individual shapes for a sticker-by-number activity. The humor is very important. We want animals with strange expressions, funny proportions, awkward poses, dramatic faces, wide-set eyes, squished noses, unusual body positions, etc. The illustration should preserve whatever makes the reference photograph funny. Backgrounds Background complexity will depend on the image. Some illustrations may only need a bright, simple background with a floor or horizon line to give the animal perspective. The blue-background dog example in our PDF shows this. Other images may need more environmental context because the setting is part of the joke. For example, if an animal is sitting in a mud puddle and the mud is what makes the image funny, we would want the mud included and painted in the same style. We will provide direction for each illustration. Sticker-by-Number / Production Files These illustrations will be used for sticker-by-number books, similar to the examples included in the PDF. If you have experience creating sticker-by-number artwork, paint-by-number artwork, kiss-cut sticker files, or sticker-ready production files, please tell us. This would be a major advantage. However, this experience is not required. If you are only creating the illustrations, we need the artwork created in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or another professional program that allows the artwork to remain organized in editable layers. Another designer can then use those layers to create the numbered sticker shapes and production files. Please do not apply if you can only provide a single flattened AI-generated image. We are looking for an actual illustrator and editable source artwork. Project Scope We plan to create multiple books if the first book goes well. We are still determining the final number of pages based on the physical weight and manufacturing specifications of the book, but our current estimate is: Approximately 10 illustrated animal pages per book Approximately 8 x 8 inch book size Multiple books planned Approximately 1-2 months to create each book Potential for ongoing illustration work Paid Test Illustration Before beginning the full project, we would like to hire the illustrator for one paid test illustration. The test will be the French Bulldog shown in the attached PDF. We will provide the reference photographs and detailed instructions. The purpose of the test is to see how well you can: Match the semi-realistic painted style Preserve the funny expression and pose Keep the animal recognizable as its breed Follow very specific instructions about which features to keep and which to change Combine details from multiple reference photographs naturally Create artwork that can later be simplified into sticker-by-number shapes When applying, please include examples of your animal illustration work, especially realistic or semi-realistic animals with expressive faces. Also tell us: What program you illustrate in Whether you provide layered/editable source files Whether you have experience with sticker-by-number, paint-by-number, or kiss-cut sticker production Your price for one paid test illustration Your approximate price per illustration for a larger 10+ illustration project plus front and back cover inside and outside designs (14 designs total with 10 sticker sheets) Please review the attached visual reference PDF before applying so you understand the style and project.