4 of 5 slots left this week

Children's Book Character Sketch —
See Yours Drawn Before You Commit to a Full Book

A portfolio proves an illustrator can draw someone else's characters. It doesn't tell you whether they can draw yours. Describe your main character and reserve your sketch with a small \$7 fee — fully credited toward your final order. Back in your inbox within 48 hours.

💳 \$7 — credited to your order
⏱️ Back in 48 hours
✍️ Drawn by a real illustrator
🔒 Secure PayPal checkout

Reserve your sketch — \$7

Four fields, then a quick secure payment. Credited toward your final order.

🟢 4 sketch slots available this week
0 / 600
Optional. Helps us match your book to the right market.

\$7 reservation fee, fully credited toward your final order. We email your sketch and nothing else unless you reply. See our privacy policy.

No Small Print

Exactly What You Get — and What You Don't

Here's the \$7 reservation fee in full, so you can decide in ten seconds whether it's worth a minute of your time.

YOU GET

One custom character sketch

Clean line art of your character, drawn from your description by a professional illustrator — not a template, not AI, not a portfolio piece with the name swapped.

YOU GET

An honest style opinion

If the style you picked isn't the strongest fit for your age group or story, we'll say so and explain why — even when that means recommending something cheaper.

NOT INCLUDED

Finished coloured artwork

It's a concept sketch, deliberately. Line art is where character design is actually decided — colour comes after the shape and expression are right.

NOT INCLUDED

Commercial rights on the sketch

The sketch is for evaluating fit, so you can't publish it as-is. Full copyright transfers on any paid project — and your character design carries straight over.

Four Steps, Two Days

How the Sketch Reservation Works

1

Describe your character

One paragraph is plenty. Species or age, personality, clothing, anything distinctive.

2

Pay the \$7 reservation fee

Secure PayPal checkout. Credited toward your final order if you go ahead.

3

We draw it by hand

A real illustrator reads your description and sketches the character in your chosen style.

4

Sketch lands in 48 hours

High-resolution image by email, plus a short note on what would work well for your book.

The Reasoning

Why a Small Reservation Fee

Choosing an illustrator is the riskiest decision in self-publishing

A full picture book costs several hundred dollars and takes six to eight weeks. If the style turns out wrong for your story, you've lost both — and starting over with a different illustrator means paying twice. Most authors try to de-risk that with a discovery call, but a call only tells you whether someone is pleasant to talk to. It tells you nothing about whether they can draw your character.

A portfolio answers the wrong question

Every illustrator's portfolio is their best work, for characters that suited them. What you actually need to know is narrower: can this person draw my character, in the style I want, for my reader's age? That's a two-day question, not a two-week one — so we just answer it directly instead of asking you to take it on faith.

Why \$7 and not free

A sketch takes an illustrator an hour or two of real work. A small reservation fee — fully credited toward your final order — keeps this offer available for authors who are seriously evaluating a project, rather than being used as a free-art request. The five-per-week limit is real: each sketch is drawn by hand, so we cap it at what we can do properly without slowing paid work.

And if it's not a fit, that's a good outcome

Some authors who request a sketch don't go ahead, and that's fine. They've found that out for \$7 instead of several hundred dollars and a few weeks. We'd rather that than take on a project where the author was never quite sure. If a different style would serve your book better, compare all seven styles here — the sketch note will usually point you there anyway.

Authors' Words

Trusted by 14+ Authors Worldwide

Verified reviews from independent verification on Fiverr, where Kidillus holds a 5.0-star average.

★★★★★

"Amazing artistic talent, truly went above and beyond when I asked for several revisions as the details were very specific. Would recommend. 11/10!"

🇺🇸
whh2021
United States
★★★★★

"Working with Aadil has been a pleasure. Super professional, fast, with excellent communication and a clear understanding of my requirements."

🇧🇴
diegocowks
Bolivia
★★★★★

"4th time using Aadil! Goes above and beyond, helped tremendously with formatting. Will continue to use him."

🇺🇸
user37257551
United States
Common Questions

Character Sketch — FAQ

Does the $7 fee really go toward my order?
Yes. The full $7 is credited toward your final project if you go ahead with a book. If you decide not to proceed, you still keep the sketch — there is no refund, but there is also no further obligation.
What exactly do I receive?
One character concept in clean line art, drawn from your description, delivered as a high-resolution image by email. It's a concept sketch rather than finished coloured artwork — that's deliberate, because line art is where character design is actually decided.
Why charge a $7 reservation fee?
A small fee keeps this offer available for authors who are seriously evaluating a project, and it's fully credited toward your order. Portfolios only prove an illustrator can draw someone else's characters — a sketch answers whether they can draw yours in two days, which is a fairer way to choose than a discovery call.
Do I need a finished manuscript?
No — a character description is enough. We ask where your manuscript stands because it changes what's genuinely useful to send back: a finished manuscript gets a timeline and quote, an early idea gets guidance on what to prepare first.
Can I use the sketch in my book?
The sketch is a concept for evaluation, so commercial rights aren't included with it. Full copyright transfers to you on any paid project — and the character design from your sketch carries directly into the finished book.
How many sketches can I request?
One character per author, and we take five requests a week. Each sketch is drawn by hand by a real illustrator, so the limit is simply how many we can do properly without slowing paid work.
What if I don't like the sketch?
Then you've found that out for $7 and a couple of days, instead of several hundred dollars and a few weeks. No follow-up pressure. Tell us what missed and we'll say honestly whether a different style would fit better.
How long does it take?
Within 48 hours on business days. Requests arriving over a weekend go out the next working day. You get a confirmation email immediately so you know it landed.

Find out in 48 hours, not 8 weeks

One character. One sketch. \$7 reservation fee, fully credited toward your final order.

Reserve my sketch — \$7 Browse styles first
✓ Drawn by a real illustrator  ·  ✓ 4 slots left this week  ·  ✓ 5.0★ from 14+ authors