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Children's Book Illustration Examples

Real projects, start to finish — the brief we were given, the character work, the finished spreads, and what the author said afterwards.

Style All 2d-flat 3d line-art soft-pastel solid-bold watercolor
Age All 3-5 5-8 8-12
Mike at the Beach — children's book illustration Featured

Mike at the Beach

for SW Oliver
3d Ages 3-5 38 pages 8.5 × 11
See the project →
Mike at the Aquarium — children's book illustration

Mike at the Aquarium

for SW Oliver
3d Ages 5-8 30 pages 8.5 × 11
See the project →
LetterLand Golf Course: A Children's ABC Book — children's book illustration

LetterLand Golf Course: A Children's ABC Book

for Dale Derrario
3d Ages 5-8 42 pages 11 × 8.5
See the project →
GRANDPA NEEDS A HERO — children's book illustration

GRANDPA NEEDS A HERO

for Chris Graham
3d Ages 5-8 34 pages 8.5 × 8.5
See the project →

Have a manuscript ready?

Send us your story and we'll illustrate one character from it, free — no payment, no card, no obligation. You see the quality before any money changes hands.

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What You're Looking At

Every project here was commissioned by an indie author and illustrated from scratch — character design sheets first, then thumbnails, then finished spreads and a cover. Nothing on this page is stock artwork or a style sample; each one is a real book that went to print.

Choosing a style for your own book

Style is the decision that shapes everything after it. Watercolour and textured painting suit gentle bedtime stories and read as warm and traditional; 2D flat and bold graphic styles suit humour and read as modern and energetic; 3D rendering suits adventure and character-driven series. Filter by style above to see the same craft applied different ways, or read the full style guide for how each one affects cost and timeline.

How long a book takes

A 32-page picture book runs eight to sixteen weeks at professional pace, including revision rounds. The timelines on each project are the real ones, not estimates. What varies most is not the drawing — it's how long character designs take to approve, which is why we spend real time there before any page is finished.

What it costs

Pricing is per page and depends on style and complexity. The cost breakdown explains what drives the number up or down, and the quote page gives you a figure for your specific page count.