Martchenko-Style Children’s Book Illustrator
Budget: $20,000 – $50,000 CAD
I’m putting together a twelve-book children’s series, each story no more than a thousand words, and I need an illustrator who can capture the lively, slightly mischievous spirit that Michael Martchenko brings to Robert Munsch’s classics. The artwork should feel instantly playful: bold colour choices, animated character design, and that loose, energetic line work that delivers the joke before the text even finishes the sentence. Every spread has to pull kids in, reward a second look, and keep parents smiling too.
Across all twelve titles I want one visual thread—a cheeky rooster who pops up in the background, sometimes helping the plot, sometimes just photobombing a scene—so consistency in character modelling is important. Humour has to sit in the pictures themselves: side-gags, exaggerated expressions, unexpected details. If you naturally think in visual punchlines, you’re already halfway there.
Deliverables
• Character sheets for the main cast plus the recurring rooster
• Full-colour cover and interior illustrations (number per book to be agreed together) supplied as print-ready CMYK TIFFs and RGB PNGs for digital editions
• Layered source files (Procreate, Photoshop or Illustrator) so my layout team can drop in text as needed
• A short style guide after Book 1 to lock palette, brush settings, and proportions for the rest of the series
I’ll share final manuscripts one at a time; as soon as you finish the illustrations for one book we roll straight into the next, keeping momentum and a unified look. If this kind of vibrant, humorous storytelling is your specialty, let’s talk schedule and milestones so we can get the first book on shelves.
Across all twelve titles I want one visual thread—a cheeky rooster who pops up in the background, sometimes helping the plot, sometimes just photobombing a scene—so consistency in character modelling is important. Humour has to sit in the pictures themselves: side-gags, exaggerated expressions, unexpected details. If you naturally think in visual punchlines, you’re already halfway there.
Deliverables
• Character sheets for the main cast plus the recurring rooster
• Full-colour cover and interior illustrations (number per book to be agreed together) supplied as print-ready CMYK TIFFs and RGB PNGs for digital editions
• Layered source files (Procreate, Photoshop or Illustrator) so my layout team can drop in text as needed
• A short style guide after Book 1 to lock palette, brush settings, and proportions for the rest of the series
I’ll share final manuscripts one at a time; as soon as you finish the illustrations for one book we roll straight into the next, keeping momentum and a unified look. If this kind of vibrant, humorous storytelling is your specialty, let’s talk schedule and milestones so we can get the first book on shelves.