Abstract Children’s Book Illustrator

Job ID: 40263853

Budget: £250 – £750 GBP

Picture Book: I Can See Angels, Daddy
Publisher: Open Sky Books

I’m seeking an illustrator to collaborate on a children’s picture book for elementary-age readers that explores love, loss, comfort, and imagination with warmth and sensitivity.

Each spread should feel dreamy, playful, and gently unconventional — illustrations that invite children to linger, notice, and feel, without overwhelming them. The visual language should lean toward soft abstraction: simplified forms, gentle textures, and a pastel-soft colour palette that creates calm and emotional space. The style should avoid anything overly bright, literal, or cartoonish.

Visual Direction

Dreamlike and child-led, as if seen through a young child’s imagination

Abstract or semi-abstract rather than realistic

Soft, tactile textures and imperfect lines encouraged

Warm, muted pastels with plenty of breathing space

Emotion conveyed through light, colour, and composition rather than heavy detail

Humour and playfulness are welcome (farm animals in dress-up appear in the story), but always grounded in sincerity and warmth.