Children’s Book Illustrator — Romanian Fairy Tales (3 Concept Illustrations + Full Book Potential)
Budget: €30 – €250 EUR
I am looking for an illustrator to create 3 concept illustrations for a completed children’s picture book in Romanian, with the potential for illustrating the full volume (~70 additional illustrations) if the collaboration works well.
THE BOOK - “Poveștile care au uitat” (The Stories That Forgot) is a collection of read-aloud fairy tales for children aged 2–3. A grandmother — Buna Ruja — who loves stories so much she can never quite finish them tells fairy tales each evening by firelight. The child listening must help her remember the ending. Each tale encodes a health behavior (handwashing, sleep, emotions, movement) but the lesson is never stated — the child discovers it through story logic. Volume 1 contains 10 completed stories (~11,000 words). The text is final. This is planned as a 3-volume series (ages 2–5).
WHAT I NEED NOW - Phase 1: 3 concept illustrations (this project). These will be used to approach Romanian publishers and to test our creative compatibility. Phase 2 (if Phase 1 goes well): Full illustration of Volume 1 — approximately 70–80 illustrations. This will either be funded through a publishing deal or commissioned directly. The illustrator from Phase 1 is the natural candidate for Phase 2. Phase 3 (future): Volumes 2 and 3.
PROPOSED SCENES FOR PHASE 1
• Scene 1 — Buna Ruja’s house, interior, evening. Old wooden house, fire in the hearth, cat on the windowsill, shawl on her lap. The recurring frame of the entire book. This scene must feel like a place a child wants to return to every night.
• Scene 2 — A hedgehog at a stream, exterior, daytime. The hedgehog has sticky paws, a plum stuck to one paw, and a tiny beetle stuck to another, standing at the edge of clear water. Romanian hill landscape, plum tree, and stones.
• Scene 3 — The silence page. Nearly empty. Buna Ruja, with one hand in the air, catching a thought. The cat is watching. The fire is still. Dominant white space. This demonstrates your ability to work with absence and negative space.
VISUAL DIRECTION - This is NOT a bright, cartoony children’s book.
What I’m looking for:
— Warm darkness, firelight, rich textures, shadows with depth
— Muted palette: ambers, deep greens, aged wood, warm grays
— Compositions with hidden details children discover on re-reads (the cat is always visible
somewhere)
— A specific Romanian village feel: hills, plum orchards, streams, beech forests, old wooden houses
— Reference artist: Júlia Sardà — warm darkness, layered compositions, discoverable details
What I am NOT looking for:
— Bright primary colors or pastel palettes
— Cartoon animals with oversized eyes
— Visible health/hygiene elements (soap, toothbrushes, thermometers)
— Generic “educational children’s book” aesthetic
PAGE LAYOUT NOTE - The book has a two-layer text layout: story text (large, for reading aloud) and parent instructions (small, italic, gray, in the margin). Illustrations must coexist with both text layers. This means compositions that leave space for text, not full-bleed on every page. I will provide detailed layout specifications to the selected illustrator.
BUDGET AND TERMS - This is a paid commission. Phase 1 (3 illustrations): Please include your rate per illustration in your bid. My budget is limited but fair. I’m looking for quality over bargain pricing.
Phase 2 (full volume, ~70–80 illustrations): Rate to be negotiated separately if we proceed. This is a
substantial body of work and will be priced accordingly. Full illustration credit on the cover and in all materials. I am looking for a long-term creative partner, not a one-off service.
ABOUT THE PROJECT - I am a professor of health innovation. This book is a health education project built on pedagogical principles (the Socratic method), developed over 15+ intensive working sessions, with detailed internal documentation guiding every narrative and structural decision.
TO APPLY
Please include in your bid:
1. A link to your portfolio (Behance, ArtStation, personal website, or PDF)
2. Which of the 3 scenes would you illustrate first, and a brief note on how you’d approach it visually
3. Your rate per illustration for Phase 1 (3 illustrations)
4. Whether you have illustrated children’s books before (not required, but relevant)
I will share the full text of Story 1 and detailed visual direction notes with the shortlisted candidates.
THE BOOK - “Poveștile care au uitat” (The Stories That Forgot) is a collection of read-aloud fairy tales for children aged 2–3. A grandmother — Buna Ruja — who loves stories so much she can never quite finish them tells fairy tales each evening by firelight. The child listening must help her remember the ending. Each tale encodes a health behavior (handwashing, sleep, emotions, movement) but the lesson is never stated — the child discovers it through story logic. Volume 1 contains 10 completed stories (~11,000 words). The text is final. This is planned as a 3-volume series (ages 2–5).
WHAT I NEED NOW - Phase 1: 3 concept illustrations (this project). These will be used to approach Romanian publishers and to test our creative compatibility. Phase 2 (if Phase 1 goes well): Full illustration of Volume 1 — approximately 70–80 illustrations. This will either be funded through a publishing deal or commissioned directly. The illustrator from Phase 1 is the natural candidate for Phase 2. Phase 3 (future): Volumes 2 and 3.
PROPOSED SCENES FOR PHASE 1
• Scene 1 — Buna Ruja’s house, interior, evening. Old wooden house, fire in the hearth, cat on the windowsill, shawl on her lap. The recurring frame of the entire book. This scene must feel like a place a child wants to return to every night.
• Scene 2 — A hedgehog at a stream, exterior, daytime. The hedgehog has sticky paws, a plum stuck to one paw, and a tiny beetle stuck to another, standing at the edge of clear water. Romanian hill landscape, plum tree, and stones.
• Scene 3 — The silence page. Nearly empty. Buna Ruja, with one hand in the air, catching a thought. The cat is watching. The fire is still. Dominant white space. This demonstrates your ability to work with absence and negative space.
VISUAL DIRECTION - This is NOT a bright, cartoony children’s book.
What I’m looking for:
— Warm darkness, firelight, rich textures, shadows with depth
— Muted palette: ambers, deep greens, aged wood, warm grays
— Compositions with hidden details children discover on re-reads (the cat is always visible
somewhere)
— A specific Romanian village feel: hills, plum orchards, streams, beech forests, old wooden houses
— Reference artist: Júlia Sardà — warm darkness, layered compositions, discoverable details
What I am NOT looking for:
— Bright primary colors or pastel palettes
— Cartoon animals with oversized eyes
— Visible health/hygiene elements (soap, toothbrushes, thermometers)
— Generic “educational children’s book” aesthetic
PAGE LAYOUT NOTE - The book has a two-layer text layout: story text (large, for reading aloud) and parent instructions (small, italic, gray, in the margin). Illustrations must coexist with both text layers. This means compositions that leave space for text, not full-bleed on every page. I will provide detailed layout specifications to the selected illustrator.
BUDGET AND TERMS - This is a paid commission. Phase 1 (3 illustrations): Please include your rate per illustration in your bid. My budget is limited but fair. I’m looking for quality over bargain pricing.
Phase 2 (full volume, ~70–80 illustrations): Rate to be negotiated separately if we proceed. This is a
substantial body of work and will be priced accordingly. Full illustration credit on the cover and in all materials. I am looking for a long-term creative partner, not a one-off service.
ABOUT THE PROJECT - I am a professor of health innovation. This book is a health education project built on pedagogical principles (the Socratic method), developed over 15+ intensive working sessions, with detailed internal documentation guiding every narrative and structural decision.
TO APPLY
Please include in your bid:
1. A link to your portfolio (Behance, ArtStation, personal website, or PDF)
2. Which of the 3 scenes would you illustrate first, and a brief note on how you’d approach it visually
3. Your rate per illustration for Phase 1 (3 illustrations)
4. Whether you have illustrated children’s books before (not required, but relevant)
I will share the full text of Story 1 and detailed visual direction notes with the shortlisted candidates.