Illustrations for Child-Centred Spider Monkey Story

I’m working on a children’s picture book based on a true-inspired story about my baby spider monkey, GiGi Louise. It’s a gentle, rhyming story about curiosity, adventure, and coming back home safe. The tone is warm, sweet, and comforting, nothing scary.

I’m looking for an illustrator who can create soft, watercolor-style illustrations with a classic children’s book feel. GiGi is the main character and needs to look consistent throughout the book, so being able to follow a reference image closely is really important. I like the two-page spreads so the open book shows the moment in full and I need someone who understands book layout (especially keeping important details and text away from the center fold).

GiGi is very active, so I’m hoping for someone comfortable illustrating movement like swinging, climbing, and running, while keeping everything child friendly. I’m planning to self-publish first, with the option of traditional publishing later, and I’d love this to be a collaborative process with room for feedback.