How to Work With a Children’s Book Illustrator: A First-Time Author’s Guide 

Reaching the illustration stage of your children’s book is exciting. This is often the moment when the characters, settings, and scenes you’ve carried in your imagination begin to take visual form.

It’s also a stage that brings up many new questions.

How do you know your manuscript is ready? How do you choose the right illustrator? How much direction should you give? What happens after you hire someone? What should you expect when sketches arrive?

After writing my own children’s books and helping hundreds of aspiring authors through the publishing process, I’ve learned that a successful illustration experience begins with understanding one important idea:

Illustration is a partnership.

Your illustrator isn’t simply creating pictures to decorate your words. They’re helping you tell the story.

I want to walk you through the children’s book illustration process from start to finish so you can understand what comes next, prepare thoughtfully, and enter this creative partnership with confidence.

In This Article:

• When Am I Ready to Hire a Children’s Book Illustrator?
• What Does a Children’s Book Illustrator Actually Do?
• How Do I Find the Right Illustrator for My Children’s Book?
• How Do I Choose an Illustration Style for My Story?
• How Much Creative Direction Should I Give My Illustrator?
• How Do Page Planning & Illustration Counts Work?
• What Should Be in a Children’s Book Illustrator Contract?
• What’s the Difference Between an Illustrator & a Book Designer?
• What Happens Once the Illustrator Starts Working?
• What Makes an Author-Illustrator Collaboration Successful?
• Miriam’s Three Takeaways
• Miriam Answers Your Most Common Questions

When Am I Ready to Hire a Children’s Book Illustrator?

One of the first things I want to know when an author tells me they’re ready to look for an illustrator is this:

Has your manuscript gone through the editing process?

I strongly recommend working with a professional editor before you begin illustrations. Ideally, your editor has provided an analysis of your story, you’ve had time to work through the suggested changes, and you’ve gone back and forth with that editor at least twice.

Your manuscript doesn’t need to feel “perfect”, but it does need to be stable enough that you aren’t expecting significant changes to the story.

Why?

Because illustrations are built around your manuscript. A major text change later could affect a scene, page turn, character action, or piece of artwork you’ve already paid the illustrator to create.

There are a few other decisions I like authors to have a basic understanding of before illustration begins, too.

You should know your target age and audience, understand the typical length and structure of the kind of book you’re creating, have an idea of your publishing path, and establish a realistic illustration budget.

Some initial page planning can also help you see how your manuscript might begin to work visually.

This is the difference between having a finished story idea and having a manuscript that is ready to become a visual book.

If you’re still developing your manuscript, start with my guide on How to Write a Children’s Book: Where to Begin When You Have an Idea.

Quick Takeaway

Finish the story before you start creating the pictures. The more stable your manuscript is before you bring on an illustrator, the fewer edits your illustrations will need later.

What Does a Children’s Book Illustrator Actually Do?

A children’s book illustrator does much more than just draw pictures that match your sentences.

Your illustrator helps tell the visual half of your story.

They may help develop your characters, create settings, communicate emotion and action, maintain visual continuity, plan page turns, develop storyboards and character sheets, and create your cover artwork.

Perhaps most importantly, they can add details that you never needed to put into the manuscript at all.

I saw this manifest beautifully in my first book, I Can Believe in Myself.

There’s a scene where my main character runs into the woods feeling deeply frustrated. My illustrator used details such as the leaves blowing around her to reflect that inner turmoil.

In another scene, the character is angry on a playground. The illustrator incorporated the letters M-A-D into the playground itself.

I would never have thought to ask for those details. That was just her creativity at work.

Nothing needed to be explained to the reader, you simply felt more of the character’s experience because of what the illustrator added.

This is why I encourage authors to think of words and illustrations as partners. If the pictures only show exactly what the words have already told us, you may be missing opportunities for richer visual storytelling.

You can explore this role and how it affects your book more deeply in The Job of an Illustrator: What It Is & Why It Matters.

Quick Takeaway

Your manuscript doesn’t need to include every small detail. Your illustrator helps tell everything the reader can see.

How Do I Find the Right Illustrator for My Children’s Book?

Finding an illustrator begins with artwork, but it shouldn’t end there.

You can explore illustrator portfolios, professional networks, referrals, online communities, and other resources to find artists whose work feels aligned with your story.

As you review portfolios, consider more than whether the artwork is beautiful.

Can the illustrator keep characters visually consistent from scene to scene? Do their characters communicate emotion? Do their images tell a story? Do they have experience with children’s books?

Then consider the working relationship.

One of the qualities I pay close attention to is communication.

If I ask to see a portfolio and it takes a week to receive a response, for example, I would take note of that. A picture book project requires ongoing communication, so the way someone communicates before you hire them can give you valuable information about what collaborating with them may feel like.

You’ll also want to discuss budget, availability, timelines, and process before making your decision.

The illustrator with the most impressive portfolio isn’t automatically the right illustrator for your book.

I want you to find someone whose visual storytelling fits your manuscript and whose working style allows you to build a professional, respectful partnership.

For a deeper look at your search, read Where to Find an Illustrator (for Picture Books) and How to Find an Illustrator for Your Children’s Book.

Quick Takeaway

Don’t ask only, “Do I like this art?” Ask, “Can I imagine this artist telling my story?”

How Do I Choose an Illustration Style for My Story?

How Much Creative Direction Should I Give My Illustrator?

This is where trust becomes especially important.

I recommend having a real conversation with your illustrator early in the process. Get on a Zoom call or telephone call and explain your vision.

Tell them why you wrote this story. Tell them what matters to you about it. Share the things they genuinely need to understand.

Then give them room to ask questions.

There are certainly details an illustrator needs to know.

If a character’s specific trait affects the story, say so. If an object needs to appear because it becomes important later, mention it. Cultural details, factual details, intentional visual callbacks, or other information essential to understanding the story should be communicated clearly.

What I encourage authors to avoid is directing every detail of every image.

For example, you usually don’t need to fill your manuscript with bracketed instructions telling your illustrator that it’s sunny outside, exactly what colour shirt a character is wearing, precisely what facial expression they should have, or every object that needs to appear in the room.

That begins to move from communicating your vision into micromanaging someone else’s creative work.

I understand why first-time authors may feel tempted to do this. You’ve imagined this story for a long time, and handing part of it to someone else can feel significant.

But remember why you hired a professional illustrator.

They have ideas, too.

When you give them space to bring those ideas to the project, you may be pleasantly surprised by details and storytelling choices you never would have imagined yourself.

For more guidance on building this working relationship, read Working with an Illustrator: A Guide for First-Time Children’s Books Authors.

Quick Takeaway

Communicate what the illustrator needs to know—but don’t tell them everything they need to draw. Give them space to be creative.

How Do Page Planning & Illustration Counts Work?

Before an illustrator creates final artwork, you need to understand how your story will move through the book.

Picture books are planned in pages and spreads, and those pages have to accommodate more than the story itself. Front matter and back matter take up space too.

This is why counting paragraphs isn’t a reliable way to determine how many illustrations you need.

One illustration may cover two pages. Another may be a small spot illustration. You might use half-page illustrations, full-page illustrations, or spreads at different moments.

Those choices affect pacing.

Page turns can create anticipation, reveal a surprise, give a humorous moment its timing, or allow an emotional scene more space.

Your page plan becomes the bridge between your written manuscript and the visual experience your illustrator will help create.

If you’d like to start mapping your manuscript, download my free 32-Page Picture Book Template.

You can also read How Many Illustrations Are in a Picture Book? for a more detailed look at illustration counts.

Quick Takeaway

Don’t count illustrations by counting paragraphs. Plan the visual journey of the entire book first with a template or storyboard.

What Should Be in a Children’s Book Illustrator Contract?

Once you’ve found an illustrator you’d like to work with, put your expectations in writing before the illustration process begins.

A professional contract gives both you and your illustrator clarity.

At a minimum, you’ll want the agreement to address the scope of work, number and type of illustrations, project timeline and milestones, payment schedule, revision rounds, artwork specifications, and final deliverables.

Copyright and usage rights should also be clearly addressed, along with what happens if either party needs to end the project and what responsibilities belong to each person.

I think of a contract as part of good communication.

It allows important conversations to happen at the beginning, when you can calmly agree on expectations, rather than waiting until a misunderstanding occurs.

Because contracts and rights deserve more detail than I can reasonably cover in this overview, I recommend reading Illustrator Contract: 7 Absolute Musts before signing an agreement.

Quick Takeaway

A good contract isn’t a sign that you don’t trust your illustrator. It’s how both of you know exactly what you’ve agreed to.

What’s the Difference Between an Illustrator & a Book Designer?

First-time self-publishing authors sometimes assume illustration and book design are the same job.

They’re generally two different roles.

Your illustrator creates the artwork.

Your book designer brings your manuscript and artwork together into professionally designed pages and prepares the files for production.

These roles need to work within the same technical requirements.

Book dimensions, bleeds, gutters, text placement, image resolution, file specifications, and cover requirements can all affect how the finished artwork needs to function.

This is another reason I encourage authors to understand their publishing plan before illustrations are completed.

You don’t want to discover at the end of the process that beautiful artwork wasn’t created with the finished book’s requirements in mind.

To learn more about the differences in these roles, as well as how they work together, you can read Illustrator vs Book Designer in Children’s Books (There’s a Difference).

Quick Takeaway

Your illustrator creates the art. Your book designer turns the art and manuscript into the pages of the finished book.

What Happens Once the Illustrator Starts Working?

Every illustrator has their own process, which is one reason I recommend discussing milestones before your project begins.

In general, however, you can expect the project to move from broad visual decisions toward increasingly polished artwork.

Step One: Storyboard or Rough Layout

A storyboard or rough layout maps your story visually.

This helps you see pacing, scenes, compositions, and page turns before the illustrator invests time in detailed artwork.

Step Two: Character Development

Your illustrator may develop character sheets or initial character concepts.

This is where important visual details can be established so your characters remain recognizable and consistent throughout the book.

Step Three: Sketches

Next, the illustrator begins developing individual scenes and compositions.

This is an important review stage because the major visual decisions are still relatively easy to adjust.

Step Four: Author Feedback

Review the work at the milestones you agreed upon.

Try to make your feedback specific and consolidated. Rather than sending a series of separate comments as you notice things, gather your feedback so your illustrator has a clear understanding of what you’re requesting.

Step Five: Revisions

Your illustrator makes the revisions included within your agreement.

This is why defining revision rounds in your contract is so valuable: everyone knows how the feedback process will work before it begins.

Step Six: Final Illustrations

Once the sketches and major visual decisions are approved, the illustrator moves into polished final artwork.

At this stage, the artwork should also meet the technical specifications needed for your book.

Step Seven: Handoff to Book Design

The completed illustrations and final manuscript can then move into book design, where the text and artwork are assembled into the finished pages.

The important principle throughout these stages is simple:

Review big decisions while they’re still small.

If a character needs to move to the other side of a scene or an entire composition needs to change, the sketch stage is a much better time to discuss it than after the final artwork has been completed.

Quick Takeaway

Review the big decisions while they’re still sketches. Changes are much easier before the final artwork is complete.

What Makes an Author-Illustrator Collaboration Successful?

If there’s one thing I wish every first-time author understood before beginning illustrations, it’s that this is a true partnership.

Yes, if you’re self-publishing, you may be the person paying for the illustrations.

But your illustrator isn’t simply a service provider completing a list of instructions.

For the duration of your project, you’re both working toward the same goal: bringing a story to life for a child.

That requires clear communication.

I want to see progress as the storyboard, sketches, and illustrations develop. I want an open line of communication so questions can be asked and decisions can be made together.

At the same time, I want to respect the illustrator’s expertise.

That means communicating clearly, providing thoughtful and consolidated feedback, asking questions rather than making assumptions, and trusting the professional I hired to contribute creatively.

A child may receive just as much meaning from an illustration as they receive from the words on the page.

I’ve experienced that with my own books.

Those blowing leaves in I Can Believe in Myself weren’t simply decoration. They communicated emotion.

Those letters spelling M-A-D weren’t written into my manuscript. They added another layer for the reader to discover.

Those are the kinds of details that become possible when an illustrator has enough information to understand your story and enough creative room to help tell it.

An author brings one form of storytelling. An illustrator brings another. When those two forms complement each other, the finished book can become richer than either one could create alone.

Quick Takeaway

The strongest picture books happen when the author brings the story and the illustrator is trusted to bring something new to it.

Miriam's Three Takeaways

1. Finish Your Manuscript First

Illustration should begin when your story is stable enough to build a visual world around it.

Give yourself time to work with a professional editor, revise thoughtfully, understand your reader, and make your important story decisions before commissioning final artwork.

2. Choose a Collaborator, Not Just an Art Style

A beautiful portfolio matters, but it’s only one part of the decision.

Look at communication, professionalism, picture-book experience, visual storytelling, process, and how well the illustrator’s strengths fit your particular story.

3. Leave Room for the Illustrator to Illustrate

Your vision matters.

Communicate the details that genuinely affect the story, then give the professional you hired room to bring their own creativity and storytelling expertise to the page.

That balance—clear vision paired with creative trust—is at the heart of a strong author-illustrator partnership.

Miriam Answers Your Most Common Questions

Should my children’s book be edited before I hire an illustrator?

Yes. Ideally, your manuscript should go through professional editing and be close to final before illustration begins. Major text changes later can affect page turns, scenes, and artwork you’ve already paid to create.

How much creative direction should I give my illustrator?

Give your illustrator the details that are essential to your story, then leave room for their creativity. A good illustrator isn’t simply drawing your words—they’re helping tell the visual half of your story.

How many illustrations does a children’s picture book need?

There isn’t one number that works for every picture book. Your illustration count depends on your page plan, number of spreads, pacing, and whether you use spot, half-page, full-page, or spread illustrations.

How do I know whether an illustrator is right for my story?

Look beyond whether you simply like their artwork. Their style should fit your story and audience, but I also recommend considering their picture-book experience, communication style, professionalism, process, and ability to tell a story visually.

Do I need both an illustrator and a book designer?

If you’re self-publishing, they usually perform two different jobs. Your illustrator creates the artwork, while your book designer brings the text and illustrations together into professionally designed pages and prepares the book files for production.

Ready to Begin the Illustration Stage?

Reaching this part of your publishing journey is a beautiful milestone.

You don’t need to know every answer before you begin. You do want to enter the process with a manuscript that’s ready, a clear understanding of what matters to your story, and a willingness to build a genuine creative partnership.

If you’re preparing to find an illustrator, download my free guide, Find Your Illustrator & Protect Your Children’s Book.

It will help you approach this next stage with greater clarity and confidence.

Most of all, remember that you aren’t hiring someone simply to put pictures beside your words.

You’re inviting another storyteller into the creative process.

Share your vision clearly. Stay involved as the book develops. Then give your illustrator the room to bring their own gifts to your story.

You may discover something within those pages that you never would have imagined on your own.