Children’s Book Illustration Services: What’s Included & What Authors Should Expect
By Kezzia Crossley
You’ve written your children’s book, you can already picture the characters in your head, and now you’re ready for the really exciting part—bringing your story to life through illustration.
But if you’ve never worked with a children’s book illustrator before, you may be wondering what professional children’s book illustration services actually include.
Does an illustrator simply create the artwork? Who designs the characters? What about the cover? The text? The book layout? And what exactly do you receive when everything is finished?
The answer can vary from illustrator to illustrator, but understanding the process before you begin can make choosing the right creative partner—and planning your book—much easier.
1. Character Design Usually Comes First
Before illustrating an entire book, your illustrator needs to understand who your characters are.
This stage may include character sketches, expressions, clothing, proportions, colour palettes, and other details that will help keep the characters consistent throughout the story.
You don't necessarily need to know exactly what your characters should look like before contacting an illustrator. Part of the illustrator's job is interpreting the clues within your manuscript and helping those characters take shape visually.
Once the main characters are established, they become the foundation for the rest of the book.
2. Rough Sketches Help Build the Story Visually
One of the most important parts of illustrating a picture book happens before the finished artwork begins.
Your illustrator may create thumbnails or rough sketches to plan each page or spread. These sketches help determine composition, character placement, page turns, perspective, and how the illustrations will work alongside the text.
They may not look particularly glamorous—and they're not supposed to!
Roughs are essentially the blueprint for the finished book. This is also an important stage for author feedback because larger changes are much easier to make before the final artwork has been created.
3. Final Illustrations Bring Everything Together
Once the rough sketches are approved, the illustrator begins creating the finished artwork.
Depending on the book, this might include full-page illustrations, double-page spreads, smaller spot illustrations, decorative elements, or a combination of all of them.
A professional illustrator is also thinking beyond whether an individual picture looks beautiful. The illustrations need to feel consistent from beginning to end, characters need to remain recognizable, environments need continuity, and the artwork needs to support the emotional rhythm of the story.
The goal is to create a book that feels like one complete visual world.
4. Revisions Should Be Part of the Process
Illustration is collaborative, so authors should have opportunities to provide feedback.
The number of revision rounds included will depend on the illustrator and the agreement you have with them. This is something worth clarifying before the project begins.
A clear revision process protects both the author and illustrator. It gives you opportunities to make thoughtful changes while preventing the project from becoming an endless cycle of adjustments.
5. Does Children’s Book Illustration Include the Cover?
Not always.
Some illustrators quote interior artwork separately from cover illustration, while others include the cover as part of a complete package.
A children's book cover also involves more than creating one illustration. A print-ready cover may need a front cover, back cover and spine designed to the exact specifications required by the printer or publishing platform.
Before hiring an illustrator, make sure you know whether your quote includes the cover artwork, cover design—or both.
If you're also trying to plan your budget, I’ve broken down children’s book illustration costs and what can affect the price of a project.
6. Illustration and Book Design Aren’t the Same Thing
This is one of the biggest surprises for many first-time authors.
Having all of your illustrations finished doesn't necessarily mean you have a finished book.
Your artwork and manuscript still need to be brought together into a professionally designed interior. That can involve text placement, typography, margins, bleed, trim size, page sequencing and preparing files correctly for print.
Some children's book illustrators provide illustration only. Others, including me, offer both illustration and book design, which means the artwork and layout can be developed together from the beginning.
For picture books especially, I love this approach because the words and pictures aren't really separate things—they're telling the story together.
7. What About KDP and IngramSpark?
If you're self-publishing, you'll eventually need files that meet the technical requirements of your chosen printing or distribution platform.
Amazon KDP and IngramSpark each have specifications for things like trim size, bleed, image resolution and cover dimensions.
If your illustrator or book designer also provides print-ready file preparation, they can make sure the finished interior and cover are properly prepared for the platform you plan to use.
This is different from illustration itself, so it's worth asking whether print-ready files are included in your package.
8. What Should You Receive at the End?
Your final deliverables depend on your agreement with your illustrator.
For a complete children's book project, they might include the finished illustrations, print-ready interior PDF, print-ready cover file, and sometimes additional artwork files if those were included in the contract.
Before beginning your project, your contract should clearly explain what you'll receive, how the artwork may be used, how many revisions are included, and what happens if additional work is requested.
Knowing this upfront makes the entire process much smoother.
9. Illustration-Only vs. Full-Service Packages
Neither approach is inherently better—it depends on what you need.
If you already have a book designer or publisher handling layout and production, illustration-only services may make perfect sense.
If you're self-publishing and would rather work with one person from character development through final book files, a full-service package can simplify the process considerably.
The important thing is knowing exactly which services you're hiring for before the project begins.
What Should You Ask a Children’s Book Illustrator?
Before choosing an illustrator, ask about their process, timeline, revisions, deliverables and whether services such as cover design, book layout and print preparation are included.
And, of course, look carefully through their portfolio. You're not simply looking for someone who can draw—you’re looking for someone whose visual storytelling feels right for your story.
If you're still searching, I have a separate guide on how to hire a children's book illustrator that walks through that decision in more detail.
Final Thoughts
Creating a children's book is much more than commissioning a collection of pretty pictures.
The strongest picture books are built through character development, visual storytelling, thoughtful page turns, illustration, typography and design—all working together to support the story.
At The Painted Acorn, I work with independent authors through the illustration and book-design process, from those first character sketches and rough layouts through to finished, print-ready files.
The goal isn't simply to illustrate your manuscript. It's to help turn it into a book that feels complete.
If you’re ready to start bringing your children’s book to life, you can contact me here to tell me about your story and your project.