AM Design Studios is proud to offer Children’s Book Illustration from multi-award winning artist A. Matthews. Our illustration service is meant to bring your book baby to life on the page! With over 9 years of experience in the publishing industry, we know what makes a book stand out.  We give you 100% of our expertise to make your book sparkle and shine.

Check out our samples at the end of this page. 🙂

Children’s Book Illustration is for Picture Books and Chapter Books. If you’re looking for Middle-Grade Fiction Illustration, visit AMD’s Middle-Grade Covers & Illustration Services page. Also, if your chapter book is targeted toward older readers, be sure and check out our Middle-Grade page as the older illustration style may suit your target audience better. Confused about which to choose? Just ask and we can discuss the best path for your project’s illustration.

We’ve made getting your book from manuscript to market simple.

Pricing & Process

COVERS

Picture Book & Chapter Book Cover Illustration:
$250 ebook, an additional $50 to upgrade to print

The process is simple:

  • Contact me to order your illustration.
  • Pay 1/2 downpayment to get your spot in the schedule (and 1/2 on delivery)
  • I’ll send you a questionnaire. Fill it out and send it back.
  • We chat about your project via email or messenger (if you desire).
  • I’ll send you the rough line art concept.
  • Revisions as necessary.
  • Full color added along with text/fonts.
  • Once final, you’ll receive your custom cover in a high-resolution, upload ready ebook format. If you requested a print file to specification ($50 upgrade), you’ll receive that to your printer’s file specifications, all ready for upload.

INTERIOR ILLUSTRATION

You can choose one illustration or as many as you want based on your story’s needs. If you’re unclear about what you need, contact me at amatthews@amdesignstudios.net and I’d be happy to discuss your project with you.

Interior Black and White Spot Illustration:
$75 each illustration ($125 for color spot illustration)

  • Up to 2 characters, minimal background (yes, you can add more characters for a small fee…just ask)
  • If you ordered spot color, the black and white sketch is included.
  • Revisions included.
  • No need to pay royalties. You own all rights! (You can even make more products from your illustrations.)

The process is simple:

STEP 1:

Some people start with 1 illustration. (But you may skip to step 2 if you’re comfortable ordering the whole shebang! And yes, I have flexible billing if you’re interested. Just contact amatthews@amdesignstudios.net to discuss your project and billing needs.)

  • Order your illustration
  • We chat about your illustration wishes on Messenger or Email (your preference).
  • I send you a black and white sketch based on your story and our conferencing.
  • You ask for changes or approve.
  • Once approved, I create the full-color artwork if you upgraded to spot color and deliver final files in PNG, JPG, PDF or any other preferred file format of your choice.

STEP 2:

Once you’re happy and want to move to the next step:

  • Book your illustrations with me and get on my calendar.
  • Deliver your full manuscript.
  • We chat about your illustration wishes via Messenger or Email (your preference).
  • I create a black and white storyboard from your manuscript (picture or chapter books only. If you’re ordering spot illustration for middle-grade, we’ll use the questionnaire process).
  • Changes are made as needed.
  • Full color is added if this upgrade was requested.
  • Files are delivered ready to be uploaded or formatted for ebook, paperback or print.

Full Color Picture Book Illustration:
$165 each illustration, $250 double-page spread

  • Each interior illustration is only $165 for full color, one page. A two-page spread is $250.
  • Full-page: up to 3 characters, full background, full color or shaded. Double-page spread: up to 5 characters, full background, full color or shaded. (yes, you can add more characters for a small fee…just ask)
  • Black and white sketch included.
  • Revisions included.
  • No need to pay royalties. You own all rights! (You can even make more products from your illustrations.)

The process is simple:

STEP 1:

Some people start with 1 illustration but you can skip to step 2 if you want to order the whole shebang! Plus booking all at once ensures a quicker turnaround and guaranteed space in my schedule. I book quickly and have limited spots for full illustration, so contact me quickly. (Ask me about flexible payments at amatthews@amdesignstudios.net).

  • Choose your preferred illustration style (see styles available below)
  • Order your illustration
  • We chat about your illustration wishes on Skype or Messenger or Email (your preference).
  • I send you a black and white sketch based on your story and our conference call.
  • You ask for changes or approve.
  • Once approved, I create full-color artwork.

STEP 2:

Once you’re happy and want to move to the next step:

  • Book your illustrations with me.
  • Deliver your full manuscript.
  • We chat about your illustration wishes via Skype or Messenger or Email (your preference).
  • I create a black and white storyboard from your manuscript.
  • Changes are made as needed.
  • Full color is added.
  • Files are delivered ready to be uploaded or formatted for ebook, paperback or print. Need formatting? No worries. We offer high-quality InDesign formatting for the most creative and professional presentation of your book. Not sure what the difference between illustrations and formatting is? Click Here for an explanation.

What about payment? Pay through PayPal. If you’ve booked more than 1 illustration, you can pay 1/2 down and 1/2 on delivery. If you need more payment options/time, please talk to me and we can make a payment schedule at amatthews@amdesignstudios.net.

How long does it take? A 24-page book will take approximately 40 days once you’re booked into the schedule. Add more time for longer books. Spaces are limited, so contact me immediately to hold your spot. One illustration or cover illustration takes 24-48 hours upon your booking date. Since my schedule fills up, please contact me to get your spot!

Do I have to do anything else to the illustrations to publish my book?
If you’re ordering a book cover only, then no. You just upload to your preferred book distributor. If you need help, ask! I’ve been in this biz for years. I’m here to guide you.

If you’re doing a picture book and ordered interior illustrations, then yes. You need to have those illustrations formatted to either ebook, paperback or hardcover (all are different), or all three depending on your publishing choices. You’ll need to place the text over the images as well or set your text to one page or above floating illustrations, depending upon how you’ve chosen to layout your book. Confused? Don’t worry. If you order interior illustrations, we will have a layout conversion covering your options so that you make informed choices on your layout. And if you need to have the layout done for you, we can do that, too! Check out our Children’s Picture Book formatting services here.

NEW: All-Inclusive Package Flat Rate

The all-inclusive package is a flat rate of $3200 for 24-page to 36-page double spread illustrated picture books. That’s a savings from illustrations ordered ala carte and you get some exclusive bonuses:

This package includes:

  • Character development (bonus) – development of major characters with front, side and three-quarter view.
  • Full storybook storyboard development – see how your book will layout with illustrations before we even start with storyboard development. Ask me for samples of this process.
  • Full double-page illustrations for your 24-36 page picture book (standard sizes)
  • Cover design (full wrap for both print and ebook)
  • Book formatting for both Ebook and Print (1 printer of your choice be it Ingram, KDP or print run printers like Print Ninja).

This package is everything you need to publish both ebook and print at a savings cost of $3,200 all-inclusive.

 

What will the illustrations look like? See the children’s book gallery below.

I want to order now! What do I do? Contact amatthews@amdesignstudios.net and tell me what you need. Let’s start a conversation to get your book on the way to publication!

Illustration Style:

Cutie hand-drawn digital watercolor style. Best for picture and chapter books. Suited for cover, spot and full-color picture book illustration.

This is a freehand digital watercolor with soft flowing pencil lines and a watercolor paint look that’s cute and engaging for young readers. Full commercial rights transfer included! (This means that aside from your book, you own the rights to the illustrations. You can print them on t-shirts or other products! Commercial rights are usually not included and require an extra purchase, but you get them for free.)

FULL-PAGE & DOUBLE-PAGE

SPOT ILLUSTRATION

 

More samples below…