Ever wondered what it might be like to bring your favorite book to life?
If so, becoming a children's book illustrator could be a good fit for you.
What Do They Do?
Design original pictures and artwork to add visuals to a story
Use a variety of artistic mediums such as acrylics, watercolors, sketching and digital media tools
Develop visuals to make stories more understandable and accessible for children
Collaborate with authors and publishers to develop cover art and in-text visuals
Create characters we cannot imagine yet
What Might A Typical Day Look Like?
Submitting initial sketches for review and feedback
Finalizing artwork and preparing for publication
Attending meetings with authors, art directors, publishers, and marketers
Reviewing manuscripts, art samples, and previous books
Managing deadlines with multiple projects
Quiz
Does spending 600 hours designing cover artwork seem like a project you would like to do?
But Will It Pay The Bills?
Canada: Average yearly salary for a Children's Book Illustrator is $56,500 (CAD)
USA: Average yearly salary for a Children's Book Illustrator is $58,300 (USD)
You Will Love It if....
You enjoy using your imagination and artistic ability to bring books to life
You want to have an impact on children's creativity and intellectual growth
You like having a variety of projects to choose from
You have high levels of stamina and can work on artwork for long time periods
You are willing to put years of practice into a competitive, exciting field
Look For Another Career Path If...
You don't like unpredictability and ambiguity in your daily work and income
You cannot deal with strict deadlines and time-sensitive projects
You are looking to work in a corporate environment (it's possible but rare)
You are not willing to work on multiple revisions for days, weeks or months.
Take Action
Are you ready to dive into the world of children's book illustration?
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