For children’s book illustrators
Line, colour, character, and the turn of the page.
Portfolios welcome · open through January 19, 2027Do you draw the kind of pictures a child goes back into long after the words are known by heart? Are you working on the next The Snowy Day, the next Owl Moon, or a graphic novel with the pull of Bone? We would like to see it.
In a picture book, half of the story is told by the illustrator. Our editors and art director look for pictures that do more than decorate the text: characters who act with their whole bodies, a sense of place you could walk into, humour that sits in the corners, and pacing that makes a child want to turn the page.
We care more about hand and voice than about any trend. Pencil, ink, watercolour, gouache, cut paper, printmaking and digital work are all welcome. Show us what you love to draw.
How illustrators work with us
Illustrators looking for a manuscript
Send a portfolio link and a short note. Strong portfolios join the art desk’s roster, and we come back to it whenever a manuscript we’ve acquired needs the right artist.
- 10–20 pieces, and children in at least some of them
- The same character in several poses and moods
- Sequential work: a spread, a short comic, a storyboard
Author-illustrators with a book
Send a dummy for the whole book with the text in place, plus two or three finished spreads. For graphic novels, send a script or outline and at least five finished pages.
- One PDF of up to 15 MB, or a link to a larger file
- Include the manuscript text in the note as well
Our art direction
- Characters who act and feel, not just pose
- Confident drawing with texture and warmth
- Compositions that use the gutter and the page turn
- A voice we would recognise across a room
A writer who doesn’t illustrate? Send your text through manuscript submissions — there is no need to find an illustrator first.
Submit your portfolio or dummy
Illustrator questions
Do I need a written story to submit to Bradbury Press as an illustrator?
No. Many of the illustrators we work with are paired with a manuscript we have already acquired. A portfolio link and a few words about how you work is enough.
What should a picture book dummy include?
Sketches for every spread, with the text placed where it will sit on the page, plus two or three finished spreads that show your colour and finish. A single PDF works best.
Do you accept digital illustration?
Yes. We look at digital work alongside watercolour, gouache, ink, collage, printmaking and mixed media. What matters is whether the pictures tell the story.
Is the art desk open to illustrators outside the United States?
Yes. We read portfolios from anywhere and work with illustrators remotely.