Discover a Curated List of 41 Must-Know Freelance Illustrators
After spending hours digging through portfolios online, I put together this curated list of 41 wonderful freelance illustrators. They work in a wide range of styles, each with its own unique expression. I asked each illustrator to share a few pieces of their work along with a short introduction about themselves.
Whether you’re here for illustration inspiration or on the lookout for someone to hire, this is a great place to start looking.
Illustration by Linn Warme
Hi! My name is Anja and I’m an illustrator based in Zagreb, Croatia. I mostly work in children’s publishing and editorial illustration and love to create detailed, colourful pieces, usually in a more limited colour palette (if the project allows, of course!)
I’ve illustrated both fiction and non-fiction books, for a wide range of publishers, including Flying Eye Books, Ladybird Books, Magic Cat, Templar, Rebel Girls, just to name a few. I also did editorial work for Huffpost and Harvard Business Review, among others. I’m represented by Inkling Illustration Agency
I love developing complicated and intricate compositions, and figuring out abstract concepts through drawing. That is by far my favourite part of being an illustrator: figuring out a blank page from scratch!
I’m Linn Warme, a surface pattern designer and illustrator from Sweden. I love drawing inspiration from nature, florals, and all things nature, which often find their way into my work. My illustrations are detailed, colorful, and full of nature’s flow.
I’ve worked for years as an in-house print designer at big fashion brands in Sweden, and now I work freelance with clients and companies from all over.
My name is Asia Orlando, I’m a visual artist, author and illustrator, passionate about storytelling, animals, and creating immersive, whimsical worlds.
My illustrations are filled with eye-catching characters and playful narratives. I often draw inspiration from nature, animals, folklore, myths, and everyday life, blending colorful, intricate elements to invite viewers into rich, imaginative universes. Over the years, I’ve worked on a wide variety of projects, for clients like Disney, National Geographic, Penguin Random House, Hachette, among others. I’ve illustrated over 10 books so far and am currently working on my first series of illustrated novels as both author and illustrator, with the first title scheduled for release in 2025.
In 2020, I founded Our Planet Week, an annual social media illustration movement dedicated to raising environmental awareness through art, with the 7th edition coming in 2026.
I’m also very active on social media and run a YouTube channel, where I share my life as a professional illustrator, day-to-day work, creative process, and advice for fellow artists. On top of that, I run a mentorship program with dedicated artist cohorts, helping others grow their skills and navigate their own creative journeys.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to bring to life my illustrated novels, introduce new original characters, explore new media, and continue using my work to inspire, educate, and spark meaningful conversations – whether about creativity, storytelling, or protecting our planet.
I’m a freelance Illustrator / Artist based in the UK, specialising in intricate botanical and wildlife-focused designs. I love working in a palette of vibrant and sumptuous colours, creating detailed multi-layered compositions inspired by textile patterns and vintage objects.
My other interests include designing eye-catching album artworks for bands and singers – I’m a real advocate for human-designed album covers especially now that AI has started to suck the integrity out of the industry. Most days I can be found drawing in my office or selling my art prints at weekend artisan markets.
Hello! I’m Jonas Welin, a freelance illustrator and sculptor based in Sweden. My illustrations are colorful, expressive, and often a bit quirky, filled with imaginative creatures and vibrant characters from my own world. I work across various mediums, including digital illustration and sculpting, to create art that’s fun, expressive, and full of personality. Alongside freelance work as an illustrator and sculptor, I also run Creativehowl, a blog and resource hub for creatives.
My name is Cindy Kang, an illustrator and picture book maker based in New York City. Since graduating from the School of Visual Arts, I’ve worked with various clients, including Samsung, Macy’s, Penguin Random House, and Laurence King Publishing. Lately, my focus has been on creating artworks for children, exploring the visual narrative of young characters’ journey to new experiences and emotions.
Using soft textures and color palette, I love telling stories of heartfelt moments, subtle gestures, and quiet emotions. I believe neutral expressions—simply being and feeling—often speak the loudest. I aim to create works that feel like a childhood diary, where characters and the audience can reflect, explore emotions, and find comfort in a safe space.
I’m Cleonique Hilsaca, an artist from Honduras based in St. Louis, MO. My creative process is fueled by research and idea exploration infused with whimsy and fantasy. I specialize in character design and narrative storytelling, crafting designs and illustrations in digital and analog media, my passion living between pencils, ink, and watercolors.
My art can be found in picture books, magazines, board games, and galleries. My clients include Penguin Random House, MTA Arts & Design, Renegade Game Studios, Sesame Workshop and Il Corriere della Sera. My work has been honored by The Society of Illustrator’s of NY and LA, 3X3, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and La Bienal de Ilustración de México.
I tackle a diversity of projects and am always excited for adventures in illustration, design, licensing, animation, and wherever else my creations can thrive.
I’m an illustrator from Toronto, Canada. Lately I’ve been primarily illustrating childrens’ books, but I also create editorial pieces for news organizations and magazines. In my work, I try to evoke a sense of introspection and empathy, and to capture feelings and mood. I typically work with a combination of gouache, pencils, and photoshop.
Some things that inspire me include travel, going for walks, museums, and other forms of creative arts (i.e. cinema, dance, music). Outside of work, I like to spend my time knitting, needle felting, running, playing guitar, and hanging out with my elderly cat.
Hi, I’m Johanna Springer. I’m an illustrator based in Germany. Inspired by the beauty and diversity of nature, I like to create artworks ranging from contemplative and melancholic to frisky and delightful. When I’m not at my desk, I enjoy planting veggies and flowers in the garden, collecting stones, empty snail shells and acorns with my daughter and going for a swim.
While I’m open to a variety of projects, I’m particularly drawn to these subjects:
- Stories about the beauty of nature
- Historical subjects
- Biographies
- Illustrating poems, folktales, and fairy tales
- Stories about misfits finding their place
Hello, My name is Dream. I am a children’s picture book illustrator. In recent years my creative practice has also expanded to toy and product design. I am currently living in France, pursuing a PHD at university of Poitiers , researching on the topic of philosophical graphic novel. This is another great way to prompt myself to explore a new territory. Hopefully I will complete my first ever graphic novel that compares the philosophical idea of Laozi and Plato in a new and playful way. Being as an illustrator is not just a job to me, but a way to express myself and to explore the world.
My name is Duairak Padungvichean or Lun. I’m a freelance illustrator currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. I love making whimsical, fun, colorful images, and characters. My art works are usually inspired by nature forms, everyday life events, and places I’ve been to. I enjoy working with many mediums such as watercolor, digital art, rug tufting, and many more.
Hi! I’m Ellis Tolsma, an illustrator and animator based in Utrecht. My work is bright, colorful, and full of shapes. I am most often inspired by retro design, vintage toys and nature. I have my own small riso print studio in the Netherlands. Here I set up Studio Misprint, a riso print studio which is about learning to embrace mistakes and incorporate those mistakes into your style. My creative process is about playfulness and exploration, often leading to unexpected results. I often work with themes about sensitivity, happiness and the joy of the smaller things in life. For my personal work I make a lot of risograph works, a lot of prints, cards and stickers, but I mainly love and enjoy making zines the most. I try to add the same colorful mindset to my client based work, and love designing bright, bold posters, packaging & animation work.
I spend a lot of time printing, painting & experimenting with materials (recently a laser cutter joined the party!), and pushing the boundaries of what print and paper can do. Lately, I’ve been exploring how tactile, handmade processes like risograph printing can offer a counterweight to a digital world that often feels too perfect, too fast, and too filtered
Hello! My name is Emmy Brown and I’m a freelance illustrator out of Chicago, IL. I love drawing small furry friends on big adventures and my main focus is working in kid lit (picture book and chapter books), though I am very open to magazine spots and licensing. I work both traditionally and digitally, though I finish most work on my iPad to ensure I hit deadlines.
When I’m not working on projects, you might find me tabling the artist alley at various comic conventions around the USA.
My name is Giulia Martinelli, and I work as a freelance illustrator and animator. Originally from Italy, I moved around a bit before stopping and settling down in Zurich, Switzerland, where I currently work and live.
My freelance work blends commissioned and personal projects across illustration, picture books, animated films, and teaching, often with a focus on flat graphic styles and a touch of wordplay. I’m also the creator and host of the animation podcast Under the Onion Skin, where I peel back the layers of the creative process in conversations with fellow artists.
Outside of work, you’ll likely find me enjoying music, tending to my houseplants, crafting treasure hunts, or writing—always chasing stories in one form or another.
Hi! I’m Holly, a freelance illustrator working across a range of commercial projects including publishing, editorial, branding, advertising and animation. My creative process involves drawing digitally, combining tactile textures, bold colours and playful proportions to create characterful images influenced by dreams, memories and femininity.
I’ve worked with various clients including; LA Times, Condé Nast Traveller, Tropicana and Watkins Publishing. I’m also a member of Brighton-based artist collective, Lucky Frog Studio, who have collaborated on various exhibitions and projects since 2022.
Hi! I’m Andra, an illustrator and designer who loves turning ideas into visual stories that resonate. I aim to create original, impactful work through a blend of creativity, professionalism, and thoughtful design.
I value honest, open collaboration and always strive to reflect each client’s vision in a unique way. Sustainability is important to me, and I enjoy combining creativity with practical solutions.
Under the alias Stutpak, I explore illustration, animation, product design, and more. I also design (illustrated) jewelry and recently returned to my love of sewing, creating one-of-a-kind clothing from secondhand fabrics. I love combining my illustrative background with sewing by designing my own custom labels for each handmade piece.
Hi, I’m Irene Penazzi, an Italian illustrator, author, and nature observer. I love creating nested images, rich in particulars, that reveal new details at every glance. I work with colored pencils and watercolors. My creative world is mainly inspired by childhood memories and the nature that surrounds me, as I used to live near the countryside.
I studied illustration at Bologna Fine Arts Academy. My thesis project was a wordless picture book based in my childhood garden and it was published by Maison Eliza (France) in 2018. Since then I have published several other pictures books and I still enjoy creating illustrated worlds without words, with a spontaneous and childish trait, and let the reader tell his own story. With every picture book I like to amuse first myself and the reader too.
You can find my work on fiction and non fictions picture books, womens’ fashion, and as editorial illustrations. It was also showcased in the “Italian Excellence. The New Generation of Children’s Illustrators” exhibition in Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2021.
My name is Irina, and I am a Romanian illustrator, but I’ve been living and working in London for the past 5 years. My story began similarly to most artists. I loved drawing since I was a little kid, and I’ve been doing it and loving it ever since. Naturally, I ended up studying fine art in school and only discovered illustration through one of my Erasmus courses in university. It was a course in illustration in comics, and I was curious to see what that meant. In the very first moment I started that course, I knew that illustration was what I wanted to do from then on.
Since then, I’ve been constantly trying to learn more about the illustration industry, understand what I like and develop a consistent visual language to reflect that. After years of trial and error, I developed this style known for its wholesomeness, bold colours, rich textures and characters with star-shaped eyes. My style is constantly evolving and growing with me.
Throughout the years, I have had the absolute pleasure to work on various commissions with clients such as Ana Tomy, ZEIT, Ferment Magazine, Google Doodle, BuzzFeed, Welcome to the Jungle, SOLO Magazine and many more. My work was also featured in It’s Nice That, Wix, Creative Review and Creative Boom and has been part of various group shows.
One of my favourite things about being an illustrator is that I get to tell a story with everything I draw. And I think telling stories is important because it’s what makes us feel human and connected to each other.
Hello! I’m Jess Knights, an illustrator and workshop facilitator based in Bristol, in the UK. My work combines handmade texture with graphic illustrations that explore themes of nature, health, and community. I work with meaningful brands, charities, and organisations, creating everything from editorial illustrations to murals, maps and infographics.
I’m currently exploring ways to bring more tactile elements like ceramics and screen printing into my work. Alongside my illustration practice, I run creative workshops and I host PIP – a regular meet-up for Bristol-based illustrators supported by the AOI.
I’m an award-winning visual artist and designer who, under the alias Chromakane, is passionate about blending culture and identity through my collections. Since 2020, I’ve been creating work which spans physical, digital and immersive realms—from art prints and home decor to upcycled custom painted apparel and augmented reality experiences. I love thinking of Chromakane as my playground for self-expression, approaching each new project with an experimental eye and eclectic style.
I’ve been fortunate to work on creative briefs with the likes of Apple, Canon, DressX, Hahnemühle and X (Twitter), and you can notably also find my work with Artfinder, Fy!, Posterlounge and Rise Art.
Hi, I’m Jill Gori, an illustrator based in Salzburg, Austria. My work combines playful characters with bold colors and a strong sense of storytelling. I enjoy exploring a variety of illustration styles to match the unique needs of each project.
Over the years, I’ve worked with clients of all sizes on brand illustrations, visual development for 2D animations, advertising campaigns, illustrated maps and children’s content. I’ve illustrated five children’s books in the last four years, and the sixth is already in the works. In the future, I’d love to dip my toes into art licensing and see my illustrations pop up on everyday products.
I am an illustrator and artist based in Edinburgh (UK). With the use of sequential imagery, I explore various quiet narratives. In my personal practice, my watercolours and drawings investigate liminal spaces as well as the limit between familiar and uncanny landscapes. I enjoy taking photos, collecting imagery and making lists to later draw from. The scenes depicted are partially figurative and aren’t set in time or place so that the viewer can project themselves into my work.
Hi,I’m Julia Sophie Plath, a freelance Illustrator from Hamburg Germany. I finished my degree in illustration in ‘22, with a master thesis about doppelgangers and their meaning as visual and literary motif. Since then, I have been working in Editorial aswell as book illustration, creating posters or packaging designs. My work is often described as surreal and dreamlike, focussing on psychological aspects, especially on women. Last year my first fully illustrated fairytale collection came out (Die Froschprinzessin) and this year I illustrated Oscar Wildes fairytales (Coming in November at Insel Suhrkamp). When I’m not working comercially I’m into 2D animation and am currently working on a comic and a childrensbook.
Since 2021 I am part of the Cornelia Funke Rom of Heaven Residency Program and in 2023 I received the 1 year stART.up sholarship by the Claussen-Simon-Stiftung.
I’m Kimberly, a Canadian designer & Illustrator based in the beautiful city of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked in collaboration with a wide array of clients and community groups on a wonderfully diverse range of projects, that span from small printed material to large-scale public experiential pieces.
I take particular pleasure in creating work that resonates with people, that is playful and educates, or that makes a positive difference in some way. A few examples of which include designing and illustrating sensory nature signposts to encourage people living with dementia to enjoy the outdoors; illustrating kids educational activity booklets; creating personified animal characters as part of a campaign to help students feeling overwhelmed at University; and helping to create a healing and therapeutic environment for women in custody.
My name is Kirstin Smith and I’m an illustrator and motion designer. My work is very graphic and highly stylized, influenced by my great love of design. I often animate my illustrations and create looping GIFs with playful movement. Originally from Canada, I’m now based in Mexico and I’m very inspired by the nature, wildlife, and folk art from both countries.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with clients from around the world including CNN, World Wildlife Fund, Selfridges, and many more. I am open for collaborations, commissions, licensing, and freelance work.
I’m Kristin, a digital illustrator from Downers Grove, IL. My work focuses on creating an accessible form of nature to help others heal. I specialize in symmetrical floral designs with calming colors. I enjoy creating seamless patterns for wallpaper, fabrics, and other end products.
You can find my work in several stores, such as Target, Barnes and Noble, and World Market. I love that every day I get the opportunity to use my gifts to help others through my work.
I’m Leya Luna, an author, illustrator, and designer from Zurich, Switzerland. I grew up in a creative family in a rural village, where storytelling and making things by hand were always part of daily life. I specialize in Children’s media and literature ranging from Children’s books, editorials and Art Prints. I also work in Packaging design and brand illustration.
I’ve had the pleasure to work with clients such as the Cambridge Children’s Hospital, Amazon UK and Migros Switzerland. My work combines traditional and digital techniques, often drawing from personal experiences to create story driven illustrations that feel honest, warm and colourful.
I’m Lienke Raben, illustrator and designer from the Netherlands, living in Amsterdam. In my work I try to blend doodle-ish spontaneity with the balance from my design background, resulting in bold, bright and joyful illustrations and lettering. In 2016 I co-founded Wallnuts, a mural design collective. I combine freelancing with being a senior designer at YIPP where we design and develop interactive (museum) exhibits.
I’m Lis Xu, an artist based in Toronto, Canada. I make comics and illustrations using traditional media, especially pencil and watercolour. I strive to create work that is cute, stupid, and funny.
I am currently working on a couple of projects- I write and draw a series called Bunny and Friends that is serialized in Perhaps, a comics magazine published by Gytha (Calgary). I am also working on a comic to be released digitally in the 2025 Shortbox Comics Fair.
I’m an artist, illustrator and graphic designer from Lithuania (a tiny European country by the Baltic sea). Over the years I have worked on many projects, from advertising to children’s books and music videos. Together with my twin sister I have created and published dozen of children’s books to critical and commercial success. Night is my ultimate inspiration, you can see a lot of it in my art. People tend to say that my work is very atmospheric, sometimes dark, lonely, but also hopeful, warm and inspiring at the same time. What an odd blend. But I love that it makes them feel many emotions, it makes me feel something too, that’s the point of it all I suppose.
My name is Mathias Ball, and I’m a Freelance Illustrator based out of Lakeside town in Ontario, Canada. My work is known to be quite colourful in nature, using traditional-like textures, but painted digitally. I’ve had the privilege to work in a variety of fields and with a handful of clients, but have primarily worked in Editorial as well as Publishing; at the time of writing, I’ve now worked on five children’s books, and about four book covers.
Outside of my Freelance work, I also run an online business, Sulkypup, where I’ve been designing gender-neutral clothing, accessories, and selling prints of my work for the last five or so years now. When I’m not illustrating or working on the shop, I’m typically out doing some nature photography or astrophotography, which is a source of inspiration for my compositions and colours.
My name is Mojca Novak (Mocculere) and I’m the author/illustrator of ’Picopaco’ and ‘Mojčica’ comic strips. I’ve been freelancing for the past 5 years now and work mainly on picture books and editorial illustration. I love drawing little human beings and birds, filling their worlds with tiny details and lots of colour.
I am an illustrator based in Hampshire, UK, focusing on illustrating the natural world for publishers, conservationists, and nature enthusiasts. I have a conservation background, a first-class degree in the anthropology of art, and a Master’s in Illustration.
You can find my work on book covers, greetings cards and interpretation signs on wildlife reserves in the UK and beyond. More recently, I’ve been illustrating narrative nonfiction children’s books, such as How to Know a Crow: the biography of a brainy bird (2024) and Turtle Lives (2025).
I like to use bold, simplified forms, vibrant compositions, and thoughtful details to create playful yet informative illustrations that appeal to both children and adults. My clients include Bloomsbury Publishing, Greystone Kids Books, the National Trust, and The Wildlife Trusts.
I’m an illustrator based in the South West of England. Most of my commissioned work has been for newspapers, magazines and book covers, but I have also produced album artwork, posters, images for websites, and I recently self-published a short comic book.
My work and colour pallets are very much inspired by feelings of nostalgia evoked by photographs, graphic design, and films of the 1980s/90s.
I work predominantly in Photoshop, but I also enjoy bringing my images into the material world through Risograph printing. I find this manual, tactile process extremely satisfying. It’s a fun challenge working out how to print my work in as few colours as possible, while still resulting in similar tonal qualities. It really enhances the retro feel I aspire to achieve too.
Hi! I’m Sam, an illustrator based in the UK with a focus on children’s books. I live in North West England and graduated from the University of South Wales with a first class honours in BA Illustration in 2021.
I love building whimsical little worlds and stuffing all sorts of strange characters in them. It’s important to me to try and keep my work as vibrant and playful as I can to make sure that I’m always having fun while creating. Some clients include: Magic Cat Publishing, Little Bee Books, Ancestry UK, Little Fox and Ravensburger.
I’m an Illustrator with a focus on mural art, editorial and brand illustrations. I find myself often fascinated by everyday life and love to recreate stories in colorful illustrations. Having grown up on the countryside, my work features a lot of nature elements and still lifes. Yet I enjoy to combine both natural and surreal elements in my illustrations to create playful compositions.
Greetings from Finland!
My illustration style is warm and approachable, but I always try to find new unexpected perspectives on the subject.
I find contradictions interesting and that can be seen in my illustrations. When everything is not quite as it seems at first sight, I have succeeded in my work. Machines create perfection, so imperfection and do-it-yourself attitude is always present in my work.
I believe my illustration style is easy to adapt to many uses and platforms and I’ve had a chance to work in many great projects from award winning poster designs to editorial, brand, animation and application illustration.
My name is Weitong Mai, and I’m a freelance illustrator based in London, UK. I’ve been working in the industry for nearly 10 years, specializing in visual storytelling across editorial, publishing, and advertising.
Throughout my creative journey, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with clients such as Apple, Kiehl’s, BBC, the Financial Times, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Penguin Random House.
I enjoy creating subtle atmospheres that gently tell a story, using line work and bright color palettes to bring out a sense of dreaminess.
Hi! I’m Wenqing, a Las Vegas-based freelance illustrator. My illustrations present warm whimsical storytelling through everyday moments and emotional themes that blend Chinese heritage with American life experiences.
I specialize in children’s books, 2D animation, and editorial work, and I really enjoy developing characters that mix playfulness with emotional depth. I made the leap from accounting to illustration full-time, and it’s been the most rewarding decision I’ve ever made.
Through my work, I love making meaningful connections and exploring creative ideas that speak to both kids and adults.
I’m Yeti Iglesias, a bold freelance illustrator who thrives on helping brands tell unique and engaging stories that truly resonate with their audience.
My style is vibrant, lively, and playful — just like the energy I bring to every project.
Also, I really love cats and traveling all around the world.
Hello! My name is Ameena, and I’m an Illustrator and Designer based in the DC- Maryland area. I love creating work that is full of bold shapes, bright colors and playful imagery! Developing work that represents and celebrates my Asian American identity is very important to me as a creative. I connect with my audience through topics of pop culture, nostalgia, mental health, food and more!
I enjoy sharing my stories through various outlets as both an Illustrator and Designer. I specialize in digital illustration to create imagery for posters, magazines, editorial work, and book covers. Alongside this I illustrate works that can be translated to physical merchandise and 3D works such as stickers, apparel, and accessories. As a Designer I produce work that is used for social media, infographics and print media. I love being a versatile Artist as it allows me the space to experiment with new ideas and challenges me to step out of my comfort zone!
When I’m not drawing, you can find me listening to k-pop, trying out a new coffee spot or rewatching my favorite comfort shows. I’m inspired by the nuances of everyday life, so let’s celebrate those moments together!
