Job Description
ILLUSTRATOR JOB DESCRIPTION
Children’s Book Illustrator — Ongoing Series
Project Overview
We are seeking an illustrator to bring to life a heart-centered children’s book series featuring two bulldog characters, Santino and Louie, inspired by real dogs. The series focuses on emotional development themes such as anxiety, calm, bravery, friendship, and self-regulation, aimed at infants, toddlers, and young children.
This is a long-term opportunity for the right illustrator, with 25+ books planned.
Illustration Style
Warm, gentle, and emotionally safe
Soft watercolor or gouache feel (digital or traditional)
Visible paper texture
Loose, organic linework
Not hyper-realistic
Not flat/vector
Not slapstick cartoon
Think:
Giraffes Can’t Dance
Little Blue Truck
Modern nursery aesthetics
Character Direction
Santino: smaller bulldog, curious, expressive, energetic, occasional underbite/tongue peek
Louie: larger bulldog, calm, grounded, protective, steady presence
Important: Louie must always appear visually larger and heavier than Santino.
Responsibilities
Illustrate book covers and interiors (12 spreads per book)
Follow detailed illustrator briefs and page-by-page prompts
Maintain consistent character design across books
Capture emotional nuance through posture, spacing, and expression
Collaborate on revisions and refinements
Ideal Candidate
Experience illustrating children’s books
Strong emotional storytelling through illustration
Ability to work from real-photo reference without copying directly
Comfortable with gentle themes around feelings and regulation
Open to long-term collaboration
Deliverables
Cover illustration
Interior spreads (12 per book)
Final files suitable for print (CMYK, high-res)
Compensation
Competitive, per-book or per-project pricing
Long-term series potential
To Apply
Please include:
Portfolio (children’s work preferred)
Brief explanation of your illustration process
Confirmation that you can maintain consistency across a series
CREATIVE DIRECTION — SERIES RECAP
Series Vibe
Warm. Gentle. Safe. Cozy. Emotion-first.
The world of Santino & Louie should feel like:
“A place a child wants to curl up in.”
Visual Storytelling Rules
Emotion comes from posture, eyes, and spacing — not exaggeration
White space is allowed (and encouraged)
Calm moments matter as much as action
Bravery is quiet, not loud
Character Dynamics
Santino explores the world
Louie anchors it
Santino looks outward
Louie looks toward Santino
Physical closeness = emotional safety.
Color Palette
Creams
Warm browns
Sage greens
Dusty blues
Muted skies
Avoid:
Bright primaries
Neon
High contrast
Environment
Farm settings (grass, fences, sky, barns)
Cozy interiors (dog beds, rugs, blankets, warm lamps)
Backgrounds should support the emotion, not overwhelm it
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