Digital Illustration

• Illustrate 10 full picture books per batch (16 story spreads + front cover, back cover, spot illustrations for front and back matter, and spine per book).
• Design and maintain consistent character models for Monamia, the children, and key side characters.
• Create a cozy, whimsical seaside bakery world with reusable environments, props, and background elements.
• Deliver clean thumbnails, refined line art, and final full-color illustrations for print.
• Prepare print-ready files to the specified trim sizes (portrait and 8.5 x 8.5) with bleed and safe margins.
• Collaborate on feedback for each stage (thumbnails * line art * color) and make reasonable revisions.
• Maintain visual continuity and an asset library so future batches of books feel like one unified series.

Deliverable formats:

The illustrator delivers:

• Final print-ready interiors for each book (PDF, 300 dpi, CMYK, with bleed and trim marks, sized for the chosen trim: 8.5x11 portrait and 8.5 x 8.5
• Final print-ready covers (front, back, and spine as a single wraparound PDF or TIFF, 300 dpi, CMYK, with correct spine width and bleed).
• Layered source files for all pages and covers (PSD, Procreate, or Clip Studio; layers kept for characters, backgrounds, and text where applicable).
• High-resolution flattened image files for each finished spread and cover (TIFF or PNG, 300 dpi, CMYK for print use).
• High-resolution RGB versions of key artwork (PNG or JPG, 300 dpi or higher) for website, social media, and digital marketing.
• Isolated character poses and expressions on transparent backgrounds (PNG or layered PSD) to reuse in school kits, worksheets, and marketing materials.
• Isolated bakery and prop assets (backgrounds, food items, signage, decorative elements) as separate files for merchandise, packaging, and layout reuse.
• A simple asset library folder structure (characters, environments, props, covers, logos) so future designers can quickly find and reuse elements., * Long-term collaboration, working in batches of 10 books at a time.
• Each batch of 10 books must be completed within 3 months.
• Payment: 5,000 USD per batch of 10 books.
• Suggested milestone schedule (can be finalized in contract):
• 25% on contract and delivery of thumbnails for all 10 books.
• 25% on approval of clean line art for all 10 books.
• 50% on final delivery of colored, print-ready files and agreed source files.

About Monamia's Bakery by the Sea:

Monamia's Bakery by the Sea is a heartwarming picture-book series where every story is a recipe for both treats and social-emotional learning. Each book follows a child facing a real-world challenge--bravery, friendship, big feelings, mistakes--and finding support, courage, and comfort in Monamia's cozy seaside bakery. The visual tone is warm, inviting, and slightly cinematic, designed to feel at home both as a storybook and as a potential animated world.

• Strong portfolio of children's illustration (picture books, comics, or similar narrative work).
• Digital artist only: confident in drawing and painting digitally (e.g., Procreate, Photoshop, Clip Studio, etc.).
• Ability to illustrate expressive child characters, warm interiors, and inviting food/bakery scenes.
• Comfortable working with recurring characters and keeping proportions, outfits, and details consistent.
• Experience preparing artwork for print (CMYK awareness, bleed, trim, safe area, resolution).
• Able to commit to batches of 10 books in 3 months (from approved concepts to final files).
• Reliable communication, responsiveness to feedback, and willingness to collaborate on a multi-year project.

Nice to have:

• Prior experience illustrating children's picture books or educational/SEL content.
• Familiarity with layouts for both portrait and square picture-book formats.

• 3-5 examples that best show your character work, environments, and color style.
• A brief note about your experience with picture books or similar narrative projects.
• Your usual tools/software and your time zone.
• A short paragraph on why you'd be excited to help bring Monamia's Bakery by the Sea to life.

Optional but helpful:

• Share any experience you have working on series or long-term IP, and how you keep style consistent over many titles.

Note:

This is a work-for-hire project. Upon full payment, I receive all commercial rights to the artwork, including the right to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute the illustrations in print and digital books, curriculum materials, marketing, and merchandise related to Monamia's Bakery by the Sea. The artist retains the right to display the work in their portfolio and reels, but may not resell or reuse the characters or artwork for other clients or projects.

The world of Monamia includes recurring kids, Monamia herself, and a warm bakery and coastal town environment, so asset reuse and strong visual consistency across all books are essential. This is a fully remote, freelance role for a digital artist who loves storytelling, character emotion, and detailed environments.