Illustrator

Inkcap Island is a new British children’s adventure project currently in development.

At its heart is an imaginative island waiting to be explored -- a place filled with unusual characters, curious creatures, strange plants, hidden discoveries and stories waiting to be uncovered.

The project is designed to encourage children to explore, notice, question and imagine, rather than simply being presented with a finished story. The world should feel as though it continues beyond the edge of the page, with something new to discover each time you look at it.

I am currently developing the visual identity and artwork for the project and am looking for an illustrator who can help establish that world visually.

The Visual Direction:

I am particularly drawn to the tradition of classic British children’s adventure and puzzle illustration -- artwork that rewards looking closely. This comes from my love of Usborne Puzzle Adventure books as a child.

I love illustrations where the main subject is only part of the experience and the surrounding scene is full of small details, characters, objects, visual jokes and discoveries. Ideally, a child should be able to look at an illustration several times and continue to notice something they missed before.

I am looking for a style that feels:

• Hand-drawn rather than digitally perfect
• Characterful and slightly quirky
• Detailed without becoming overly polished
• Full of small discoveries and visual storytelling
• Warm, imaginative and adventurous
• Natural rather than overly cute or “perfect”
• Able to incorporate humour and eccentricity
• Rooted in traditional children’s illustration

I particularly like the character that comes from pencil, pen and ink, coloured pencil, gouache or other traditional media, including the slight variations and imperfections that make an illustration feel genuinely drawn by hand.

I am less interested in an ultra-clean, highly rendered digital/Procreate aesthetic where every line and shape feels perfectly controlled.

The aim is not to recreate a particular existing illustrator’s work, but to capture that classic, tactile British illustration feeling and develop something with its own distinctive identity for Inkcap. Something that makes a child say:

“Wait -- what’s that over there?” That sense of discovery is central to what I am trying to achieve.

I am looking for someone to create the first kit in the series to launch the business so there is potential for further work. Please get in touch and share your amazing illustrations. I am based in Worcestershire so happy to meet for a coffee and chat, or online. The budget isn't fully fixed, so I'm happy to discuss further.

Thanks for reading,

Sadie