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Illustrator for Hire

Character, cartoon and digital illustration for agencies, brands, publishers and television, drawn for Merck, Air bp, Microsoft Bing and the makers of Crime Scene Kitchen.

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Example illustration

Illustrated pink and chocolate layer cake topped with strawberries, pinned to a cork evidence board with fingerprint cards and a handwritten note

A dessert illustration for Crime Scene Kitchen, built in layers so it sketches and colours itself in on screen. From Crime Scene Kitchen

Drawn for your brief, on your deadline

If you are looking for an illustrator for hire, you may need one picture, a set of forty or a recurring character that appears across a whole campaign. CUMI can take on the drawing for you, working to your brief, your brand and your deadline.

We can draw quickly when we need to. For Merck we drew around 24 cartoon tooth characters for a staff quiz in four days, agreeing the style on day one and sketching every scene on day two. For Crime Scene Kitchen we joined during the edit and drew around 40 desserts, each in layers so it could draw itself on screen.

We are used to working inside other people's projects. For Air bp we were given a list of scenarios and drew their main character through each one, with sketches approved before the final artwork. For Merck and agency Watering Can Media we created a mosquito character and illustrated scenes for a dengue awareness campaign, and for Jack Morton we drew the concept art and a 20 panel storyboard for Microsoft Bing.

Our styles range from clean cartoon characters to painted portraits, comic panels and detailed line work. Because we are an animation studio as well, the illustrations can move when you need them to.

Illustration we have been hired for

Characters, cartoons and illustration sets for brands, agencies, television and education.

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What you get

We agree the scope with you at the start, from a single image to a large set. These are the things most of our illustration projects include.

  • Sketches first

    Rough sketches for every image, so you can approve or change the idea before final artwork.

  • Characters that stay the same

    A recurring character drawn consistently in every scene, pose and expression.

  • A style that fits

    Cartoon, painted, comic or line drawn, or matched to artwork you already use.

  • Finished artwork

    High resolution files for print, screen and presentations.

  • Layered files

    Artwork built in layers when it needs to be animated, edited or reused.

  • Animation if you need it

    The same illustrations brought to life by our animators.

How it works

  1. Brief.

    Tell us what you need drawn, how many images, where they will be used and the deadline.

  2. Style.

    We agree a style with you, often with a sample character or a first image.

  3. Sketch and review.

    Rough sketches of every image are shared for your comments and changes.

  4. Final artwork.

    We draw the finished illustrations, with a review round to catch any last changes.

  5. Deliver.

    Files supplied in the sizes and formats agreed, ready to use.

Questions buyers ask

Should we hire a freelance illustrator or a studio?

A freelance illustrator can suit a single image. A studio gives you the same hand drawn care with more people, more styles and cover when the job grows or the deadline is tight, plus animation if the pictures need to move.

Can you match our existing style or characters?

Yes. For Air bp we drew a set of presentation illustrations in the same style as the film we had made for them, using their main character throughout.

How quickly can you turn illustrations around?

It depends on the number of images and the detail. For Merck we drew around 24 character illustrations in four days. Once we know the brief we give you a schedule with dates for sketches, reviews and final artwork.

Do you draw cartoon characters?

Yes. Cartoon characters run through much of our work, from Merck's tooth characters to the mosquito in a dengue awareness campaign and the cast of Microsoft Bing's Jerry's Story.

How many rounds of changes are included?

Review rounds are built into the sketch and final artwork stages. The exact number is set out in the quote, so there are no surprises.

Need an illustrator

Tell us what you need drawn, how many images and when. We will come back with a suggested approach.

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