Sang Oh Art Studio

Helping first-time authors turn meaningful stories into beautifully illustrated children's books.

12 Published & In Production BooksTop Rated IllustratorClients WorldwidePrint-Ready Artwork

- Featured Books -

- Process -

1.5 months - 2 months is the best amount of time to illustrate and edit
one average-length (32-36 pg) children's book / picture book

- Testimonials -

"Sang was fantastic. This was my first time writing a book and I feel so grateful I found Sang. She was extremely helpful and colloborative and professional."- Jane Xu, author of Can Pandas be Koalas too?

"Sang is the ultimate professional and a clear communicator. She gave my project life and made this entire process, simple, easy, and stress-free. She educated me on things I was oblivious to and made sure I understood some details about self-publishing a book."- Travis Bookert, "Planes in the Sky, We Help Them Fly"

"Sang Eun is amazing! Has the technical skills to easily incorporate my preferences into an image. It was wonderful to see how my words were brought to life. But the best was when there was space for her imagination to run wild. Has a versatile aesthetic and wonderful artistic sensibility."- M. B. Holloway, author of The Hiccups

"Sang is so talented and accountable that we had to collaborate on a second children's book. Everyone loves the illustrations and I'm grateful that she shares my vision and improves it. Sang is thorough, detail-oriented, and transparent. She's the best."- Travis Bookert, author of Ava's First Flight is Under Control

Writing your first children's book?

Learn about the illustration process, publishing, and what to expect when working with an illustrator.

Ready to get your story illustrated?

Studio Journal

What Every First-Time Self-publishing Children's Book Author Should Know Before Hiring an Illustrator by Sang

Think of it as a creative collaboration rather than a one-time paid service

Read on Substack

Children's Books: From Sketch to Print by Sang

How to get your manuscript illustrated into a children’s book

Read on Substack

This is a handbook I put together based on my professional experience as a book illustrator. Please keep in mind it can be different for other illustrators, but this is a guide and FAQ that walk you through the overall process and what to look out for.

Should my manuscript be finished?

No, it does not need to be. But it's definitely helpful if you have some ideas of what kind of illustrations you might need on each page. If you have most of the writing done, and you need to finesse and change the wording a bit - you can do this while the illustrations are getting done. But if the writing changes entirely and affects the illustration, or you are doubling the amount of text - that is definitely something to be communicated to the illustrator during the process.Either way, it doesn't hurt to start talking to the illustrator first
to see if you are a good fit for each other, as you work on your manuscript.

I don't know what art style is suitable for my book.

That is completely normal, and why consulting an experienced illustrator can be helpful. If an illustrator's portfolio only shows one specific style, that is usually what you get.For me, I am a custom-style illustrator who works with a wide range of styles. I suggest an original style that is fitting for each unique story. This consists of chatting with authors to figure out what they might be looking for, and providing a mood board with inspiration to get closer to the ideal art style before jumping into illustrations.

I want a very specific art style for my book.

This can be very helpful in jumpstarting the illustrations. I specialize in custom-style art, which means I can recreate original illustrations for your book, based on your art inspiration and your preferred references. If you have certain books or illustrator styles that you like, let me know. And we can come up with something very interesting.* Creating a style inspired by others is great! But please do not request to copy someone else's art exactly in detail - unless you are looking for a new illustrator to continue a book series that already belong to you.

How long does it take to get my book illustrated?

An average children's book (32 pages) with full page illustrations can be done within 1.5 month. But usually with feedback, edits and communication, it can take up to 1.5 - 2 months. If you need it sooner or have a specific timeline, it's always doable. Just let me know!If you'd like to read more in depth about each step, scroll down to Chapter 2!

How much does children's book illustration cost?

Normally children's book illustration through a big agency & traditional publisher costs Minimum $10K and up.Based on my experience working with self-publishing authors, an average illustration budget can be 110-120 USD per page, which means the total budget for an entire book (32 pages) will fall somewhere around $3000 - $4500. Even with the higher end of the self-publishing illustration budget, it is still 45% of the minimum traditional publishing cost.In traditional publishing, you will likely not have a close, one-on-one creative partnership with the illustrator. You may also not have creative control over your book design,
as it is up to the publishing company to decide what design sells.

Can I get my book illustrated for cheaper?

Of course!
You may find an illustrator who will illustrate a whole book for a lot less than 3K,
but these are the issues you may come across:AI-dependent art
Unfinished / Lower quality art
Hidden extra cost for every small & big edit
No assistance in page / text layout / font choices
One-sided service over creative collaboration
No guidance for detailed self-publishing process
No assistance in providing extra files for book marketing
No troubleshooting file formatting and other problems for different platformsBut don't be discouraged if your budget is a bit lower. Always reach out first to see if your budget works for your ideal illustrator, as it is mostly dependent on the total page count and the art style you are going for.This number is just a loose average of standard cost, and it can be lower or higher depending on a few factors. If you are not sure, just reach out and ask! If you reach out and tell me a bit about your book, I will always provide an honest estimate based on what your are looking for.

Illustration is usually the largest investment in producing a children's book, but it also becomes the visual identity of your story.
Choosing an illustrator who shares the vision of your manuscript is often more important than choosing the lowest price.

Do you do typography and page layouts?

Yes, I love picking out different fonts for your story and playing with the text layout that best compliments your story. It's ok if you don't know where the illustrations are going to go,
how many pages you need or even which page each line of text/manuscript is going to go.
I can help you figure that out as well.Please be mindful that not all illustrators do typography and book layouts!

What do you think about using AI?

I'm ok with clients using AI to make reference sketches to better explain what they want on each page, but this is not necessary. I personally do not use AI for illustration purposes.I do ask that my illustrations are not used for AI in any form!

Why hire a real illustrator over AI?

Children's picture books or any books tells a story that rings an emotional bell for a child or an adult. Emotional pacing in the visuals and subtle compositions that make us feel a certain way are the skills of an experienced illustrator.For example, if you instruct AI to draw a page of a child feeling sad on a playground without other children knowing - AI might draw a very sad child on a playground next to other children playing.A children's book illustrator may show a small, faraway glimpse of a melancholic child's face between a closer view of excited faces on the playground.The difference is the AI giving you a very literal portrayal of a scene versus the illustrator giving you a cinematic composition that guides the readers through different emotions. AI's drawing tells the readers visually someone is sad & others are not. With the illustrator's drawing, the reader's eyes first spot the closeup of happy excitement and later spot the hidden melancholic child. Then the readers ask, what is making this child feel melancholic, small and left out? Rather than simply sad vs. happy.An illustrator might also ask the writer whether they want to see tearful sadness, confused melancholy, a sense of loneliness or loss. There are so many levels of emotions in characters and stories that AI might not catch onto.AI can be used as an amazing and speedy tool, however, emotional pacing and intentional page composition are what the experienced illustrator can achieve with keen emotional intelligence.I've personally have done commercial illustration where I had to "fix" AI work by hand.
And franky, it is much more time-consuming and a lot of re-drawing from scratch.

What are the basic steps?

These are average number of days, the overall timeline
can be shorter or longer depending on your project.Inspiration Research
This is when I collect imagery and references to solidify our style direction.
Any changes are applied with your feedback.
(3 days)↓Character Sketch
Sometimes this is done at the same time as the inspiration research.
I provide 2-3 character design options to choose from, as well as the overall color story.
Any changes are applied with your feedback.
(4 days)↓Rough Sketch / Storyboard
Each page is mapped out in a rough line sketch along with the text layout.
Sometimes a color sample page is included in this process.
This is the step to make any big changes, before the illustrations are colored.
Changes are applied with your feedback.
(12 days)↓Color
All interior pages as well as the cover will be fully colored based on our art direction.
Any detail fixes are applied with your feedback.
(18 days)↓Print
Once the pages are finalized,
they are prepped into PDFs and any other necessary files ready to upload.
(2 days)If you'd like to read more about the process in detail with photos,
here is a studio journal post I wrote.

How do we communicate?

Slack, or any preferred messaging app that you feel comfortable with.
If you prefer emails - I use Google Slides to make sharing images and feedback easier.
We can also video chat whenever necessary, but this is not always required.

How are payments structured?

Payments can made via Paypal, Zelle or Venmo.
Usually the payments are broken into each step of the illustration process:1. Character sketch & art style
25% of payment before starting this step2. Rough sketch of all pages & cover
35% of payment before starting this step3. Final colored pages as print-ready files
40% before starting this stepThe payment is broken up to lessen the stress of paying a large sum upfront.

How do revisions work?

Most illustrators limit the revisions to 2 sessions per each step, but you should always check this before starting your project with an illustrator. I usually provide unlimited edits. This is because I make it a priority to continuously communicate with the client to make sure we stay on the same page at every step, and this helps us keep the edits efficient and to a minimum.If you'd like to read more about each step - please check out this studio journal post I wrote.

What files do I receive?

This is mostly dependent on which self-publishing platforms you want to use, but usually it is PDF files (cover and interior files) and original photoshop if requested.If you need separate character png files, title files for marketing and social media,
they can be provided as well.

Do you help with KDP?

Of course! If you decide to self-publish through KDP, I will prepare the files accordingly.

What is IngramSpark?

IngramSpark is another popular self-publishing platform like Amazon KDP. There are also Lulu, Blurb, BookBaby, and many other platforms out there. Each platforms have different options and pricing, so it's good to compare your options before you make a decision.

Are you familiar with various self-publishing platforms & requirements?

Yes, I've worked with a variety of self-publishing platforms - not limited to just Amazon KDP and Ingramspark. There are a lot of platforms with varying requirements for files, cover size, spine size,and page counts. If you are not familiar, I can guide you through the process one step at a time.

Things to consider before picking a self-publishing platform / website

1. Your budget
(affected by below)2. Bulk print or Print-on-Demand
(whether you want to keep & sell the physical books yourself or the online platform prints & mails it to whoever orders the book)3. Book Size
(limited on some platforms)4. Total Page Count
(Many platforms have requirements for page counts, like the total count being multiples of 2 or 4 due to their book binding method)5. Book Cover type
(hard cover limited for some book sizes / page count)

Who owns the artwork?

I only ask to be credited as the illustrator, and the artwork is yours to use. I usually use part of the work for portfolio, and ask that the illustrations are not used in AI to be replicated.

Ready to get your story illustrated?

This shows the first character design draft, our finalized design, as well as the color story & art style of the book.

The author, a mom of two curious boys, was inspired to make this activity & children's book after her sons got very interested in playing with their dad's construction tape measure, and realized there really wasn't many activity books out there related to this activity. Or an accurate child-friendly tape measure for that matter.

These colorfully illustrated pages were accompanied by a page on the other side that prompts the young readers to measure items within each room of their house.There is even a custom-made child-friendly measuring tape that comes with the book. More details to come!

My Family Love Stars is about families and friends that live across oceans and in different time zones-
how hard it is to not be right next to them, but finding ways to keep the love and care even if you are afar.

The direction for this book was clean and simple, so we kept a strict color palette across all pages.
We also kept the characters simple, so that any reader could see themselves in them.

Foldover / continuous front and back cover design for paperback.
Planes in the Sky, We Help Them Fly is a book that educate us on
what air traffic controllers do everyday to keep us safe, with scenic storytelling.

The manuscript didn't come with main characters, but the job of the air traffic controllers was the main action of each page. So we came up with a cinematic visual scenario to captivate our young readers.

And because the writing was shorter with rhymes, we played with typography
to give it more rhythm and visual presence on each page.

Front cover design and finalized character sketch of ZuZu Zebra & her friend Tassia

ZuZu Zebra Goes to Mozambique is about ZuZu's adventure
through a new country and culture, and the friendships she forms on the way.

Our focus on this book was keeping the fun and distinct cartoon lines of the characters
while representing the unique visual identity of Mozambique culture properly.

I really enjoyed all the full and colorful pages depicting beautiful scenery based on photos persoanlly taken by the author's family, but one of my favorites to draw was the last few pages of educational illustrations!

Teddy's Treasure Hunt is about collecting vintage stamps and going on an imaginary journey through each treasured collection. It's about forming friendships by sharing your joy with others.

For this book, we focused on making the pages feel warm and colorful,
yet simple enough with plenty of space to place the story texts.

We kept the color story consistent throughout the pages, even keeping the colors for sceneries
without using realistic colors to portray the imagination taking place.

Front and Back cover of the paperback design.
The Hiccups is about trying to find a solution to a problem without an obvious answer.
No matter how big a feeling is, it will always go away.

Researching inspiration and working on the character designs

Rough sketch of some of the spread layouts and text placements.

One of the finished spreads from the book

Front and back cover design. Ava's First Flight is Under Control walks us through Ava's adventure on the plane but also the hidden heroes that work behind the scenes to keep us safe, the air traffic controllers.

Character designs of Ava and her family.

Ava and her parents walking through a busy airport.

Ava marveling at the view from the plane.

Teddy's Snow Pop Adventure is a short and cute little tale of a bear
finding his new favorite iced drink that reminds him of home.

For this story, we focused very much on creating a sense of memory
through a cohesive color palette and giving enough space on each page to breathe.

Character sketch of Panda and Koala

Can Pandas be Koalas too? is a Panda's journey to discover who she is as she navigates through different views, cultures and identities.

Rough sketch of a spread

Colored spread

Rough sketch of a spread

Colored spread

Sang is an illustrator of 9 years with experience working with individuals, authors, artists and brands. Her specialty is illustrations customized for each unique story and brand image.Her focus in the last few years has been on children's books by new writers and self-publishing authors. She looks for projects that are more personal, whether they are written by parents, written by sons and daughters, written in remembrance of somebody or written with your secret hopes and dreams.She puts her all into each project, and dedicates her attention to making a story into a visually charming and marketable book.She began this career after working for various bigger brands, in the hope of providing high quality agency-level illustrations for regular individuals with a very good story. Any good story shouldn't have to go through years of hurdles to be published into a great book.She has lived in New York, Charleston and currently residing in the DMV area with her husband and their two cats!