Kittycat Books Artwork Information Page

Artists interested in working with us should read the below information, and then contact us through the appropriate online form (see below). All artwork must be 100% original, which means we do not accept graphics created from stock photographs or from clip-art of any kind. As noted on the Submissions page, we only work with resident USA citizens.

GENRE FICTION COVER ART:

We are very interested with establishing working relationships with new artists for upcoming genre fiction cover art creation. These kinds of illustrations are done through basic work-for-hire contracts, which vary by project.

Depending on the project, we commission either a front cover piece or a wrap-around graphic. Usually, the dimensions are worked out for a 6x9 hardback casebound cover, which works well for most standard POD book trims.

If the artwork is done on paper or small canvas, then the original is sent to the publisher. If the artwork is done 100% digitally, then the normal file requirement is a basic 600-DPI full-color RGB TIF file sent on either DVD or CD (XP Windows compatible). [No CMYK.]

We prefer original hand-drawn work done in pastels, chalks, color pencils, or acrylics, as those reproduce best for our purposes. However, we will accept digitally produced artwork, as long as it is 100% original and not produced using any pre-existiing graphics or photographs. Also, with digital artwork we prefer standard 2-D work instead of 3-D "poser" type graphics.

PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

The best way to understand the kinds of children's picture books we publish is to check out some of the titles in the Kittycat Books catalog. Children's picture book artwork is contracted alongside the author's manuscript and runs for the same time frame. Both the artist and the author receive equal royalty for the duration of their contracts. As a general rule, we do not buy picture book illustrations via work-for-hire.

The maximum page count in a finished picture book is 24 pages, including the obligatory title and credits pages which do not require additional artwork. Most children's picture book illustration sets consist of 22 single pages, plus either a wrap-around cover graphic or two separate front and back cover art pieces. Each book layout may vary slightly and is worked out in advance with the publisher. Please note that the publisher applies all text and creates all production files, which means the artist is only tasked with creating the base illustrations.

As for file requirements, the standard picture book interior artwork dimensions are 8.25" wide x 10.75" high, submitted to the publisher as 300-dpi 1-layer TIF files. Illustrations are sent to the publisher in the specified TIF files on either DVD or CD media (Windows XP compatible).

ARTWORK FILES & MEDIA

Artists may create illustrations in any desired medium, as long as the final pre-approved artwork is sent to the publisher in the agreed file specifications. All illustrations must sent to the publisher in full-color RGB (Red-Green-Blue) TIF (no CMYK).

Because our books and materials are printed with high-quality POD (print-on-demand) processes, some artwork methods work better than others. For artists who work in physical media, we strongly suggest watercolors, acrylics, or pastels, as these methods work best with our printing options.

NOTE: Never scan in CMYK, as that negatively affects the quality of the files. All artwork must be 100% original, which means we do not accept graphics made from stock photographs or clip-art of any kind.