Dahlia McCarthy
I am a professional children’s book illustrator with a passion for bringing stories to life through vibrant, engaging, and imaginative artwork. Over the years, I’ve worked with indie authors, small publishers, and educational content creators to design characters, full-page illustrations, book covers, and storyboards that capture the hearts of young readers.
My style combines whimsical, colorful, and expressive illustrations with a focus on storytelling and character development. I specialize in digital and hand-drawn illustrations, tailored for print and e-books, ensuring each project is unique, charming, and visually captivating.
If you’re looking for a creative illustrator who can bring your children’s story or educational content to life, I’m ready to collaborate and deliver artwork that delights both children and adults.
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Created a complete set of storyboard illustrations for an interactive children’s app, helping the client visualize and plan engaging digital experiences for young users.
Many app developers struggle with storyboards that lack clarity, consistency, or child-friendly appeal, which can slow development or reduce user engagement. This project addressed those pain points by:
Designing clear, sequential storyboards that map out app interactions and narrative flow
Creating playful, age-appropriate characters and scenes for maximum engagement
Ensuring visual consistency across screens and interactive elements
Collaborating with developers to translate illustrations into app-ready assets
Delivering high-quality digital files for smooth integration into the app
The final storyboards allowed the app to deliver a fun, intuitive, and immersive experience, delighting children while meeting educational or entertainment goals.
Developed a complete set of unique and expressive characters for a children’s educational storybook series, helping the author bring lessons and stories to life visually.
Many educational authors and publishers struggle with characters that lack personality, consistency, or appeal to young readers, which can make learning less engaging. This project solved these challenges by:
Creating distinct, relatable characters that children instantly connect with
Designing consistent expressions, poses, and outfits across multiple books
Ensuring characters are age-appropriate, visually engaging, and versatile for print and digital formats
Collaborating with the author to align characters with the story’s educational goals
Providing high-resolution digital files ready for publishing
The final characters enhance storytelling, reinforce educational lessons, and delight young readers, making the series both entertaining and impactful.
Created a vivid and enchanting book cover for a children’s fantasy story, helping the author capture attention and engage young readers from the first glance.
Many authors face challenges with covers that don’t reflect the story, fail to stand out, or lack professional quality, which can reduce sales. This project addressed these issues by:
Designing custom characters and magical elements featured on the cover
Ensuring story-accurate colors, layout, and typography for both print and e-book formats
Delivering high-resolution, ready-to-publish files for self-publishing platforms
Providing multiple revisions and collaboration to ensure the author’s vision was perfectly realized
The result is a professional, eye-catching cover that enhances the book’s marketability, attracts readers, and strengthens the author’s brand.
Delivered a complete set of full-page illustrations for a children’s storybook, helping the author bring magical characters and scenes to life.
Many authors struggle with illustrations that lack consistency, fail to engage children, or don’t match the story’s tone, which can affect the success of their book. This project addressed these challenges by:
Designing consistent, vibrant, and expressive characters across all pages
Creating engaging backgrounds and props that enhance the story world
Ensuring print-ready and digital-ready files for e-books and physical publishing
Providing timely delivery and multiple revisions to match the author’s vision
The final illustrations not only captivate young readers but also enhance storytelling and market appeal, giving the book a professional, polished, and visually compelling edge.
Created a vibrant and captivating book cover for a children’s story, helping the author stand out in a competitive market.
Many authors struggle with covers that fail to grab attention, misrepresent the story, or don’t appeal to the target audience, which can limit book sales. This project addressed these issues by delivering:
Eye-catching, story-accurate artwork that reflects the theme and tone of the book
Strong, consistent character design featured on the cover for immediate recognition
Typography and layout design optimized for both print and digital formats
Files ready for publishers and self-publishing platforms (Kindle, print-on-demand)
Collaborative revisions to ensure the author’s vision is fully realized
The result is a professional, visually compelling cover that captures children’s imagination, encourages purchases, and builds credibility for the author’s brand.
Delivered a complete set of full-page illustrations for a children’s storybook, helping the author bring characters and stories to life in a way that captures young readers’ attention.
Many indie authors struggle with illustrations that don’t match the story tone, lack visual consistency, or fail to engage children, which can affect the success of the book. This project addressed these challenges by providing:
Consistent character design across all pages to maintain a coherent story experience
Vibrant, expressive, and age-appropriate illustrations that capture the mood of each scene
Custom backgrounds, props, and elements tailored to the story world
Digital-ready files optimized for both print and e-book publishing
Timely delivery and revisions, ensuring the author’s vision is realized without delays
This project ensures that the book is not only visually appealing but also engages children, enhances storytelling, and adds professional value, increasing the chances of the book’s success in the market.
Hire Dahlia McCarthy today
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