Matthew King

VerifiedProAvailable to hire

I am an Aritst, Illustrator and Layout Specialist. As an artist and illustrator I specialize in creating beautiful content routed in realism with a joyful sense of whimsy.

About

I am an Aritst, Illustrator and Layout Specialist.

As an artist and illustrator I specialize in creating beautiful content routed in realism with a joyful sense of whimsy. One of my best assets as a freelancer is my friendly professionalism which makes working with me both efficient and fun. I am passionate about understanding the unique intricacies of each project I work on and working collaboratively with my clients to develop a visual language that best meets their needs and vision.

I work on a wide range of projects mostly focused on publishing with a special focus children’s book illustrations, high end food art and board game design.

Languages

  • EnglishFluent

Industry experience

  • Media & Entertainment
  • Professional Services
  • Education

Projects · 15

Child Anxiety Book Collection: Children's book illustration project.

For this project my client needed a series of books covering various aspects of anxiety in children. The books focused on the physical symptoms of anxiety and intellectualizing it to restore some control through understanding. These books were designed as a companion to in person therapy and the most interesting part was that they came in pairs. Two books on each subject one for the child and one for the parents this enabled us to frame the concepts in way that were most relatable to the readers. This project was extremely challenging not only because of the subject matter but also because of the balancing that was required. In addition the client had a very narrow window for release and we ended up completing a pair of these books in 2 weeks. We designed a style that was engaging and efficient to produce without sacrificing quality and I am so proud of the final results. https://www.behance.net/gallery/250790973/Illustrations-for-both-parents-and-children

  • Art Director
  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
  • +1
A Faith Based Series of Children's Books

For this project I was commissioned to illustrate both Genesis and Exodus from the bible from a secular perspective. It was massive and challenging project that worked out really really well. The story allowed me to explore huge and powerful stories with my own unique approach to linework and colour. What was even more challenging for this project is that I had to layout the manuscript in 5 different languages. This meant that the artwork had to leave a lot of room for the text as the best translations result in very varied paragraph lengths. https://www.behance.net/gallery/253228269/A-Faith-Based-Series-of-Childrens-Books

  • Book Cover Designer
  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
My children's book illustration project. As both Author and illustrator. The trouble with bs and ds.

Thr trouble with Bs and Ds is my first book as an author and was picked up by Pegasus Publishers this year. This is the story of understanding how to learn as a dyselxic child in a world but to work against you and the teachers who took the time to see the poetnetional and to learn how to help a child who just wants to learn. This project is deeply personal and the artwork I am producing is likewise personal and intricate. The work is produced using Photoshop as that is where I do most of my paiting and the style is sureal and painterly with a heavy dose of whimsy. https://www.behance.net/gallery/257481845/The-Trouble-With-Bs-and-Ds-A-dyselxic-childrens-book

  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
  • Designer
  • +2

This fantasy adventure for early readers follows the story of Kolby as he struggles to reverse the curse that turned his whole village into salamanders. This story is cute, fun and action packed. Full of found friends and bone chilling enemies.

For this story I was commission to create chapter art for the entire book. It was a great exploration of different scenes, characters and tones and was a joy to work on. I was given stylistic free reign to design the everything in consultation with my client and the final result was excellent.

Kolby and the Witch of Darkharrow - A chapter book Illustration project.
  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
  • Illustrator

This Pen and Ink chapter book project aimed at children between 7-13 was a fantastic exploration of a softer friendlier application of a pen and ink approach. I have now completed 2 books for this client and I love each piece I work on for them. The brief was a fantasy world that relates to ours but also feel alien. The client built a wonderful lore around the peace loving Hablis (The hobits of this world) as well as a comprehensive description of a host of creatures that the heroes would meet as they journey to find a way to save their world. The best part about this project that as well as the chapter illustrations which focused on the narrative the client also devoted a section of the book to a bestiary which allowed me to really explore each creature in detail.

​​​​​​​Pen and Ink Chapter Book Illustration
  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
  • Illustrator

I was commissioned to create I Am Thankful in early 2026. The client had a great manuscript and a very clear idea of the world they wanted created and some of the distinct features that needed to be included in the book. The brief was for a warm joyful book with subtle references to faith.

For this project I was responsible for the layout of the text, the art direction and illustrating all the artwork as well as getting the final files ready for publication. I also assisted the client with the publication process which they found challenging to understand. All in all I am delighted with how the project turned out. I managed to create it within 6 weeks and the client is also very happy we have now completed books 2 of the series and are working on book 3.

I Am Thankful: A faith based children's book.
  • Art Director
  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
  • +1

I was commissioned to create and design this deck of playing cards by a street magician who wanted his own unique set of cards to accompany his act. This project was a great opportunity to explore Japanese style and create great functional designs with some hidden secrets. I was great working with the magician as he taught me so much about how magicians use cards and how important the design was for this.

Each suit needed it’s own distinct graphics and each face card is uniquely designed to match the tone of the suits.

Japanese Themed Playing Card Deck Design and Illustration
  • Art Director
  • Artist
  • Illustrator

This collection of fairy paintings is a personal project which is on going. I have created each one to represent a feeling, element or concept as part of a larger project which is am developing for a book series which is currently in production. This series is focused on elegance fluidity and an understanding of nature.

This is an ongoing passion project so please check back to see what fairies I discover next.

Fairy Spirit Paintings
  • Art Director
  • Artist
  • Book Illustrator
  • +1

For this project I was commission to create a fresh and unique look for the Icelandic Biology Conference Brochure. This project required inventiveness and accuracy and was a great challenge. The clients had a broad range of difference focuses for the conference over each of the years I worked for them and this required detailed illustrations that incorporated a range of animals and concepts from across disparate fields of study from arctic char and orcs to viruses and genomes.

I had a huge amount of fun working this project and I hope that you enjoy looking through it to.

The Icelandic Biology Conference Brochure Design
  • Book Cover Designer
  • Brand Designer
  • Illustrator
Popsi and the Lost Snowflake A Children's Book Illustration

Popsi and the Lost Snowflake is a Children's book illustration and layout project I was commissioned to do in Q4 2025. The client is making a series of books to teach children how to deal life's troubles. It focuses on techniques for self regualtion. The client had a very specific style in mind the focus was on cute character, big eyes and big heads. They supplied AI look reference for me to work from and my job was to take those concepts and bring them to life and a more human painterly way. The project took 6 weeks to complete and is now available to by. I am super proud of this one and I am looking forward to working on book 2. https://www.behance.net/gallery/248853337/Popsi-and-the-Lost-Snowflake

  • Book Cover Designer
  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
  • +1

Dan’s Mischevious Shadow is children’s book project I completed for a client at the end of 2025. This was a great project to work on. The client created a really sweat and touching story to help his son understand his Autism. The client had some very specific ideas but didn’t know where to start as such we worked together to develop a style that suited him and that his child could also happily engage with. From there I worked up a rough layout for the manuscript and created compositional sketches so that we could work out how the text and the artwork would relate.

As well as creating all the artwork for the book I was also responsible for the layout and preparing the print ready files. In the end we did 3 versions as the client tested out different production routes including KDP, Ingram Sparks and Book Baby who we went with in the end.

Once the client was happy we moved on to creating the full artwork. The main challenge for this project was to make the shadow fun but not scary and to keep the shadow dynamic and joyful at all times.

I am really proud of the end result and I am so happy that I managed to make a book that my client is now sharing with his child and with other families dealing with similar differences.

Dan's Mischievous Shadow (Children's Book Illustration and Layout Project)
  • Book Cover Designer
  • Book Illustrator
  • Children’s Book Illustrator
  • +1

Caspian and the Enchanted Lake is a Children’s book I worked on for a client. This project was a fascinating opportunity. The client wanted to tell a story that straddled Persian and Russian/Slavic folk lore traditions. This old world narrative guided us to a very classical and traditional style and I could not be happier with how it turned out. The artwork for this project was extremely intricate and complicated taking references from the great illustrators like Rackam, Dulac and of course Froud.

This project took 8 weeks to complete in total and is one of my favourite that I have ever produced.

Caspian and the Enchanted Lake A Childrens Book Illustration Project
  • Artist
  • Book Cover Designer
  • Book Illustrator
  • +2

Work experience· 4 roles

Founder and Owner · Domestic Dungeoneer HomewareApr 2024 – Present · 2 yrs 8 mos

Design and range of homeware products targeted to wargaming communities (D&D and RPG). Selling products online, in stores and at trade shows.

Senior Cover Designer · Barcelona Book PublishersDec 2016 – Jun 2021 · 4 yrs 7 mos

Conceptualised and designed book covers for all books published under the label during that time. Collaborated with production team and authors to create fresh and unique covers to suit each book and its audience.

Social Media Coordinator · Hilton International South East England ClusterNov 2015 – Nov 2016 · 1 yr 1 mo

Designed and scheduled social media content for the 13 hotels in the cluster. Supervised, trained and managed the social media officers for each hotel in the cluster.

Freelance Artist · Mind Pipe Creative StudioDec 2013 – Present · 13 yrs

Education

BA (Hons) Computer Visualisation and Animation · Bournemouth University2006 – 2009

Testimonials · 5.0 from 3 reviews

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