Hi, I’m Victoria Claire, a freelance children’s book illustrator and visual storyteller based in Lagos, Nigeria. For the past 4+ years, I’ve been creating warm, imaginative artwork that brings characters, settings, and story moments to life for authors, publishers, and independent creators. I work across children’s book illustration, comic/sequential art, and book cover design (including wraparound layouts), while also offering brand and logo design to help visions look polished and market-ready. I love collaborating closely with clients to translate story concepts and creative direction into visuals that feel consistent, engaging, and ready for print and online retail.…

Victoria Claire

5.0 (4 reviews)

Hi, I’m Victoria Claire, a freelance children’s book illustrator and visual storyteller based in Lagos, Nigeria. For the past 4+ years, I’ve been creating warm, imaginative artwork that brings characters, settings, and story moments to life for authors, publishers, and independent creators. I work across children’s book illustration, comic/sequential art, and book cover design (including wraparound layouts), while also offering brand and logo design to help visions look polished and market-ready. I love collaborating closely with clients to translate story concepts and creative direction into visuals that feel consistent, engaging, and ready for print and online retail.…

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Victoria Claire, a freelance children’s book illustrator and visual storyteller based in Lagos, Nigeria. For the past 4+ years, I’ve been creating warm, imaginative artwork that brings characters, settings, and story moments to life for authors, publishers, and independent creators.

I work across children’s book illustration, comic/sequential art, and book cover design (including wraparound layouts), while also offering brand and logo design to help visions look polished and market-ready. I love collaborating closely with clients to translate story concepts and creative direction into visuals that feel consistent, engaging, and ready for print and online retail.

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Skills

Experience Level

Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Freelance Children's Book Illustrator and Designer at Self-Employed (Freelance)
October 20, 2021 - Present
I provide end-to-end illustration and design services for authors, publishers, and independent creators, including children's book illustration, comic illustration, book cover design, and brand/logo design. I also collaborate directly with clients to translate story concepts and brand visions into polished, market-ready visuals delivering work that balances creative storytelling with commercial appeal.
Freelance Children's Book Illustrator & Designer at Self-Employed (Twine & Independent Clients)
January 1, 2021 - Present
Provided end-to-end illustration and design services for authors, publishers, and independent creators, including children’s book illustration, comic illustration, book cover design (front/spine/back and wraparound), and brand/logo design. Collaborated with clients to translate story concepts and brand visions into polished, market-ready visuals. Also delivered short-form video editing services for client marketing needs (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Reels).

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts at Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA)
March 24, 2020 - January 2, 2024
Built a strong foundation in analytical thinking and visual communication, which now informs my approach to storytelling through illustration and design.
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Visual Arts at Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA)
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2024

Qualifications

Certified Book Illustrator
September 21, 2019 - July 15, 2024
I received a specialized training in narrative illustration and character design for children's and young readers' books, from concept to final print-ready artwork.
Certified Book Illustrator
January 1, 2020 - September 24, 2026

Industry Experience

Education, Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Other, Non-Profit Organization
    City of Wonder
    The Brief: Create a bold, retro-comic style illustration capturing an energetic city skyline at night, suitable for use as cover art, poster art, or a stylized background piece. The design needed to channel classic comic-book visual language halftone textures, dynamic bursts, and punchy onomatopoeia while remaining vibrant and eye-catching at a glance. What I Made: A richly colored night skyline illustration featuring glowing skyscraper windows, radiant light bursts streaming from a comic-style moon, and playful "POW!" and "BOM!" sound-effect callouts rendered in classic comic lettering. I used a warm-and-cool color contrast deep blues against fiery oranges and reds along with star-scattered sky and layered cloud silhouettes to build depth and comic-book drama across the composition. The Result: The illustration delivers strong visual energy and instant genre recognition, making it well-suited for comic covers, poster art, album art, or promotional graphics needing a punchy, nostalgic pop-art feel. Its balance of bold color, texture, and playful typography also showcases versatility in stylized, non-narrative comic art beyond sequential storytelling.…
    The Glowing Discovery
    The Brief: Illustrate a striking single-scene moment for a children's book that captures wonder, curiosity, and a touch of mystery, introducing a magical element into an otherwise ordinary forest setting. The scene needed to draw young readers in emotionally through the character's reaction alone, without any accompanying dialogue or text. What I Made: An atmospheric forest illustration featuring a young boy crouched low, cradling a glowing, crystalline egg he's just uncovered among fallen leaves. I used soft, sunlit forest lighting streaming through tall trees to build depth and warmth, while the boy's wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression carries the entire emotional weight of the scene, silent storytelling that lets the reader fill in the "what happens next." The Result: The illustration works as a powerful visual hook. Ideal for a book cover, chapter opener, or key story moment because it raises immediate questions (What is it? Where did it come from?) that pull readers forward into the narrative. Its expressive character work and cinematic lighting also showcase strength in mood-driven, single-panel storytelling.…
    Sweet Temptation
    The Brief: Design a full wraparound cover for a New Adult romance novel that captures a "forbidden, slow-burn" tone fitting the tagline "He's been there all along..." The cover needed to appeal to the romance genre's target readership, reflect a campus/academia-adjacent setting, and carry strong shelf and thumbnail appeal for both print and online retail. What I Made: A warm, golden-lit library scene framing the two leads in quiet, tension-filled proximity using soft lighting, rich wood tones, and layered bookshelf perspective to create depth and romantic atmosphere. I balanced illustrative character art with clean, elegant typography for the title and author name, ensuring legibility and genre-appropriate styling extended seamlessly across the spine and back cover for a cohesive print-ready wraparound design. The Result: The final cover successfully communicates the story's romantic and atmospheric tone at a glance, meeting genre expectations that drive reader recognition and purchase decisions. Its warm palette and intimate character framing make it well-suited for both physical shelf display and small-thumbnail visibility across online retail and social media promotion.…
    Eyes of the Multiverse
    The Brief: Design a bold, high-impact comic art piece for an action-fantasy anthology that showcases range across multiple story genres. space, disaster, sci-fi, and crowd-driven drama while unifying them into a single, striking composite image suitable for cover art or promotional use. What I Made: A split-panel composition where individual dramatic comic scenes. A cosmic explosion, a burning cityscape, a lightning storm, tense character close-ups, and a chaotic crowd are seamlessly arranged to form a larger pair of intense, focused eyes. I used high-contrast linework, saturated color grading, and dynamic angular paneling to create visual tension and depth, ensuring each individual scene reads clearly while contributing to the larger hidden image. The Result: The piece demonstrates strong versatility across comic genres and mastery of complex panel composition, making it effective as anthology cover art, promotional key art, or a portfolio showcase piece. The "hidden image" technique adds a layer of visual intrigue that invites longer viewer engagement, a valuable trait for marketing and cover illustration work.…
    Level Up: The Real Power-Up
    The Brief: Create a fun, energetic comic strip aimed at young readers that playfully reframes the idea of "superpowers" encouraging real-world values like discipline, learning, and responsibility over fantasy shortcuts. The piece needed to balance humor and relatable kid-behavior with a clear, positive takeaway, all while keeping pacing tight across a multi-panel layout. What I Made: A 14-panel comic sequence following a boy who believes reading comics will grant him magical powers, only to comedically realize the "real power" comes from effort, learning, and self-discipline. I used bold, saturated colors, dynamic action lines, varied panel compositions, and expressive character acting to keep visual energy high throughout, while pacing the "lesson" naturally through escalating gags and a satisfying twist ending. The Result: The comic delivers its message through entertainment rather than lecture making it effective for children's educational publishers, values-based storytelling campaigns, or supplementary reading material designed to engage reluctant readers. Its clear panel-to-panel flow and consistent character expression also demonstrate strong sequential storytelling skills suited for longer-form comic or graphic novel work.…
    The Bridge of Trust
    The Brief: Illustrate a pivotal moment in the series where the three young adventurers continue their journey deeper into the enchanted forest, crossing a magical crystal path over a glowing stream. The scene needed to convey momentum, wonder, and unity, showing the characters progressing in their quest while reinforcing the story's whimsical, sparkling fantasy world. What I Made: A dynamic, light-filled illustration of the three characters mid-stride across floating crystal stepping stones, surrounded by glowing butterflies, shimmering water, and sunlit forest canopy. I used layered lighting effects, flowing hair and clothing to suggest movement, and warm golden tones against cool blues and purples to heighten the sense of magic and continuity from earlier scenes in the series. The Result: The illustration successfully advances the visual narrative of the series, maintaining character and tone consistency from previous episodes while introducing a new, awe-inspiring setting. Its sense of motion and progression makes it effective as both an in-book spread and a promotional teaser image, building anticipation for the next stage of the characters' journey.…
    The Weight of Neglect
    The Brief: Create an emotionally compelling illustration to support a public awareness campaign on cleanliness and civic responsibility. The piece needed to communicate the real-world impact of littering and poor waste disposal habits using a relatable, human-centered approach rather than statistics or slogans to encourage community reflection and behavioral change. What I Made: A poignant street-scene illustration centered on a young boy standing amid scattered litter beside an overflowing public waste bin, his expression conveying confusion and quiet distress. I used a realistic-stylized 3D approach, contrasting the vibrant, everyday backdrop of a busy Indian street with the immediate foreground mess deliberately placing the child's vulnerability at the emotional center of the piece to drive home the human cost of neglect. The Result: The illustration delivers a strong, immediate emotional response by reframing a civic issue through a child's perspective, making the message personal rather than abstract. It's effective for use in public health/civic campaigns, social media awareness drives, and NGO educational materials, where visual storytelling can shift public sentiment more effectively than direct messaging alone.…
    "Discovering the Map"
    The Brief: Create a captivating scene for a children's book series that introduces three young adventurers uncovering an ancient forest map. The illustration needed to establish a magical, welcoming atmosphere while hinting at mystery, engaging enough to make young readers eager to turn the page and continue the story. What I Made: A richly detailed, warm-toned illustration featuring three expressive child characters gathered around a glowing treasure map, framed by a towering enchanted tree with a gentle, glowing face. I used soft golden lighting, intricate magical detailing (glowing runes, a luminous butterfly, ambient fireflies), and expressive character posing to bring warmth, wonder, and curiosity to life — balancing fantasy elements with relatable, kid-friendly character design. The Result: The illustration successfully captures a sense of adventure and discovery while remaining visually accessible and emotionally inviting for a young audience. It reinforces brand consistency for the series by anchoring key characters and tone early in the story, and has been used as a key visual for Episode 2 promotion, helping communicate the series' whimsical identity at a glance.…