Illustrator Resume Template

Free illustrator resume template for Word and Google Docs. A Portfolio block with one link per market sits under the summary, ahead of commissions.

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Free, no signup. Want it filled in first? Download the illustrator example as Word.

What is in the file

[Your Name]

[Illustrator] · [Your markets: picture books, editorial, packaging, games, licensing] · [portfolio URL]

[City, State] · [email@example.com] · [(555) 555-0100] · [LinkedIn or portfolio URL]

Summary

[Illustrator with N years making (formats) for (publishers, magazines, brands, studios), in a (style described in plain words) style. (One credit or volume fact: books published, pieces per year, repeat clients). Known for (what art directors rehire you for: hitting dates, clean files, calm revisions).]

Portfolio

[Market 1, e.g. Picture books] · [link to that gallery] · [Strongest credit in it: title, publisher type, year]

[Market 2, e.g. Editorial] · [link] · [Outlets by type and one notable placement]

[Market 3 if relevant, e.g. Packaging or Character design] · [link] · [Client type and where it appeared]

Experience

[Freelance Illustrator or Staff Illustrator], [Studio name, your name, or the employer]

[City, State or Remote] · [Mon YYYY] – [Present]

  • [Illustrated (N) (books, spots, covers, labels, characters) of (size or page count) for (client type), from (sketch) to (final art)]
  • [Schedule: delivered (project) in (weeks or days), with (approval at which round, or revisions handled)]
  • [What happened next: (reprint, series extension, repeat commission, award, sell-through) for (client type)]
  • [Business side for freelancers: (N clients a year, contracts and usage rights, repeat share)]

[Earlier role: junior illustrator, design studio, in-house artist, teaching], [Where]

[City, State] · [Mon YYYY] – [Mon YYYY]

  • [The work closest to the job you want now, with format and quantity]
  • [A collaboration: (with an author, art director, designer, developer) that produced (result)]
  • [A technical contribution: (style guide, character sheet, print prep, asset pipeline)]

Skills

  • Software: [Procreate, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Clip Studio Paint, the ones your finals are made in]
  • Mediums: [Gouache, ink, watercolor, colored pencil: traditional media you deliver final art in]
  • Illustration specialties: [Character design, sequential art, lettering, pattern repeats, print-ready file prep]

Education

[BFA in Illustration or your field], [School], [YYYY] · [Thesis or graduating project if it was published or shown]

Nobody hires an illustrator from a resume alone, but the page decides which part of the portfolio gets opened and whether the art director trusts you with a schedule. So this template puts a Portfolio block straight after the summary: one line per market you work in, each pointing to the gallery for that market rather than your home page. A children's book editor lands on picture books; a packaging agency lands on labels.

Experience comes next and treats staff roles and freelance practice the same way, as jobs with dates and bullets. The bullet prompts ask for the facts an art director plans around: format, page count or piece count, the schedule, the round at which work was approved, and what the client did afterwards. Skills split into software, mediums and illustration specialties, and Education closes the page with room for a published thesis project.

Text in [brackets] marks what to replace on each line; delete slots that do not fit your practice. The single-column layout keeps the file light enough to attach next to a PDF portfolio, and it reads cleanly when a studio's hiring system strips formatting. For a finished page from an illustrator with staff and freelance work, read the illustrator resume example.

Updated .

How to fill in each section

  1. Summary: style in plain words, markets, reliability

    Describe the look the way a client would describe it to a colleague, then the formats you deliver and who pays for them. One fact with a number makes the claim concrete: picture books published, editorial pieces a year, clients that came back. Finish with the working habit art directors care about, which is usually dates and clean files. Rewrite the markets for each application so they match the opening.

  2. Portfolio: a link for each kind of work

    Every line points to one gallery, so a reader from a publisher or an agency sees the right work first. Order the lines by the posting: the market it hires for goes on top. Add the strongest credit beside each link, such as a book title and publisher type or a magazine section. If a client is under contract, describe it by category. Remove a market line rather than linking to a thin gallery.

  3. Experience: pieces, size, schedule, aftermath

    Write commissions the way production people track them. How many pieces, at what format or page count, between which dates, and approved at which round. Then the aftermath: a second printing, a series that grew, a client who booked you again. Freelancers list their practice as one continuous job with the start year, which keeps the dates clean. A staff role at a studio or publisher gets the same treatment, with the people you worked with.

  4. Skills: software, mediums, specialties

    Three labeled lines answer three questions. Can you work in the studio's files, which is the software line. What do you deliver finals in, which is the mediums line; keep media you only sketch with off it. And what kinds of illustration problems you solve, such as character turnarounds, lettering or repeat patterns. Recruiters at game and animation studios also look for pipeline terms, so add them when they are true.

  5. Education: degree, and the project that came out of it

    Give the degree, school and year on one line. A thesis or graduating project earns a mention only if it was published, exhibited or won something; otherwise its images belong in the portfolio. Workshops and residencies with known instructors can go here as a second line for early-career illustrators. Self-taught illustrators can leave the section out and let the portfolio and credits speak.

Next steps

See it filled in

The illustrator resume example uses this structure with a realistic candidate, with versions for entry, mid and senior level.

Read the illustrator resume example

Or build it online

Start from the same content in the Creative design, tailor it to a posting and export a PDF. Free to start.

Open it in Resume Master

Questions about the illustrator resume template

Should an illustrator resume include images?

Keep images out of the resume and in the portfolio. Pictures make the file heavy and confuse applicant tracking systems, and art directors would rather click a gallery than squint at a thumbnail. A single small logo or signature mark in the header is the most the page needs.

How do I show freelance work without listing every client?

Make your practice one job entry with the year you started, then use bullets for the four or five strongest commissions, grouped by market. Add a bullet for the business: clients per year and how many come back. Clients under nondisclosure become descriptions, such as a national pet food brand.

Is this template suitable for a graphic design or concept art job?

For concept art and visual development, yes: rename the specialties line and lead the portfolio with environments and characters. For a role that is mostly layout and branding, start from the graphic designer resume example instead, since the reader there checks typography and campaigns before drawing.

How long should an illustrator resume be?

One page for most illustrators, including those with ten years of commissions. Put the long list of published books and placements in the portfolio site and keep only the strongest credits on the page. A second page only makes sense for teaching or academic posts that ask for a full exhibition record.

Is it free?

Yes. The Word files and the Google Docs copy are free to download, edit and use for any application. There is no signup and no email.

Will it read correctly in an applicant tracking system?

The layout is one column with standard headings and real text: no tables, text boxes, icons, columns or images, which are the parts parsers most often misread. Keep it that way as you edit.

Word or Google Docs?

Use whichever you edit in. The Word file opens in Microsoft Word, Pages and LibreOffice. The Google Docs link asks you to make a copy in your own Drive; the original stays blank for the next person. Send the posting the format it asks for, usually .docx or PDF.

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