Freelance illustrator · Commissions open
Ren Takahara — Osaka, Japan
Your cover has two seconds on the shelf. I make them count.
Book covers, tea tins, festival posters and transit maps that people notice from across a room and still enjoy up close. I'm Ren Takahara, and I draw for things that get picked up.
Booking projects from March 2027
- drawing for print
- 11 yrs
- book and magazine covers
- 60+
- missed press deadlines
- 0
Clients
- Riverline Transit
- Kettle & Crane
- The Long Table
- Fennick Press
- Orrery Science
- Saltmarsh Folk
- Quarry Review
- Little Wren Books
Selected work
Six projects, from a single spot to a whole city map
Each one with the brief, the constraints I worked inside, how the drawings got made and what happened once they went to print.
Services
What I draw, and what it costs to start
Every project is quoted from a written brief and includes a defined license. Rates below are starting points for typical scopes.
- 01
Editorial illustration
Spot illustrations, opening spreads and covers for magazines, newspapers and newsletters. Fast turnaround is normal; I read the whole piece before I draw.
From $450
- 02
Publishing and covers
Book covers, series design, endpapers and interior illustration for trade and children's publishers, with hand lettering when the title needs it.
From $2,800
- 03
Brand illustration systems
Characters, pattern libraries, icon families and packaging illustration with usage guidelines and layered source files your team can build on.
From $9,500
- 04
Licensing and maps
License existing work for products, prints and merchandise, or commission an illustrated map for a city, venue, event or book.
From $600
Kind words
From the people I made things with
04 notes · scroll →
I sent eleven essays on a Thursday evening and had thumbnails for every slot by Saturday. They'd read everything, including the grief pieces, and drew them with real care.
Marguerite OseiArt Director, The Long Table QuarterlyThe pattern system keeps paying for itself. We've put it on gift boxes, tea towels and a van, and every time the files were already set up for it.
Hana BrightwellCo-founder, Kettle & Crane Tea Co.The usage guide is the best I've had from any illustrator. Our designer builds new character scenes in an afternoon, and they still look like the originals.
Daniel AchterbergHead of Marketing, Orrery Science CenterCalm on a short deadline, honest about what's possible, and the proofs always match the files. I've stopped double-checking the separations.
Ines FerrazProduction Manager, Fennick Press
Got a cover, a map or a tin that needs drawing?
Tell me what it is, where it will appear and when it goes to print. I'll reply with questions and a fixed quote within two working days.
Booking projects from March 2027