Bible Illustrators Needed

The United Bible Societies is a fellowship of 145 national Bible Societies working in over 200 countries. Bible Societies serve Christians in every continent, providing Scriptures at a price that people can afford. Bible Societies are not affiliated to any one Christian denomination, but serve all Christian churches and develop products and services appropriate to local needs.

One of these needs is for Bibles and Bible storybooks, both for children and families. Toward that end, the United Bible Societies is seeking to commission artists to produce a collection of 200 high quality, color illustrations that any national Bible Society can use for this purpose. In a sense, the collection is best thought of as a database of artwork from which Scripture materials can be produced. It is called the UBS ‘Global Illustration Project’. The commissioning will be on a “work-for-hire basis”, but there may also by professional-level illustrators who sense the call of God to carry out this work on a mission basis.

The level of artistic expertise for this work is high. Illustrators must be “visual translators” of the Biblical events. All costumes, architecture, fauna, and ethnicities must be accurate to the text. In addition, the artist’s style must be acceptable across a wide range of cultures and aesthetic tastes. While a single artist for the entire collection is preferred, it is more realistic that an artist is commissioned for the Old Testament and another for the New Testament. These are illustrations which will be produced globally for decades to come. For an illustrator who holds the Bible to be the revelation of God, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Any artist interested in submitting samples and pursuing further discussions about the UBS Global Illustration Project is invited to contact Randolph Capp, UBS Design Consultant at randolphcapp@biblesocieties.org.