Hand-Drawn Cartoon Illustrator — Long-Term Work (3–5 illustrations per week)

I am looking for a strong illustrator who can create 3–5 hand-drawn cartoon illustrations per week. The illustrations are used as YouTube thumbnails, but I am looking for great illustration skills — not thumbnail design experience.

Here are some example channels for the style:

---------- /channel/UCg-Udwo4hUHtObdHa5jo6mA/
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The style is rough, hand-drawn, and comedic — expressive cartoon characters with exaggerated faces and emotions, simple line work, high-contrast colors. Think doodle-style with personality. Not polished, not anime, not vector art, not realistic.

Design principles — what makes a great thumbnail in this style

- STORYTELLING. This is so so important. You're illustration must be the reason people click on a video. This isn’t really about “graphic perfection,” but about what actually works. What people wanna see based on the topic.
- Bold, vivid colors that pop in a YouTube feed and grab attention instantly
- Characters are the focal point — they should clearly stand out from the background and feel alive
- Story, title, and thumbnail blend into one idea — they should reinforce each other so the viewer instantly understands the video's premise
- A few strong focus points, not chaos — keep the composition clean and direct, even when the topic is dramatic
- Study the top-performing videos on the reference channels above and let those guide your visual direction
- You can add clickbait elements to your illustration (please do!)

Please let me know your favorite animal at the beginning of your proposal.

Please share your recent illustration work — ideally something that shows you can draw expressive characters and figures by hand. If you have YouTube thumbnail samples, share those too, but it is not required.

IMPORTANT: NO AI.

All work must be drawn by hand. You must genuinely have this drawing skill and be well-trained in it. I will be able to tell if AI is involved, and any AI use means I end the working relationship immediately.

Payment per illustration: $8 USD
Expected volume: 3–5 illustrations per week
Weekly hours: around 3–5 hours per week
Turnaround: 24 hours per illustration
Deliverables: Photoshop raw file

Sample task (required)

To prove you can do this work, please create a sample thumbnail for one of the following videos:

1. The Most TERRIFYING Honeymoon Deaths
2. The Worst Workplace Deaths

Come up with your own scene concept for one of these topics, and illustrate it in the style of the reference channels above. I want to see how you think visually — not just how you execute someone else's idea. Show me a scene that would make someone stop scrolling and click.

Submit the sample as a 1920 x 1080 PSD file together with your application.
Share it as Drive link and make sure I can access the link.

No sample = no consideration. Please only apply if you are serious and can actually deliver the work.

I understand that creating the sample takes time and effort. I appreciate that, and I want to be upfront: applicants who put in the work and deliver top-quality samples can expect ongoing, long-term work fro ---------- . This is not a one-off — I am looking for someone to grow with.

Looking forward to seeing your work!