WonderBird Press is seeking visual art to accompany stories in the collections Perilous Plants and Sinister Scales, as well as an illustrated calendar of each. We will be licensing non-exclusively and attributing the artist’s name to their work wherever we share or publish it. We will only contact artists whose work we are interested in acquiring.

Submissions will close on August 15th, 2026 or when filled, whichever comes first; submissions will be reviewed in the order received, so please submit early. If you do not hear from us by August 31, we have decided NOT to include your work.

What We Want Illustrations of specific species of plants (see list below). The species must be either the primary subject or a major focus of the image. Backgrounds be simple, abstract, or realistic, provided they do not block or pull focus from the main subject. The stories in this publication are PG to PG13, so illustrations with offensive or explicit imagery will not be considered.

• Illustration Subjects--choose one per submitted image: Rosemary, Ficus Tree, Eucalyptus Regnans Tree, Mushroom, Pampas Grass, Carrot, English Ivy, Frasier Fir (Christmas Tree)

• Mediums: Paint (watercolor, acrylic, oil, etc.); drawing (colored pencil, pen and ink, pastel, etc.); other physical visual media (sculpture, collage, encaustic, stained glass). No digital media is being considered for this collection. No AI illustrations will be considered. 

• Styles: Realistic, illustrative, vintage storybook, or “natural history / scientific diagram” styles (such as Jan van Kessel or Anne Pratt); feel free to email questions about variations on styles

• Size/Resolution: The original image can be any size as long as it could be cropped for a standard wall calendar (landscape rectangle) and the submission is high-definition enough that the scan can be used in a paperback book or a calendar. If we like the image, but the submitted image is too low resolution, we will request a higher resolution picture before sending the artist a contract to license.

• Reference Attribution: If your illustration is based off of a published photo reference that you do not own, please provide the reference source and creative commons information.

• Payment: $30 flat fee for each painting accepted and licensed for publication. (Because we are a small press, we cannot afford to commission bespoke works, nor do we intend to claim the original work or full ownership. However, if you have a piece you would like us to consider at a higher licensing fee, you may email us your terms.)