In general, traditional hand illustration using art media is not necessarily more expensive than digital illustration work. Overall costs of drawings, murals, and paintings depend on the size and medium of the finished piece. Illustrators with a range of experience creating commercial graphics can often provide a ballpark estimate for certain types of common projects.
Here are some sample ranges:. The first step when hiring an illustrator is to find one with an aesthetic you love. If their portfolio only showcases black and white work and you know you need lots of color, ask to see samples in the art styles you like.
Most illustrators are eager to share with prospective clients. Sign a contract that clearly outlines usage rights, protects you from copyright infringement, and lays out what services will be provided for the cost. There are several ways to save money when hiring an illustrator. Hiring a professional illustrator provides multiple benefits.
Millions of people ask Thumbtack for help with their projects every year. We track the estimates they get from local professionals, then we share those prices with you. Browse profiles, see prices and use filters to find pros who match your project. Join as a pro. See all. Events and more. Other Info. Cancel Search. How much will your illustrating cost? Get a free estimate. Thumbtack Cost Estimates Illustrating. Cost to Hire an Illustrator.
Find the best illustrator in your neighborhood. Search pros. How Usage Rights Affect Cost. Here are some examples: Rights managed : The illustrator gives the client permission to use the illustrations in a specific way. Typically this choice restricts the length of time, the medium, the size, the format, and the location of use. This usage option is typically less expensive because the client does not have exclusive use of the illustrations.
Royalty-free : The illustrator charges the client a single standard fee for repeated reuse of the illustration usually by that client only. The artist typically retains the rights to the images. With one-time usage rights, a client purchases the non-exclusive right to publish a commissioned illustration for one time, for one or more specific uses.
Any uses beyond those initially agreed-to are considered separate transactions normally priced at a percentage of the initial cost for the illustration. The artist retains copyright to the art in one-time-usage commissions. For buy-out rights, the client pays a somewhat higher fee which allows non-exclusive use of an illustration for multiple applications for a pre-determined fee, with no additional income to the artist yet those use-limits can be set.
In this arrangement, the artist also retains the copyright to the work however, a client can also purchase the copyright to the art in this scenario. This one-sided transaction allows a client to own the art and anything else the illustrator creates during the commissioned work-period including all rough sketches, concepts, design solutions, character development, etc.
The client can use all the above wherever and whenever they choose with no additional payment s to the artist. While negotiation possibilities may exist in work-for-hire arrangements, for the most part illustrators who agree to work-for-hire conditions give up all rights to their art. Often, the artist cannot even use their final art for promotional purposes website, etc.
Illustration prices should be based on a reasonable turn-around time for delivery of finished art. This can be written in an e-mail or can be a separate PDF document which includes the quoted price. The art was hand-drawn and digitally assembled. And also quite simply, more time equals to more money. If you believe completing the job will take quite a long time and it will keep you busy for several days or weeks, your rates can go up based on that.
Then there is also the matter of rights and usage. There are several ways to approach this, but this sole factor will influence the rates quite considerably. Feifei will usually charge double for such projects , and Jilipollo adopted a similar approach too. A work that will be used globally will intrinsically bear more value than in local usage, at least for the client — and this drives the price way up.
In fact, as part of what I could define a very simple equation: more profit for the client equals to more profit for you. Lastly, Martin recommends to keep in mind all of the necessary professional expenses — from subscription software such as the Adobe Creative Cloud, to studio rent and potential pro memberships including the AOI if you are a member.
There will be tons of clients who promise you more money for future work, more projects and all kinds of magical stuff if you are willing to work for free just this one time, but it will be tricky to go from 0 to if you give in the first time.
Plus, according to all three of my dear respondents, doing this way will certainly mess up the market. Ignore your impostor syndrome and show your client that you value your work as much as he values it himself.
Simply because, if he needs those illustrations, he is going to make some money out of them. It also does not help that many potential clients still perceive illustration as not a very serious profession. Part of your job is to educate them. There are, however, a few exceptions.
Speaking with the client, if you really want to take on the job, you can consider lowering your rates a bit , or at least offering a discount for the time being — knowing that there will be variables that can drive the price to go up again in the future. This will also make sure that the client pays the rest of the fee when the work is done, and it will show professionalism on your part. Not to mention how nice and motivating it is to have part of that cash in advance, of course.
According to Jilipollo, another misconception is believing that the level of detail should influence price. There are tons of illustrators out there with a very simple style who still manage to make a living out of their craft.
Illustration is more than just detail — it is colours, design, composition and storytelling too. Have a chat with your client and work together to understand the costs that the project will require — then calculate your rates from there. Lastly, as a personal word of advice, Martin recommends charging more than the National Minimum Wage even straight out of university. To some it may sound arrogant, but it does get the point across and keeps me motivated while negotiating.
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