Illustration Pricing and Guidelines

*Currently I am booked for illustration work for the remainder of this year. But please contact me in regards to your interest in hiring me for illustration work in the near future. I am only accepting a limited amount of small scale print and editorial illustration works each year.

Like a lot of other freelance illustrators working in the real world, I bid all jobs based on usage (that means how the client will use the final image) and the level of detail.

When I take on any illustration job, I always do concept sketches first. This lets you know exactly what you're getting and is included in the price of the finished illustration.

Any job I bid, I break down into elements . You can do this yourself if you want to know what a job is going to cost. Again, this is a practice that many freelance illustrators and artists are beginning to do.

An animal , human figure , car —each would be considered 1 element . Backgrounds and environments are also considered 1 element, but if the background is a forest scene, landscape, seascape, crowd scene or a cityscape, the level of detail overall would be less than if you broke the crowd down into elements.

Concept Sketches Only (inlcudes three sketches)
$90 per element

Finished Illustrations
$200 per element

So, if you wanted a unicorn being ridden in the forest by a fairy, the bill would look like this:

1. Unicorn $200 2. Forest $200 3. Fairy $200   Total $600

Easy, right?

Illustration FAQ

I want an illustration. How do I commission you?
I'll give you a quote based on my rate guidelines listed above. Once I get half down, I'll create a concept drawing. When you're happy with the drawing, I'll create the image, scan it, and give you a high-resolution file of the final illustration.

What file formats can you provide?
I can provide any file format. TIF, PDF, PSD, BMP, JPG—whatever you're comfortable with.

What if I need the illustration right away?
I'm happy to accommodate any schedule and will try my best to do so!

How long does it normally take?
Turnaround time is generally 3-5 days.

What happens if I don't like the concept drawings?
I can do a different drawing or make changes to what we already have. The purpose of the concept drawing phase is to hammer out something cool—something you do like.

What if I just want my money back?
If you aren't happy with the concept drawing and don't want to move forward, I'll gladly refund your money.

What if I just want a few changes?
We can make any changes you want.

 

Once the drawing is done, how do you color it?
Once the sketch is completed I will scan it into the computer and begin painting it using Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter, I also use Adobe Illustrator. I can print the concept drawing on high-resolution paper and paint the image. This painting is then scanned back into the computer where it is color corrected. The finished product is a digital file.

Can I have the painting?
For a small fee you can have the original.

Do I have exclusive rights to the Illustration?
Yes. The illustration is yours.

I like one of the images you have already created. Is it cheaper if I use that?
Yes. I frequently negotiate usage agreement with work in my portfolio.

I'm ready to get started. What is the next step?
Contact me with your project outline and I'll give you a quote.