What to charge illustration job; freelance

[Vin]

I've been doing this for a while, so I should know, but I would like to know what other artists charge out there for freelance jobs.
I recently got commisioned to do a couple paintings and some concept sketches for a book being writtin by a friend. So making a horrible attempt at predicting the future I gave the guy an estimate for how much money based on how much time I thought it would take me [charging him hourly, what I get paid at work per hour]. So I figured for 2000 he would get 5 paintings and 15 sketches.
As you all know, when coming up with characters from scratch, you do tons of sketches and reworks, let alone the prep sketches for epic paintings.
Needless to say I grossly underestimated how much time it would take me and here I am a month later and not even half done.
I've also charged people the opposit way and felt incredibly guilty because I felt I charged them to much.
Does anyone eles go through these same dilemas? And is there a good scale to go by when charging a freelance job?
Thanks....

[kungfu_chook]

hey there, don't know if this is any help, the figures here are the minimum amounts, and it says it encourages people to make sure they try to get more.

illustration rates (http://www.asauthors.org/cgi-bin/asa/information.cgi/Show?_id=info1012&sort=DEFAULT&search=level%3arates&menu=level:rates)


don't do a currency conversion or you'll end up with prices that are way to low, just treat it as those amounts stated are in US dollars. i think it could be a good guide of what to charge as a minimum.

Looks like you have charged a bit light on. Next time make sure you factor in say 3 changes in the price, then in a contract state this and that additional changes will be charge at $XXX, and if direction changes totally that it will be considered a new piece and that they will be charged accordingly.

Some one else might have some better thoughts on all of this, but hope it is some kind of help.

Chook

[Vin]

Dude, Thanks. I'll use this rate next time. I'm always afraid I'll scare off a potential client if I tell them to much $ but this will help in me own head
thanks

[kungfu_chook]

cool, hopefully some of the others here that do a lot of freelance stuff will post and clarify or give there own ideas/experience.

Chook

[Elwell]

Oof. I feel sorry for Australian illustrators. Even taken as minimums, those rates are really low.

[kungfu_chook]

i had no real idea, just did a search.....do you have a better listing???

[Vin]

Well? What do you charge? I'm lookin for answers here....:eek:

[Elwell]

No freelancer should be without a copy of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines (http://www.gag.org/pegs/index.php). While far from perfect, it at least gives you a starting point.

[bRyaN]

Basically charge what you would want to make...

I charge about 15 dollars and hour, plus art materials...
THis is just a starting rate for me tho...

[kendubrowski]

Originally posted by Elwell
No freelancer should be without a copy of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines (http://www.gag.org/pegs/index.php). While far from perfect, it at least gives you a starting point.


I tell all the students I talk with now to not use that book when they estimate a job. Try calling artists in the business instead or network yourself to see what they might charge. You will get much better advice that way and more current and accurate information instead of information that is more than a year old when it is printed and two more years old when it sold.

There are much better books on the market for artists like Legal Guide for the Visual Artist by Tad Crawford and Licensing Art & Design by Caryn Leland.

[Vin]

Dude, I have a job to do a storyboard right now for a very popular video game. I am going to quote him 80-100$ per panel. The panels are highly rendered and 3 x 7 ", very tight.
The Handbook pricing and ethical guide gave me those numbers. I think they are a little high but I already have a full time gig with a family. Because of the inconvience to do the job I was thinking to keep it at this level, what do you think?
vin

[kendubrowski]

That's the problem with Pricing Guidlines. Depending on which version of the Pricing Guidlines you used to base your estimate on, you could be using data from 1996 or earlier.
People starting out seem to think that the prices in these guidlines are too high, so they price their work lower and fees decrease.

Since this data is outdated by the time the Guidlines are published and it remains in circulation for a long time, art directors base their current budgets on it regardless of the year.
Also artists like yourself think the Guidlines are current and estimate a job using the "price range" and may price it lower in order to get the job. But you could be basing your estimate on prices that are more than six years old!

Even the current version of the Guidlines being printed is using data two plus years old before it even gets out, so imagine how low those fees will be considering what artists are getting these days.

It is always easier to bid higher and come down to work within a budget then to start lower and have no room to negotiate, it has nothing to do if you work full time or not. Your ability and talent are what you are offering.

My advice, call people who you know and see what they would charge. If you don't know anyone, try taking that bid and increase it 5% for every year that has been sitting around. It's trail and error on your part but try to ask the person you are dealing with what is their budget and see what they are offering and go from there.


If this helps here is what the IPA hands out to students as part of a larger six page handout.

Q: Once I start working regularly, should I expect to sign a contract each time a new client calls?
A: Not necessarily. It's generally understood that an illustrator is only selling one-time reproduction rights when doing a picture for a client, and the original artwork and copyright remain the property of the artist. If a client sends you a contract, you should read it carefully because they are probably trying to get more than they're paying for.

Q: What can I tell a newspaper or magazine when they ask me to sign an unfair contract?
A: Don't tell them what you'd really like to tell them(!). Chances are, the art director is your ally (art directors don't draw-up the contracts they offer illustrators, and are probably sympathetic to an illustrator's position). Send them a letter clearly outlining your problems with the contract and ask that it be forwarded to an editor. If enough illustrators do this, a point can be made. As freelancers, there is little else illustrators can legally do.

Q: When I get an assignment, what steps do I take?
A: In theory, you should complete all the negotiations before you begin to determine rights, usage, schedule, exclusivity, complexity and extended rights (including Internet usage). In reality, however, you'll probably face a short deadline and will have to negotiate these terms even as you prepare sketches.

Q: How many sketches should I do?
A: The choice is yours. Unless the client requests more, one sketch is standard. If the project requires more, then this should be negotiated beforehand. Often, "corrections" or small adjustments are made in the finished art, but only to the original agreed-upon concept.

Q: What about changes to my artwork?
A: Original artwork cannot be changed without the creator's approval. Changes to an illustrator's work must be made by the illustrator, unless permission is secured from the illustrator first.


Q: How should I price my work?
A: Price your work according to how the image is to be used (full-page, double-page spread, cover, spot, etc), and whether the client wants one-time rights or more extensive usage.

Q: But how do I know if my price is right?
A: There's no easy answer for this. the good news for beginners is that most publications have standard usage fees and most art directors will tell you how much they can pay. A good negotiator may be able to drive up these standard fees, but you'll have to depend on trial and error to find out.

Q: Should I use Pricing Guidelines as a tool?
A: For several decades, artists considered Pricing Guidelines a valuable resource. Only lately have many realized that publishing these fees for art directors and publishers to see may have been a serious mistake. Many clients believe the prices quoted in these tables establish maximum fees and build these fees into their budgets. In fact, the Pricing Guidelines are nothing more than a survey of what current prices are. It should be obvious that if you base future fees on a statistical average of what current prices are, you’ll preserve the status quo. Many artists now believe these guidelines are one of the reasons that illustration fees have stagnated for 30 years.

Q: Should I copyright my work?
A: If you're a freelancer, your work is automatically copyrighted the moment you do it. This protects it for your lifetime plus 70 years. For full copyright protection, it should be registered with the Copyright Office. This is an easy and inexpensive process, which is explained in simple terms on the IPA site. Go to www.illustratorspartnership.org and click on "Resources," then "Copyrights." We provide forms which you can download and send to the Copyright Office.

Q: Who owns my original art?
A: You do. Your client only licenses designated usage.

Q: What does "usage" mean?
A: A client pays you for the right to use your art in a certain manner. Traditionally, a publisher buys "first-time publication rights" only. That gives them the right to use the art only in their publication and only for one-time usage. You automatically retain all "secondary rights" and the client must negotiate separately for these.

Q: What are "secondary rights?"
A: All rights except those licensed to the client who commissioned the work. While you are legally entitled to license these rights to other publications, good business sense will tell you not to license an illustration soon after its first publication, or to a competitor of the original client.

[bRyaN]

THis thread is proving to be very valuable...

Hopefully in the new site design they have all these insightful discussions rounded up into one easy to read location for future members...

[Redder]

The one thing I don't like is the rates change from one form of art to another. It's a pain when your working on several different projects at once all dealing with different forms of art.

[kendubrowski]

The IPA site does have most of this information available already in the Articles section and more information is updated at time permits. We also include most of this in the Illustrator's News.

As for differing fees for different art related practices, there is always going to be a difference. The hard work comes in finding out what others charge, what you need to make a living and learning to negotiate a fair price.

Hope this helps.

[Sinix]

Wow, $1000 for a book cover seems quite nice.

[Elwell]

Originally posted by Sinix
Wow, $1000 for a book cover seems quite nice.

No. It doesn't.

[Vin]

I think a lot of the confusion that we as artists have is that there are so many different facets of art that no one $ amount applies to all. For instance, I started out as a comic artist about ten years ago back then the page rate for a new guy was about 100$ a page [pencils only] which is 11x17 and depending on how many panels, a whole lot of drawing in a very short period of time.
If in the same year I did a spot illustration for a book or mag [small maybe 4x6] I could get twice that [200$] for something done in a quarter of the time. And if your working through a head hunter [agent] or source book....forget it. A big company [ie General Mills, Kelloggs] will pay 3000$ for a tiny little spot on one of there products.
I've been an animator, Keyline and paste-up artist [before computers were used, I know I'm a dinosaur], comic penciler/inker, story board artist and finally, where I've settled for the last two years, a concept artist.
Freelance art is extreemly dificult when your jumping all over the place like that because the standard pay in one field for a certain amount of work is totally different for the same amount of work in a different field, its why I started the thread.
I have been a professional artist for my entire adult life and I still don't know how to price myself.
Don't fret all you young-uns' though, I am a self proclaimed idiot. I use so much of my brain on the art there is absolutly no copacity for business....

[kendubrowski]

Given the difficult situation freelance illustrators are facing, it really is important to understand the business of illustration, what to charge for your work and the terms you are agreeing to. Otherwise you will no longer be able to do what you love doing since the days of being able to get by with little or no understanding of the business of illustration are past. While it is true if you are a staff artist these issues seem of little interest, those who are trying to become freelancers will find it more and more difficult to survive a changing marketplace by winging it.

For those starting out, it would be extremely helpful to take advantage of web sites like the IPA or AIGA , start talking to others to find out what the market you are working in is offering and try and get a feel of what to charge.
An excelllent start would be to read the Business of Illustration by Steve Heller
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823005453/103-9586410-1003801