Freelance Comic Illustration Pricing

[Aerythes]

Hi all,
I've just receive a freelance job offer to illustrate a 25-page comic book. It's meant to be in full color with a finishing similar to this: http://img179.exs.cx/img179/2893/orliafaillenvsmall0uw.jpg

I'll probably be handling all aspects of the illustration other than lettering. But I've really no idea how much I should charge for this gig, as I've never done any comics professionally before. Any advice on the market rate?

[kgb]

How did you find the job? Online?

[plsangel]

from what I hear this book has all the industry standards for art related jobs.
Congratulations!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932102123/qid=1108591001/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-2469063-5018504

[darth massacre]

Aerythes.....As far as I know it depends on how much time you're going to spend on one page. If its something close to what you showed, I'd say nothing less than SG$150. Of course that may include draft changes, but after the draft has been approved it should stay or you may want to charge for changes after they gave the green light to work on the final.

I'd probably shoot for SG$180 to SG$200 per page (that's about US$110). It probably shouldn't take more than a month too...at most 5 weeks.

In any case I'd say something close to US$100 per page should be what you're looking at.


I've seen friends back home charge more for less work. But they're damn fast.

[madster]

And should you be tempted or swayed by promises of future employment or a "share" of sales profits, accept NO LESS than 50% of your fee up front with all promised attached to your back fee.
Never, ever EVER your skills out for free. Even if it is your very first "pro" job ever, or if it's a favor for a friend, have some medium of exchange wherein you the artist get some tangible reward for your efforts. A friend of mine won't even give away his work to his own family. They have to pay him (although his Mom gets the best deal, by baking him his favorite black cherry pie when she wants something) something so that they value his work, and he values himself. The closest he came to breaking his own rule was when he gave us one of his paintings as a wedding gift, but he did get me to buy him a new paint palette in exchange for the glass, frame, and matting (it's a 24x30" Watercolor)... :)

[Aerythes]

kgb> They emailed me about it. Probably from seeing some of my stuff posted on digitalart.org

plsangel> Thanks, someone also showed me the recommended prices from that book. I think I'll stick to that for now. :)

darth> Thanks for the tips!

madster> ...Your friend is a bit of an extreme case there :teeth:

[S.C. Watson]

Never, ever EVER your skills out for free.

Oooh, yeah, I want to second this. Never, ever EVER do this. Big bad.

~Shane

[2ma2]

If you're freelance, be sure to calculate taxes aswell, otherwise you'll be left with way less than a full months work of payment.