HOW MUCH DOES ILLUSTRATION COST?

How much does illustration cost? How does it work? These are questions I get often get asked when approached from clients considering new artwork. In this article, I talk about the process I use when given a commissioned illustration project. It’s about art style and content, but moreover, it’s about meeting expectations and getting clarity in order to deliver good work.

I’ve worked on illustration projects ranging in cost from a few hundred pounds to thousands. There are a few considerations to weigh up depending on the nature of the request. Aside from the monetary value an artist puts on their own work, or the value the buyer sees in it, clarifying what’s wanted and more importantly whats not wanted is the first step.

Bullet points for buyers;

• Be as clear as you can be about what you want. A jobbing illustrator shouldn’t be offended if you show them some samples of images you like the style of. 
• It can be tempting to use an hourly rate website like people per hour, but this kind of approach can quickly turn your commission into speed dating. With ample choice and illustrators eager to show you their work you might find your time is eaten up explaining your requirements over and over again, instead of building a good working relationship
• Best practice from the illustrator includes preliminary sketch ideas. Regardless of your budget, there should be room for feedback and revision before receiving the final work. 'Rounds' of feedback can be stated in the brief, to keep on target with time and budget.

Better Briefs

Having an open dialogue as early as possible helps get a clear idea of what the client or buyer wants. If it’s more than a single image, I create a written brief describing in detail what I’ll provide, and in what format. It’s rare that I receive a brief from every client and it’s something we often work on together. In my experience, it's bigger clients that supply detailed briefs, and they’re usually quite technical.

A well-written brief shouldn’t crush creativity or cramp style. It should work as a set of clear guidelines, providing simple constraints to help guide the creative process in the right direction from the beginning. I always check for jargon and use of language, understanding and adopting any unfamiliar terminology. I also put in the brief how the final piece will be delivered. This might sound a little dry for a creative endeavour, however, having a clean clear brief I can qualify and quantify the time it will take to get the work done.

Where do the ideas come from?

If I’m sitting perfectly still staring out of the window, out for a morning run or taking the scenic route along the river to my ‘second office’ at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery…I am not working. However, in two of these three activities, this is where the magic happens. The thinking process. Good ideas.

As a creative, the thinking space is where most of the heavy lifting happens. Finding light bulbs. Being original. Thinking versus doing. Other creatives might argue it’s greater than thirty percent of the overall process. Coming up with very good ideas is the aspect of the work that will put you ahead of your competitors. Not process. Quality in execution equally as important, though in my view it’s often undervalued in favour of ‘just getting on with it’. However…

“You don’t need big ideas, you need cheap experiments” – Micheal Schrage 

One of my favourite quotes by Michael Schrage. I try not to be precious about the ideas process, and this is where quick sketches are ideal. Roughing out a handful of proposal ideas. Nothing too time-consuming. Having enough ideas to bin a couple and present the best ones to the buyer.

Back in art college I was a terrible show-off. I loved the 'Ta Da' big reveal of showing off finished work. Back then the idea of showing sketches of ‘how it might look’ stole the thunder of the big reveal. Even today it can be tempting to overwork a concept idea in order to elicit a  wow moment. Art and commercial illustration share the same space in terms of appreciation, but the process of getting there is different. An art commission is about the vision of the artist, a commercial illustration is about collaboration and understanding a shared vision.

In this short extract from Netflix series ‘Abstract’. Paula Scher from agency Pentagram explains the ‘Reasonable level of Expectation’, and how first impressions and feedback influence the ‘wow’ moment on a project.

How long will it take?

Even a small commission needs room for feedback to eliminate any small of doubts that might creep in about the style or direction the work is headed. Get feedback verbally as often as it practical. 

Format and composition

Think about where the final piece is going. Editorial illustrations often have a single point of focus and are not too busy to detract from the article they illustrate. It’s the sign of a really good piece of illustration when you can take the text off and the composition still looks good.

Engagement

I like to use characters where possible. I find drawing people to be a very engaging way of getting a message across particularly with facial expressions.

In Scott McCloud’s book Understanding Comics, he introduces the concept of the picture plane. Showing how the human face is part of a universal pictorial vocabulary we all have. The human face can communicate complex messages without words.

Scott McCloud’s picture plane

Another sign of good illustration is the background context. With a tight deadline it’s understandable to see images with a quick colour wash in the back. Given time and budget a solid piece of illustration will have a background which is stronger, providing context to the story it tells.  

For the illustrator

• Be honest about the time it will take to complete the work. I often refer to illustrations as ‘complex’ or ‘simple’ . A Where’s Wally book and a Beano strip are very different things.
• Factor in ideas time and preliminary sketches.
• Research shorthand ways of illustrating complex items, structures or environments. 

How much does an illustration cost?

An example of a recent video production I worked on involved around forty illustrations to tell the narrative. These were broken down into ‘key images’ and ‘incidental’ ones. It took months. After that I worked on a podcast cover, less than a day.

Illustrators work by project cost or hourly rate. The best way is to find an illustrator you like via website, Instagram Pinterest or an external agency, then ask.