I’d really like to commission you, how does it all work?

Working with me is a two-way creative process. I love to hear your ideas and am happy to have an initial conversation prior to the commission to discuss your top level ideas and how I might go about working on the project. I will also provide you with my terms and conditions.

If you’d like to take the process on from our discussion, I will be asking you for a brief which will inform the direction and fees for the commission, this will ideally include:

• About you and your business

• Your project and it’s aims

• Target audience

• Where, when and for how long the illustrations will be used

• Style

• Artwork specification and sizes

• Deadlines

• Brand guidelines (if you have them)

• Budget

What can expect in terms of fees, I’ve heard it’s expensive?

Fees for illustration commissions don’t have to be prohibitively expensive. If you are able to be very specific about what you require, the fees can be tightly tailored, meaning you won’t be charged for something you don’t need. Taking into account that you will have exclusive use of illustrations created to your specification for your brand or project the fees are totally worth it.

You may or may not know illustration fees are calculated in terms of a license to use the image/s so it’s not solely based on the hours it takes me to produce the illustrations. Each project can vary hugely so it’s not possible for me to give menu pricing for illustration. To keep things super clear, here are the 4 criteria that a license is based on;

1. What will the illustration/s be used in or on e.g. poster, packaging, website or book?

2. How many illustrations do you require and where will they be placed; e.g. cover & internal pages, home page & section banners or one page advert?

3. Where will they be seen in the world e.g. UK only, UK and EU, Asia, Americas or Worldwide?

4. How long will you need to use the illustrations, e.g. 6 months, 1 year, 3 years or in perpetuity?

We’ll work together to hone the usage criteria so you get the best license for your project and requirements.

Once we have agreed on a fee I will supply a formal contract which you will be required to sign before the work begins, this will include a delivery schedule which will help us both keep on track.

Will I own the copyright to the illustration once I have the artwork?

It’s usual for me and most illustrators to retain copyright as you effectively pay for a license to use the image exclusively created for you. It is possible to buy the copyright in order to use the illustrations in perpetuity, however, so you are aware this will raise the fees considerably.

So what’s next?

We will begin the rough sketch stage of the project which will involve me coming back to you with concept sketches based on the brief, how many will depend on what we agreed as part of the fee. These rough sketches will be approved or amended in the next stage before being taken forward to colouring up and the final version being delivered in the size and format you require. I can help with checking colour proofs if your project includes printing, let me know you require this at briefing stage.

What’s the best part of commissioning illustration?

You now have some amazing original illustration that expresses your message to your audience to use exclusively for your brand or project.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the process and where you require more information before going ahead with an illustration commission.