about commissions

Every picture has a story. Even if it is just in my head and will not be communicated the story will influence the illustration.
My goal is to help you tell your stories.

The German organisation ‘Illustratoren Organisation e.V.’ published a detailed pdf brochure about how to successfully work with illustrators: ‘Erfolgreich arbeiten mit Illustratoren’. The following text is based on this document and personal experience. I cobbled this together to avoid surprises and costly delays. Of course, almost everything is open for debate.

About costings

There is no ‘one price fits all’. There are some factors affecting the price.

• The obvious one is size and detail. The bigger the dimensions and amount of details (i.e. the time it takes to produce the art), the higher the price.
• Then there is the question of usage and time. Will it be for a one-off flyer or part of a companys branding (logo)? The latter is, of course, more expensive.
• The rights. Keep in mind that you do not buy the art itself, but the rights to use it as agreed on (see above). Of course, you can buy the right to use the art ’til the end of time and for whatever you like (not the copyright, though). But that will cost you (up to six times the usual price, actually).

In general illustrations will go from 200,- Euro a piece and upwards. I will write you an offer based on your briefing (see next point) so we both will know what we are getting into.

The briefing

So you decided to order an illustration. Now, try to describe and write down what you need as good as possible, do scribbles (it doesn’t matter if it’s just stick figures), research what you are looking for and show me art pieces you like. The better you can communicate to me your needs (target audience, taste, whatever is the most important to you), the less frustrating and costly the production process will be for both of us. If you are not sure about the briefing we can work this out together, of course.

The process

For productivity reasons all my work will be made digitally. But using my Wacom Cintiq the art can have a handmade feel to it.

After we agreed on the terms of the project I will start with a rough sketch of the motif (possibly in a smaller scale) to get a general idea of the layout. If necessary I will present this to you to be sure we are on the same page.

Now I will do a detailed sketch in original size and present it to you. Please take the time and review it closely. And, if neccessary, show it to other decision makers. If you need changes to be made, this is the step it is easiest to do. The more the piece is fleshed out the more time and money consuming changes will be.

After you greenlight the detailed sketch (or a later iteration thereof) I will flesh out the art according to your briefing. Of course, I will provide you with previews of the ongoing work, if you like.

The deadline

Usually I can do an illustration within a week or two. But often the project is held up by revisions and the approval process. Please consider this when planning your deadline. With a realistic time frame the outcome will be more satisfying for both of us.

And that’s that

I hope I haven’t discouraged you with this wall of text to commission a fine piece of art. Feel free to contact me by using the contact form.