Key Terms

• Scope: The ‘bounds’ of the project: what are we making, how long do we have, how many changes can be made, how will it be used and for how long, and whether anyone else can use the work at the same time.

• Quote: The budget I propose for making, and licensing the use of what I make, for your project.

  • Whilst my fees are set, if budget negotiations are needed, I can suggest ways of altering the scope to suit. (Fewer uses, shorter duration, etc).

  • Sometimes there will be a few back and forth discussions before we decide on the right scope (terms and budget) for your project—this is normal, and makes sure you are not paying for more than you need.

• License: The ‘permission slip’ for use of the illustration/s in the ways described the agreement.

• Research: All illustration needs research, especially for me since I usually draw ‘observationally’ (i.e. from reference)

  • If I am to draw a family at home in their living room, I will need to:

    • Research other illustrations /visuals used for similar reasons (this may be to help distinguish your work from the competition or to give a unique feel to your organisations visual materials)

    • Determine the demographic of the family

    • The style and design of the interior, that is visually interesting and adds to the message you wish to convey

    • Choose models or character references that reinforce your communication and are culturally sensitive

    • Find reference imagery for elements I may need visual aid to draw well (figures, props, lighting, etc), and

    • Collage all of that reference material together and find the right composition for the image.

  • All of this holds true for even the simplest illustration job. It is often the slowest part of all the work I do!

• Roughs: A rough draft of the work. This can take many forms depending on the project. They help me discuss my plans with my clients, to make sure we all agree my approach is going in the right direction. My roughs are commonly either:

  • loose pencil sketches showing all the elements that will be included in the work, or

  • a series of thumbnails from which we decide on our favourite compositions, or

  • digital collages of reference material from which I intend to draw the final work, or

  • sometimes a combination of all the above.

  It is worth noting that when I work in ink, my best work is done without drafting! This means that I may speak in ‘takes’ instead of ‘roughs and revisions’. For example, the first take I might send is not quite perfect, and the client requests a revision. I will then re-draw the whole work, calling it ‘take 2’ (or ‘revision 1’).

• Revisions: ‘Revisions’ is illustration industry speak for changes. It has some specific connotations:

  • To make sure that our project stays within scope (including the time & budget allocated to it), the number of revisions is limited.

    • Many projects will have a specified amount of revisions included, such as “two revisions at roughs stage”.

    • Some projects will need additional revisions, and these will be charged either per revision, or hourly, depending on the project.

    • These details will always be clear in the quote and agreement, and as they are agreed ahead of time, no one is left with any surprises.

  • The way revisions can happen can vary depending on how I am making the illustration. For example:

    • working with ink and watercolour has no undo button, so, all changes have to happen at the roughs stage, before I move on to final work.

    • Working digitally lets me quickly change colours and effects, but can make it hard to make changes to the core structure of a piece.

    • Depending on the project, I may propose a way of working that lets us find a balance: for example, traditional ink line work but digital colour allows changes late in the process but preserves a hand-drawn feel

  • Revisions at final art stage are limited to only minor tweaks (for example, changing a background colour if digital media, adding a tiny bit more detail if traditional media). Any major changes at this point risk bouncing us back to a new round of roughs, and so this only happens in very special circumstances, if we all have the time to do it, and additional fees apply.

• Delivery: The final artwork/s you are supplied with are called ‘deliverables’.

  • When I make, for example, a pen and ink drawing with digital colour, I may have dozens of file version of the work in progress files. You won’t need them, nor will you need the full resolution, multi-layered, working file. I will output files pre-sized and setup for the usage you need them in, as per the agreement. Preparing files to specific need takes time and skill, and so additional deliverable versions may add to the fee.

  • These days, 99% of my work is delivered digitally. I will usually send you a download link to my file server.

  • When I do deliver physical artwork (such as large paper illustrations to be scanned for a publishing house), the agreement will cover relevant information such as who is to cover and arrange courier services, insurance in transit, etc.

• Re-use / re-sell Artwork: Many artworks have more than one life, and can be relicensed for other uses down the track.

  • In addition to reserving the right to promote the work in my folio, I will reserve the right to reuse, sell or re-license the work once the usage period your license covers expires.

  • You’ll have the first option to renew your license, in case you want to keep using the work.

  • Some common sense applies: if the artwork made heavy use of your branded materials or intellectual property (characters, designs, logos, brand names etc), it’s unlikely I’d ever want to use it for anything else, and, that would be reflected in the initial fees quoted.

What Happens at Each Stage of Production?

Stage 1: Design The Scope of the Project

• Discuss the project

• Agree on goals & methods

• Set important terms such as

  • Deadlines for artwork

  • The number of revisions to be included at quoted fees

  • Category / industry of usage (e.g. educational, not-for-profit, editorial, internal government comms, commercial/promotional, etc)

  • Usage period/s for license/s granted

  • Fees charged based on all of the above

• This agreement is formalised in a contract, and secured with a non refundable commencement fee. The contract protects both parties with clear steps on what to do should any plans change during the project.

Stage 2: Production

• Follow the solid lines through the chart above to see the simplest form projects take.

• There are systems in place for revisions, which can be included in the fee, or charged additionally, depending on what is in the formal agreement.

• Illustration is sometimes very collaborative, to ensure that the visual work I make is creating the message you are wanting to communicate. Timely feedback is crucial to achieve this while keeping a project ‘in scope’.

• For the bulk of my work, nothing further is paid until completion, unless revisions exceed the agreed amount.

• Larger projects may have instalment fees scheduled at various points during production, or expenses requiring reimbursement.

Stage 3: Usage Period

• Paying illustration fees entitles a client to use the work created for:

  • specific uses

  • in specific media

  • for a fixed number of uses or amount of time, and

  • to varying degrees of exclusivity, depending on the agreement.

• Once the work is in use out in the world, I like to hear from clients to let me know if the outcome is matching the goals they set for the commission. Let me know!

• I always reserve the right to promote my work on my website / folio / social media, but for many projects I won’t do this until I have your permission, to make sure I’m working alongside any important timelines, embargoes, or other plans you have for your licensed use of the work.

Stage 4: Re-use

• For an illustrator, copyright is our bread and butter—literally. Selling a license to use our visual creations is how we pay the grocery bills. So, when your usage license expires:

  • You may choose to re-license the work for additional future use, or

  • I will endeavour to re-license or re-sell the artwork if possible.