I’m fairly new to the commercial illustration space. As I’ve eased out of client design work, I’ve taken on some exciting projects - including a book I recently illustrated for Harper by Design, called Wise Words from Bookish Women (coming April 2022).

While I enjoy these projects, I don’t see them making up a large percentage of my annual income. I don’t want to be tied down by too much work for other people. However, if a project sounds fun, challenging, and like it would be great exposure, I’m all in! It goes without saying, but the pay should be fair too. In my ideal world, I’d love to do a commercial illustration project every 1-3 months. The cool thing about these projects is that they tend to bring out my best work, because I don’t want to let the client down.

My debut into the commercial illustration world has been eye opening. I used to be TERRIFIED of this space. Producing great art on the spot for high profile clients? My own personal nightmare. Two things made me less terrified - becoming more comfortable with my art and gaining commercial experience. At some point, I just had to say yes to a project, and have faith I would figure it out. Once I dove in, I realized commercial illustration is nothing to fear.

In this article, I want to talk about what I’ve learned and what to expect from these types of projects. Hopefully in doing so, you will feel better about commercial illustration work. If you’re already doing this type of work, congratulations. It takes a lot of guts.

Every Project Follows a Similar Process

Getting familiar with this process has given me confidence working in this space. Since I’m not currently chasing down leads, most projects begin with an art or creative director reaching out to me. They first provide an overview of the project. We then discuss timing, rights, and payment.

If that all sounds good to me, the client sends a contract. This outlines everything we’ve discussed from file specs to deadlines to rights. I carefully read over the contract and sign if it looks okay.

A typical commercial illustration project begins with black and white sketches. If the project requires a lot of illustrations on a tight timeline, you may be able to push back on this step. For a time saving hack, you can create a quick sketch on an iPad. I’ve included an example sketch below from a recent calendar illustration project I completed. As you can see, it’s not great. It’s simply to give the art director a feel for composition, so I try not to overthink it.

Once the sketch is approved, I move on to full color art. The thing I love about commercial illustration projects versus client design work, is that these projects usually don’t require much back and forth. I don’t need to constantly check my e-mail. It’s more of a ‘go do your thing and come back to us in a few weeks’ vibe - my favorite.

For the final art, I scan my illustrations into Photoshop, and do touch ups. For how I edit my art, you can watch this tutorial. I make sure the size and specs meet their requirements. Then, I send over a Dropbox link with the final art.

Sometimes, the art director will have minor edits, like changes to color. Usually these aren’t too extensive, especially if the sketches were approved beforehand. I typically make these edits in Photoshop. I just assume every project will have edits, and then I’m pleasantly surprised if there aren’t any.

Once the project is complete, I send a final invoice with my payment details. My favorite way to be paid is through ACH deposit - straight to the bank account, no frills. Most clients like to pay this way too. Every once in a while, I have to wait for a check in the mail. For a free template of the invoice I use, click here.

What to Charge

This is tricky, but my background in client design work has given me confidence to ask for what I want. For me, it’s all about rights. If I can keep the rights to my art, I can charge less. The fact that I can resell the art in the future is everything to me - especially since my print shop is my main source of income. The client obviously retains the rights to use it in the space they’re wanting (ex: exclusively in a calendar or book), but I have the rights to use it elsewhere. I always push for this option if I can. If I get to keep the rights, $300 is the minimum I will charge for a full edge-to-edge painting. $150 is my minimum a smaller/white background painting.

If I can’t keep the rights, which is sometimes the case with high profile projects, the compensation should make up for it. In this instance, I’d ideally like to make $500 minimum for a full edge-to-edge painting, and $300 minimum for a smaller painting on a white background.

If a project is really exciting to me, I may be okay going lower on price. If the exposure will be great, I may go lower as well. I use my judgement on this, because anyone promising great exposure is probably trying to convince you to charge less than you’re worth. If a project will provide great exposure, you won’t need to be convinced. It will be obvious. I can’t emphasize how important it is to charge what you’re worth. It’s a great service you're doing yourself and the entire industry.

For more direction on what fair prices are, the Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook is a great resource.

How to Get it Done

This is the part I’ve always found overwhelming. You know what they say - the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. For a larger project, I like to tackle the illustrations in groups. It’s helpful to send groups of illustrations to the art director too, so they have time to think them over and provide feedback. You’ll also get the feedback in batches, which is really nice.

For every project, I make a printed schedule for myself to make sure I stay on task. This outlines which illustrations I’m doing by which dates. I always start with the easiest illustrations, because it’s tough to get momentum in the beginning. If I fall behind, I catch up on the weekends, so I can start on time the following Monday. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a huge list of illustrations the day before they’re due. In my schedule, I always make sure I leave time for editing. If you need more time on a project, the art director will probably be able to work with you. Just make sure to give plenty of notice, and don’t make a habit out of it.

For the process I follow to make sure each individual painting is a success, you can check out my article on How to Paint Almost Anything. I follow these steps with each and every illustration I do for a commercial illustration project.

Once the Work Is Done

After the project is complete, you just need to get paid, and continue following the rights outlined in the contract.

I often have to send payment reminders. These types of clients have a lot on their plates. They don’t ever forget to pay intentionally. Often things just fall through the cracks. I typically give 30 days, and then send a reminder. If they still don't pay, I remind them in another few weeks. You can always threaten to charge a late fee as a last resort, but I’ve never had to do this. Usually people are happy to pay. They just need a few reminders.

In order to track outstanding payments, I keep an excel spreadsheet of all the projects I’ve done this year. I mark which ones I’ve submitted invoices for, and which ones have paid out. It’s a great way to track income too.

When it comes to sharing work online, just ask first if you aren’t sure. Usually clients appreciate the heads up. Often they will tell you when it’s time to share before you get a chance to ask. They want the project promoted as much as you do.