Freelance Illustration Pricing Pt 1

You may be wondering how much to charge as a freelance illustrator and it can be tough to decide what’s an appropriate amount. In my case, I’ve found it difficult to figure out what would be appropriate since I am more of a generalist than a specialist.

For this particular post, I’ll specifically be talking about creating characters and assets for commercial use in animated videos. This includes creating the turnarounds of the characters, creating them in PS, CSP, or Illustrator in layers, making sure to separate their respective elements so the animator (who isn’t me) can rig them. Please note that I am not speaking for the whole industry, but my specific experience — so this is kind of different from a traditional animation job AFAIK.

I more commonly get jobs drawing vector illustrations such as characters, concepts, and small graphics in Adobe Illustrator that are ready for animators or motion graphic designers to use for ads, shorts, and explainer videos. These are sometimes referred to as “animation assets”.

This is very much a number that fluctuates based on various things. To simplify this equation, I typically charge more if I have to do more work. “More work” here includes actually having to think about the things I draw versus drawing a literal interpretation of what a client needs. Drawing the concept of “industry” requires a lot more mental gymnastics than it does to draw a “manufacturing plant or building with three stacks, with steam coming out from one”. The difference is that the first is an abstract concept that lends itself to many interpretations while the second is a literal description of what a client expects to see.

Once I figure out the scope of work, I add in another factor: how big is this client? This is absolutely important because you’re providing value. It would not be fair to charge a small brick and mortar coffee shop the same hourly/fixed rate you would charge a company from Silicon Valley making millions in annual revenue. For non-corporate clients, it helps if you also know their budget beforehand. If a client has allocated a specific budget to a project, it is much easier for me to say “I can/can’t do this for X amount, but I can also do this Y” and let them choose.

My final factor would be the consideration of the consistency of work, or “repeat work”. Are they hiring you for a one-time big-time campaign? Or do they need to hire someone that they can sustain paying over the medium to long term?

I charge my lowest for individuals that may need it for their small businesses that only hire me for their illustrations while someone else does the animation. For these clients, I typically only have to interpret a very specific list of things that they have given me.

I charge my highest for a client that gives me a script but has no storyboard or list of things they need illustrated. This means I first have to go back and forth refining the concepts in their script. I then have to do some research to enrich that understanding. Then, I have to take the time to storyboard with animation suggestions. From there it’s a few rounds of suggestions back and forth. This is a bit more collaborative. It also requires a lot more of my creative input in a sense that I have to deliver my vision within their brand’s own while keeping it within the limitations of the production team.

My current rates have gone from the lowest of $25/hr to the highest of $75/hr. Based on Litebox.info and the current conversations surrounding pay transparency in the creative industry, I have been undercharging. But you wouldn’t know this by looking the sheer amount of people who do not have access to a standardized information database on rates.

I wanted to share what I do personally for pricing so that there’s more transparency with rates in the creative industry. A lot of well established and better artists than myself have also been sharing their own rates. I suggest you have a look!

The highest I’ve been paid for these kinds of illustrations is if the company or brand itself reaches out to me directly with a clear scope of work and what they want to have done and it gets lower when the production process involves more people. I’ve learned from experience that the lower the rate I’m offered, the more abstract the scope of work is. Some clients that have lower budgets ironically end up expecting more work. This is where you have to stick to your guns!

However, this is not to say that clients with lower budgets do not recognize that a ton of work is involved in creation. You should just always be 100% clear on what you are doing for that rate and always have a discussion on whether their requests go beyond your original scope. This conversation is key to getting paid the rates you deserve and to clear out any misunderstandings before you actually start working with them.

Don’t be afraid to turn down work! Turning down dead-ends open up way more opportunities for more fulfilling work. I also have different rates for picture books and drawings that are used for labeling and branding. I’ll be writing about that in another post next week and linking to some great resources for calculating pricing!