So you’re a writer. You don’t have the confidence yet to draw on your own, or you don’t have any interest in making visual artwork at all. It doesn’t take long before you realize that words alone may not always draw eyeballs to your work. What do you do? Why contact and commission an illustrator to help! There are so many artists with all types of styles, you’re sure to find someone that will be able to mesh with you!
What people tend to forget, though, is that what you are doing is entering into a relationship with the artist you contact. You should have the mindset that you are building relationships within this business. When you have a good relationship with your illustrators, you will understand their strengths and their schedules. This brings up something important:
1: Your Illustrator May Not Be Available At This Time
You may have the best story at the front of your mind, but that doesn’t mean that the illustrator that you were planning on commissioning is available at the drop of a hat. They are human like you are. They get sick, many work day jobs and they may have deadlines over their heads. They could be experiencing a loss that you have no idea about. Most of the time, they may just be working with other clients, and you need to wait.
This is where building up a list of illustrators is something to strive toward. Sometimes a writer can get much of what they were looking for and get the story released sooner. Do you have time to wait? Take time to save up the commission money and have it ready to go, the illustrator will be very grateful!
2. Understand The Process
Illustrators, knowing that there will be questions, tend to have a pricing list set up to answer many of the questions they may be asked starting off. These will include things like:
- Style of work (Sketch, Flat Colored, Fully Shaded)
- Scope of the work (Bust, Full Body, etc.)
- Common additions (extra characters, complex backgrounds, things that will take them longer to complete)
- Price Points at each level
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are common elements to look for. Different illustrators will have different prices for different services. Familiarize yourself with them.
Before you begin, be sure to include references! References will make it easier on your illustrator, and therefore easier on you! Find pictures of the pose you want! Can’t find one? Draw a rough likeness! You don’t need to be perfect, as long as you get the idea across. If you could draw the picture perfectly yourself, you wouldn’t be commissioning them!
Sketch Phase
This is where your rough idea comes back from the illustrator. This is their attempt to get as close as they can to what you want. This is when they are the most open to any changes. That’s not permission to give you completely change poses and everything, but you can make significant changes within reason. Talk with your illustrator! Don’t tell them it’s fine only to come back later and make a major change after they’ve laid color down! This will be counter-productive to your business relationship, and be a quick way to make sure they will never work with you again.
Cleanup Phase
Things will look a lot smoother! This is where the image gets “tied down” and cemented into what will be used for Inking and then Coloring. This tends to be the last chance for a commissioner to make changes to the composition of the piece. Proceed from here if you are happy with the pose, the perspective, and the all-around look of the piece.
Inking/Coloring Phase
This is the final step. This covers from the Inks (black lines to solidify the sketch) all the way through a shaded coloring! This is the final product that you get to look at and enjoy to your heart’s content! It is DONE! Thank your illustrator for all their hard work and make sure to credit them for their work if you decide to share it with others!
3. Know How to Ask
You are so very excited to work with your first illustrator! Great! Just remember a few things before you hit that send button in their DM’s and you’re well on your way!
- Do they take requests through DM’s? Check the Commission Sheet! (if they have one)
- Do you have the money to spend? Check the Commission Sheet for rough prices! Sometimes illustrators will offer payment plans, but remember that they will not start until they are paid in full! PLAN FOR THIS!
- Are they currently OPEN for commissions? Generally illustrators will show this through their profile pages on their social media of choice, but feel free to ask them! Just don’t pester them if they are unable to take any at this time, or if they don’t actually offer commissions!
- Never, Never, NEVER initiate an introduction with your illustrator with things such as “Hi.” or “How are you?”! These are vague, and they do not know you. Illustrators don’t always have the time or patience for pleasantries. How do you fix this? Tell them what you want!
Hello! My name is (Enter your name here)! I saw you had commissions open, and I wanted to know if you had any available at this time?
This lets the illustrator know that you are a potential client! When they tell you “Sure! What did you have in mind?” Then you can let them know! Tell them as best you can in your own words. Describe it concisely. If necessary, offer to share references for poses. Though if you have your own character you want them to illustrate, references are mandatory! If this is your first time having that character illustrated, you may need to work with them to find a good plan. Don’t be discouraged!
4. Do Not Haggle!
Nothing will kill an illustrator’s interest in working with you faster than telling them “You charge too much!” These are people who have developed their craft over years. They have looked over their own market, and chosen the prices they are comfortable with offering for their time. The price list is there for a reason! If you need to split a bill into a payment plan, talk that over with them, and see if that’s feasible. Otherwise, choose something that is more within your budget at the time, save up for something more pricey and what you might want more, or do not waste their time.
5. Be Patient!
Have you ever had a micro-managing boss at your job? Don’t you hate the amount of stress it gives you when they bother you every time they see you? Just looking at them, you know you are going to have a bad time, and dread even being near them. Well that’s what it feels like when an illustrator sees the same commissioner’s name showing up in their DM’s or instant messaging service with things like “Hey! Is it ready yet?” and “When will it be done?”
I’ve waited as long as a year before an illustrator I worked with was able to finish my commission. I’ve known people that have waited SEVERAL years before their commissions were done. These are extreme cases, yes, but it is important to remember that the person you are commissioning is still a person. They may have family to take care of, kids get sick, their own job is taking a toll on their mental health! You can’t rush art!
To date, I have only ever had two illustrators I have commissioned abandon my piece. It is so far removed that I could not ask for a charge-back. One disappeared entirely, and one has gained notoriety now does professional animation and doesn’t answer my calls. These are the edge cases you hope to never happen. They do, but I could have done a lot to make sure they didn’t.
To avoid this, be sure to check in every few weeks. Give them time to work, or at least check to see if anything may be coming up that they have planned and cannot work, or if delays need to be made. Delays happen, just make sure the conversation doesn’t fall off. Illustrators that I have worked with will be the first to tell you “hey, I am so sorry, I may need another few weeks/month/etc.” and that’s fine! Did you have a deadline that this piece had to be completed? Remember, this is an art piece for you to enjoy. If you believe in the illustrator that you spent all this time and money researching and commissioning, it will be worth the wait.
If things get to a point where they need to refund the money you sent them, do not take it as an insult. It is very hard to tell someone that wants to support your art that they cannot do it at that time. Be gentle, be understanding. Treat them as you would want to be treated by others.
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