Don't have an account yet? You can create one. As a registered user you have some advantages like theme manager, comments configuration and post comments with your name.
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 7:52 am Post subject: Commision work.
Hey do any of you guys/gals do much commision ie: paid work? I've only done a few for pretty short money, but I'm new to it so I'm okay w/ that. I'm just curious what other people charge, and also w/ the legal issues regarding licenced characters. Thanks for any input you have! -Leif.
Joined: Jun 10, 2002 Posts: 769 Location: Ontario, Canada
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:37 am Post subject: Re: Commision work.
I've done a few, but mainly original characters created by the person commissioning the work. I think I've only done one or two with established characters. Price depends on what exactly they want (i.e. how involved and time-intensive the piece is going to be). For hardcopy pieces -- pencils or inks -- I've seen people charge anywhere from $25-$150. For digital pieces the prices are usually lower, since you can't actually hold it in your hard or hang it on the wall unless you shell out for a high-res print out. _________________ Jim Harnock - ODS
www.OrcaDesignStudios.com
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 638 Location: Planet Mongo
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 1:51 pm Post subject: Re: Commision work.
Very few 3D artists can ever "Quit Their Day Job."
I think part of the problem in finding work in 3D- art is that art directors who trained with traditional media techniques feel threatened by 3D rendering, or they have no appreciation of what it can do. They just don't want to recognize the change that has occurred in the last decade.
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 850 Location: Ottawa Ontario Canada
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:26 am Post subject:
I actually do quite a bit of commision work in the 3D field - very little with "established Characters" though, although I do have a couple of "canadian Heroes" images hanging in the National Archives of canada here in Ottawa.
But pricing depends on your quality, and the depth of the work, time spent, and I also base it on what the work is being used for. I was commisioned to do a small series of 11" x 17" prints for the Catholic School Board of Easter Ontario, and being an educational facility, and that the work was being used just to bring some art to some dreary old walls, I did not charge much, yet the OCTranspo service (The Ottawa-Carleton Transit system), commisioned a series of 22" x 9" images to be displayed inside all their busses. Being that these were being used for promotional purposes by the buyer, I charged much higher for the work, even though the depth and design were much easier.
If they intend to use it to publisize something, or to resell, or make profit from, then I charge more.
And at the same time, I do lots of work for local charities, which benefit from pro-bono work. _________________ =============================
New World Media/Muskateer Graphics
~Live the dream, experience the nightmare
=============================
yet the OCTranspo service (The Ottawa-Carleton Transit system), commisioned a series of 22" x 9" images to be displayed inside all their busses.
Very cool. You wouldn't happen to have any scanned images of those online, would you? I'd love to see them. And I'm never likely to ride an Ottawa bus. ;]
Hrmm... I've done commissioned work. No superhero or established characters, so I can't speak on that except "be very careful when doing commissioned/commerical work invloving someone else's trademarked caracters".
Pricing varies. I've done a number of commissioned, one-off, high res framed prints for clients, including one series of 12 images for one client. Mostly fantasy/sci-fi pieces. Since they're one-off's, custom work, not for reprint, and full rights go to the buyer: I charged roughly $1,100 to $1,500 each per peice. And that was probably low, all things considered. All of them are hanging in various homes or offices of private owners in the DFW area. I could use a few more contracts like that, right about now.
Book and magazine illustration varies. Your best bet is to get a copy of the current Artist's Market Guide, and look to see what various publishers are accepting, and what theuir general rates are. A copy of the GAG Illustrator's Ethical and Pricing Guidelines will tell you if those rates are average, high, or low for the contract, and give you sample contract examples to measure by. I will state that that's an entirely different field than what you see in the various galleries: most NVIATWS style stuff won't ever make it in commercial illustration or book covers. You want to look seriously at the style of book cover art and also at what publishers are buying, and then match that in your work. Otherwise... you won't get many contracts.
Daio and several others around the community do commercial works and gallery showings. Several, including Daio, also do the convention circuit. Daio recently had some of her work picked as the Featured Images for one con, IIRC.
George Deep and Ken Seismore [FastTraxx] are examples of artists who've successfully "gone pro".
There's other avenues as well: pay per view galleries like Renderotica's Premier Gallery is one. That may not be your kettle of fish - but not all pay-per-view galleries are erotica.
There's also the "create your own Market" avenue: turn your original art into products such as t-shirts, sculpture, models, or other things, and then market those.
Freelancing in graphics is as much or more of a challenge in imagining and creating a market and job for yourself, and then selling it to people, as it is about graphics. The rest is perspiration and perseverance. _________________ "I'd add a legitimate comment here, but that would mean reading everything, which I have no patience for." - Slynky
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum