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alexiuss — F-ING BEE. HOW TO BE A FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR
Published: 2012-02-06 08:45:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 55912; Favourites: 2096; Downloads: 496
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A TUTORIAL OF INTEREST PER FAN REQUESTS!"HOW TO BE A FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR?"
Step 1: CREATE AND POST!
So you has drawing talents?
Don't be scared to post work on deviantart and other websites such as conceptart.org or cghub
Post as much art as possible. Draw 10 hours everyday.
Post an artwork daily or once per week minimum if the art is really detailed.
Forget all other jobs if you want to freelance. It takes incredible amounts of time, dedication and a massive portfolio to be a freelancer.
You will need at least 1-2 years for just drawing and posting. Nothing but drawing. I don't care how, but it must be done. Draw and post work.... everyday... for a few years to get your work known!
Stuck in an art block? Don't know what to draw?
Want to get really motivated by your own watchers from DA?
Start a livestream session and have fun drawing whatever silliness your friends ask of you! It's great practice!
Get some energetic music to go with it!
Want to promote your work nicely on DA?
A collaboration is the best kind of feature on deviantart and they're not hard to get unlike daily deviations!
Ask well known deviants if they would like to collaborate with you!
Their features will give you hundreds to thousands of new watchers, depending on how famous a deviant-artist is.
If they feature your painting, it will get 10'000-100'000 views! That's better than any art gallery in the real world!
For example - want to collaborate with me? Send me a note!
Also, submit your work to groups. Groups is a great way to get watchers.
NEVER, EVER UNDERVALUE YOUR WORK!
CHARGE 100 TIMES WHAT YOU THINK IT'S ACTUALLY WORTH!
Once you start charging 20 dollars for an artwork you will be in a spiral to client hell, where clients give a pittance and expect a masterpiece and then direct similar ass-hat clients your way that propagate the same horribleness that makes value of your art worth very little, providing nothing but shame.
Instead of wasting time arguing with clients/working for a pittance do collaborations with other artists and expand your portfolio as much as possible!
Don't waste time on "ART PROGRAMS in universities". Very often, they will teach you almost nothing and put you in hideous debts, especially if there are a lot of "liberal studies" involved in the course.
Look into colleges or private lessons instead, of you have money to spend and need motivation.
Instead of wasting $50'000+ dollars on a degree, live with your parents and draw non stop everyday, trying new styles, creating new paintings, collaborating with new artists. Make friends on da- as many friends as possible. Learn techniques from experienced deviants!
STUDYING ONLINE IS EASY! Browse AND TRY OUT ALL TUTORIALS: [link]
HOW MUCH TO CHARGE CLIENTS FOR ARTWORK?
Here's an archive page for association of illustrators:
[link]
[link]
Generally you should charge around $250 to $10'000 dollars per artwork. If you're charging less, you're severely undervaluing yourself and bringing down the art market.
The lower range of $250 should be charged for small, easy commissions like personal portraits, simple interior illustrations.
The higher range should be charged for big companies that plan to do something with the work - print/distribute it worldwide, or want to get full exclusive rights for the work, or want "work for hire" (basically they won't credit you), etc. If a corporation makes money off your drawing skills, charge them well for it! Corporations can afford to pay lots, if you know how much your work is REALLY worth to them.
I state this again- it is better to draw personal paintings or collabs than to work for a pittance for companies!
You can sell personal or collab paintings as prints FOREVER and no client will ever tell you what you can/cannot with your OWN work.
A nice personal painting can make you $10'000 dollars in your lifetime if you sell prints of it successfully online!
Found this tutorial of interest useful or enjoyable?
+fav it to spread the word!
WANT ME TO ADD SOMETHING ELSE TO THIS TUTORIAL?
ASK QUESTIONS IN DEVIATION DESCRIPTION BELOW!
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Comments: 312
hey man, you're fantastic. Thanks for saying exactally what I needed to hear right now.
Just charged like 50 bucks for a GIANT COLORED COVER FROM HELL, just because I know the clients are a small 'poor' business. And now they think they can ask me to change pretty much everything I spent the last week working on, without any more money involved, of course. Spiral to hell, you say?
I tell you, I'm never doing that again!!!
And hey, want to make a collab with me?
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Agreed. Been there, done that as well. I'd also add to put in some extra wiggle room for that 5% or so of clients who never actually pay up. Because that happens more often than you'd think, even with a contract - they know that a free-lance illustrator doesn't have the money to shell out for a lawyer.
Wonderful style, btw. Gonna stalk you now.
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The graphics style look like you're somehow referencing from the Oatmeal.
But anyway, good job! :3
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This is fantastic! I'm studying to be a graphic designer right now, so this sort of thing will help me in finding freelance work in the future. Thank you so much!
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Reading this has helped so much already. I'm not at the skill level yet where I can do this (but I am constantly getting closer and don't under value my work) but I am glad to have this bit of knowledge for when I am.
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Some day I will take in all that you have to say. Keep trying to educate all use up incoming artist its alway good.
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Just wanted to say, you are awesome. The college studying thing is so true. Keep it up, Captain!
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oooh sexy
by the way, why are you wearing what seems to look like a nurses cap? are we gonna play doctors?
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The artsing advice. It is le good.
But I have a wall blocking that money thing. I am afraid of paypal. :C
I've heard people lose money to it. Like the website would pull from an account without asking. Or hackers would steal ze money. I can't afford to risk that.
Also, at the moment, I can't afford to draw a lot everyday. BUT AHM GONNA TRY. >:U
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This is one of the most useful pieces of information I've ever seen about becoming a freelance artist. Thank you so much! Everyone else I've talked to just tells me to go to art school and then hope it works out. This has inspired me to put much more focus on the art that I want to do, rather than spending all my time and energy trying to make it through an art program so that I can do my art later.
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This is very useful and we all thank you for the advice, but how does one simply "collab with well-known artists" when most of them won't bother giving lesser known artists the time of day.
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pester more of them, you'll find out they're nicer than you think sometimes!
When I started on DA I pestered many and many responded.
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Can't say I want to be a freelance artist, but I think this applies to anyone. It's good advice none-the-less.
Popular artists always seem so daunting though, especially for things like collabs D:
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Faved for later reference.
You're such a kind and helpful motherfuck <3
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DA is a great place to learn from artists!
But maybe add some other great sites, like conceptart.org or CGsociety on this glorious tutorial? There's lots of experienced artists there willing to give pointers, conceptart has a great thread for critique (I use it myself), and sketchbooks keep you drawing (plus people give you pointers there too). DA is a great place to learn too, but those sites provide some excellent drive, even if you can't draw and you feel pretty awful, people are very nice and helpful. (if you're willing to get critiques).
I'd also suggest to people who are very interested in doing Concept art for a living, learn a 3d program (like z-brush). 2d is a great focus, but don't limit yourself to it. A lot of places that offer jobs for concept work consider people who know 3-d programs as a great bonus. It's a very competitive market, learn as much as you can! 
Thank you for taking the time to write this journal.
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Last step:
Be awesome and rich.
This is great. Entertaining and helpful.
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XD I am a horrible example. I draw everyday, but only 3 of those days I'm allowed to to draw what I want and be able to post it. YAY NO DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS.
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This is Legend... wait for it! Thankyouverrymuchforthiswonderfulcomictutorialslashusefulinformation... DARY!
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Wow, thank you for the lovely tutorial! I got the motivation to start searching for jobs.
I've been studying graphic design for three years soon, but I really want to make a living out of comics. And it's not the school that's given me any chances, all of the good things I've gotten are from making friends with da artists, just DRAWING and making a lot of comics! I understand that my style is soooo far away from yours so I won't ask you for a collab haha, and seeing you must be pretty flooded with work. But just, thanks for this tutorial again!! 8'')
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I think this is overlooking a crucial step: "have talent". Too many people hoping to do web comics or some other thing for which they get paid, yet they cant grasp the simple fact that they suck. Your prices mean nothing if you cant produce something that someone is going to pay money for.
And, btw, Im not saying this to imply that I think that I can produce something someone would pay money for...
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Thank you very much for useful advices. I'd like to ask you - when you start being an freelance illustrator, do you need to accept every misserable commission? If I tried to make a living with freelancing, I think I would need to accept as many commissions as possible just to get known - and to get paid, ok? That doesn't seem very fulfilling to me, although it's possible to make any picture intreresting to paint, but it's likely that the commissioners won't like the result. (Not that I'm going to make a living with my drawing, my task is just to improve it. Living as a freelance ilustrator seem very unstable to me. I'm just curious.)
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I think people are confusing "commissions" with "freelance". Virtually the same, in all the ways that count, except for your clientele and how much you actually make. You would have to make art with gold paint and highlight with pearls to get that sort of moolah for a general commission... but if, I don't know, Nike randomly decided to change their look, and demand a handful of illustrations/designs to go on their website, in their store, or on billboards across the world... asking for $250-$10000 depending on what the work is is not that farfetched.
Excellent article, and hilarious to boot. XD
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I agree with this turtorial, lets collaborate.
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The website about prices is great but it's dated from 2004... So do you have something more actual to refer to?
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2007 actually, but it still counts.
Market prices haven't changed that much in 4 years.
You could technically sign up with that website and pay them for a more recent information.
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woops, I saw 2004 somewhere but indeed when I read it again the latest info is from 2007, but I believe you. The sad thing in your method is that not any parent will let their son/daughter stay at home with them until ''they're good enough'' to leave home and live from their art.
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the key is to start early, at around 14.
otherwise it is a problem yes and would require a side job to pay own rents. paying rent is still much cheaper than bloated and insanely expensive american university education
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Yes of course, I'm not taking the universities side at all 
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I started painting at 11, actually.
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Just by curiosity, do you have any very old art from you on this account, I'd like to compare your improvement over time 
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this is awesome and so so so so so so so so helpful! Thank you bunches ^_^
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THIS...is something.
right now I got no job, living at my parents place and trying to draw so much as I can ( I got a little brother to take care of too, so I miss so much free time to draw.) gotta follow this advice.... thank you so much
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Seriously. Thank you.
I've been having super bad issues with getting work lately and felt pretty 'in the dumps' till I read this. Sadly, I've been selling myself super cheap in hopes it'd bait s'more people. I'll be re-evaluating how I'm going about this. Really helpful stuff.
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How exactly do collabs work? I understand that it's when two artists make a piece of art together. I've seen lots on dA, including yours <3, but never really thought about how they're done until now.
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Living wixt your parents? Hmm, you had it pretty lucky there, considering you moved to the other side of the earth so early in you life, Vitaly
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Made me laugh, and gets to the point! Good job.
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"Get some energetic music to go with it!" I did that during my livestream and got IP banned from JustinTV... -_-
I had only streamed for a week.
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Thanks so much! This is exactly what I needed to see...
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love your tutorials and advises! ^^
and I'd love to try ALL drawing tutorials in dA... but its kinda sad that i don't have free time to study/learn in the internet.. i'm going to be so busy for 5 years [studying in college]...
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YEAH TOTALLY.
Post DAILY on DA so the ADMINS can take down you hard work without having the good DECENCY to talk to you.. fsssss
I don't need this.
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what? why would admins take your work down unless it violates the site's rules?
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I asked them the same thing. But got no anser.
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