Hire an Illustrator

Introduction

So, you're looking to hire an illustrator or artist for your project. Well, you've come to the right place. This short and to-the-point guide will help you with the process and avoid pitfalls and wasted time.

We will use our freshly minted BBSSCC technique to keep things simple and ensure the artist hiring process stays on track: Brief, Budget, Style, Select, Communicate, Commence.

1. Brief

Have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish by commissioning original artwork. Your idea will be the core of your artist brief and give you a target to hit. A couple of examples are an eye-catching book cover that helps you sell more copies of your book or an illustration that helps convey a message and compliments an editorial piece. Keep it simple and don't overthink it.

2. Budget

To help you determine your budget and the general costs involved, decide on what value an illustration will bring to your project. So, if it's a "commercial" project, you must remember that hiring an illustrator is an investment, and you should consider what your return on investment, or ROI for short, will be. Conversely, a private commission will generally only have intrinsic value, its value to you personally and what you or someone else is willing to pay. A high-calibre artist can increase the value of the artwork, increasing your commercial project's value or the desirability (and therefore value) of a privately owned piece.

Managing a budget is essential and negotiating fees is an acceptable practice, whether that be an artist not underselling themselves (which is very important for numerous reasons) or a client trying to get a better deal on a purchase. All is good if neither the artist nor the client is exploited and the price is fair - don't be afraid to talk about money, as being upfront about it is always appreciated.

3. Style

Decide on the style or general look of the artwork you'd like to commission. Consider how appropriate a style is for the market related to your product, article, advertisement, or gift. Research your "niche" and decide whether to go with what's trending and popular or buck the trend and stand out. Generally, the personal tastes of the hirer (client) or the brand rules of the organisation for which an art director or designer works heavily influence this decision. Sometimes, a mixture of both.

Examples: Editorial Artists, Children's Illustrators, Animators, Advertising Art, Hand Lettering, Hand-Drawn Maps, and Infographics.

Supplemental: An Illustrator's Style Is Their Brand

4. Select

Find an illustrator or a selection of artists whose portfolios showcase the type of work you're looking for. Finding an illustrator is where Hireillo can help and even help you work out your budget (2) for the artwork. All you need is a FREE follower account.

Hireillo works with agents, collectives and several hundred professional freelance illustrators. We organise their information and portfolios to make it easy for clients to communicate with artists and always find what they're looking for. Plus, we're happy to guide you through the process when you need some extra assistance. All of Hireillo's illustrators are for hire and you won't find any trashy AI images on the platform, as all of their work is proudly made by humans.

5. Communicate

Now that you've found an illustrator, you need to contact them and start a conversation. The best way to do this is to send them a direct message via their Hireillo portfolio. Social media DMs can be unreliable or go unseen. Even emails, especially unsolicited, can end up being blocked by a spam filter. This is why we recommend using the Hireillo messaging system, as there are backup procedures to ensure artists always get the messages sent to them via their portfolios. There are also measures to protect the illustrators and clients from scammers, making it a robust messaging system.

6. Commence

When you message an illustrator, include your brief, general budget, what you will use the artwork for, and a deadline for the final artwork. Subject to the artist's availability, they will then typically send you a proposal, including a quote, some loose licensing terms or copyright options, and maybe a payment schedule. Once the job terms have been agreed upon, either party can write a contract to formalise the agreement, and work can commence.

Congratulations! You've hired an illustrator.

To educate yourself on the ins and outs of copyright, we recommend The Copyright Book by William S. Strong, and to better understand the obstacles and legal jargon, we recommend Legal Roadmap for your Creative Business by Kiffanie Stahle.

Other Guides

How to Hire a Children's Book Illustrator
How to Hire a Comic Book Artist
Getting Started as a Freelance Illustrator
Finding Work as an Illustrator

How to Hire an Illustrator