The art of working to a commission

Going it alone Tanya Combrinck talks to a trio of freelance artists about how they built their workflows and deal with client projects

- Tanya Combrinck

Producing work that realises someone else's creative vision is an art in itself. You'll need to juggle tasks like pricing, contracts, feedback and payment, and there's opportunity for miscommunication and other inefficiencies to throw a spanner in the works. Building a solid process that works for you and your clients is essential for making sure it all runs smoothly.

Syd Mills works full-time as a freelancer whose client work includes book covers, character art and illustrations for tabletop RPGs. Her first piece of advice for those taking on commissions is that you start out small; begin with just three or fewer clients to make sure that you don't become overwhelmed.

Before you get going, work out your timescales and pricing. "Figure out how long it takes you to complete a non-commissioned piece, and understand that it may take much longer while working with a client," she says. "Requests for major revisions, delays in feedback, and personal life events can break up a timeline you assume will be smooth."

When you've got a sense of how long it takes you to complete an image, use this to calculate your minimum charge for a project of a given length. "Build your pricing around the expectation that you deserve a living wage for what you do," says Syd. Take into account that you should be earning enough to build up some emergency funds, and remember to push your prices up in line with inflation.

"I always make sure I understand exactly what the client is looking for before I set a price," she says. "Rates depend on the specifics of the job, typically number of characters, cropping (whether it's a full or half body), the outfit or armour, any accessories, and environment. I repeat these exact five things to almost every prospective client I speak to so they know what information to provide."