How do illustrators (and personally I) actually work? Things to know before ordering a picture from the artist.

During the years of my work as an illustrator I met different types of clients. I'm lucky that 90% of then were really nice and sane people. But sometimes in illustration, like in any other profession we meet people that completely don't understand how to go through the work with an artist and get what you need. It's OK while they are polite, ha-ha:) Funny that the worst client in my life insisted that he worked with illustratots for twenty years. Seems like he confused them with desighners.

Image credit

So, in this post I'd like just to reveal some secrets about how illustrators actually work:)

• 1. We can't read your minds.

If you don't know what do you want yourself - how can we guess? Once I had an epic client, who said that "he's not that much in art, and it's my job to know how everything must look".

Surprise! Wrong:) With no clear technocal task you'll get a pig in a poke, and it's the best result to wait for.

• 2. Most of us work only after the sketch is confirmed.

"Sketch" means general composition and general idea. A way to check out if we understood each other correctly. And it doesn't mean that all details will be there, it can have no color, it can be really rough. Again - we make them only to seek for the composition and to make sure that the idea is caught right. It gives only a little idea about how the finished art will look. And this fact leads us to the next question:

• 3. Choose an illustrator based on his portfolio

If you use this tip - you know what to expect. First - you already can imagine how the finished art will look based on the sketch from the paragraph above. We all have our own style AND the themes we work with. So if you need a drawing of a tank - looks for an illustrator with tanks in the portfolio. If you ask about it the one who has girls with big boobs in it - it's unlikely to achieve success.

• 4. We don't make endless corrections of the drawing

From the moment when the sketch is approved we make no big corrections of the drawing. In other words it's OK to ask to add a tiny detail, for example one more button on a jacket, but it's not OK to ask to replace the jacket with a dress. Corrections of this kind are paid separately.

• 5. We don't work for free. 

We all have our own average prices. Illustration is a work like any other, we earn our living with it like people in any other profession do. No one expects to have a free bread from a baker or a free haircut from a hairdresser. So - no free drawings:)

• 6. If you say "I would draw it myself, but I have not enough time - belive me, we really would like to see it:)

And now a few words about my personal rules of work.

• 1. I also always work through sketch approval. That's the most stresssfull part of work, in fact. When everything is ready with the sketch stage - everything else is pleasure. So usually I try to deal with this part in the same day when I accept the comission.
• 2. I have a price-list on different types of illustrations (depends on how complicated the drawing is, what medium is required and how the image will be used). I also do charity illustrations and drawings foa animal shelters of different types. And when it comes to comissions I can make the price lower than usual under two conditions. First - i like the customer. And the second - I'm super interested in the drawing theme, it's really close to me. When it comes to corrections - I make only three for free. Only three, and the fourth considers as another picture.
• 3. Usually I work really fast. But it's just my personal feature and it doesn't mean that I put less effort in my work.
• 4. If you have references (samples) of what you would like to see - brilliant. I will look for them myself anyway. But see  the first paragraph of the previous list - I can't read thoughts:)
• 5. I always require a technical task in written form.  Oral discussion is an amazing thing, but it has nothing to do with a clear statement of the problem:)

Thank you for watching:)

Love, Inber