ImagineFx_-_December_2019

(Jacob Rumans) #1
How do you approach
calculating your fees?
I almost always base it around
how much time I think I’ll spend,
and then multiply that by an
hourly rate. I determine the
hourly rate by setting how much
money I need to earn in a year
and dividing it by 2,000. That
represents 40 hours of work a
week, for 50 weeks.
As a simple example, if I said
that I was going to target 100K
a year then my hourly rate would
be $50 an hour. In reality, of
course, I don’t always have
40 hours a week of work from
clients. Sometimes it’s more,
sometimes it’s less.

How important is it for the
brief to be specific?
I prefer to receive a looser
description in the brief and then
ask specific questions. I love the
freedom that it provides and if
your communication is good
with the art director, you can still
be sure to provide the client with
exactly what they need.

What advice would you offer
an artist who’s about to accept
their first commission?
Don’t be afraid to ask lots of
questions. I’ve never had an art
director become upset because
I asked too many questions. After
that, do lots of sketches and
submit the best ones. Maybe six
or seven ideas that are strong.
That might mean doing 20 to get
to that point.
Once you establish a working
relationship, you might reduce
that to just one or two strong
ideas in the future. But for the
first few jobs, I recommend that
you go overboard with ideas and
ask lots of questions!

INDUSTRY INSIGHT


The fine artist outlines his
approach to commissions

Born in Arizona and now
living in Utah, Howard is
an award-winning fine artist
and illustrator.
http://www.howardlyon.com

HOWARD
LYON

Howard says that,
“Most of my clients
I’ve known for
years, so we both
have a good
understanding
of expectations.”

Annie advises that artists
should “see every
commission as a chance
to not only make some
money, but to also
improve your skills.”

“The people who
commission you
deserve the same
respect you’d
offer anyone
else in your life,”
says Kelsey.

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