How to hire Toy_Box?

There are many myths about the job of an illustrator or a visual artist in general.  This text is a manual that is supposed to support smooth, fast and joyful cooperation for both sides of a contract. 

What are the usual steps?

Because I am a member of Czech Illustrators, a company whose aim is to set a standart for Czech illustrator scene it is important for me to make sure the cooperation between me and a client goes as smooth as possible. Therefore please read these instructions carefully. Usually I am approached by clients after they’ve seen and liked some of my work. If they’re interested in my services, we proceed with the following steps:

During an introductory meeting which might be in person or conducted on the phone or via Skype, I try my best to understand how I can serve and help the client with my art. It might be useful in this phase, when you’ve already thought about your focus group, where and how will be the message we are going to communicate together presented, and who are the people that are supposed to take interest in it. It might also help if you tell me why did you chose me speciically and which of the techniques and styles I am proficient in you like the most. During the briefing we specify the way how the artwork will be handed over, the dates and the way how it is going to be used, and under which license the artwork will be available for use. An average briefing takes from a hour to hour and a half and I charge 800 – 1500,- CzK for it.

As soon as I have an idea about the ammount of work you expect from me, I will prepare a calculation of the price. The basis is calculated upon my hour rate, which is 700 – 1000,- per hour, and I add all other expenses as well: art accessories, papers, travel time, preparation time, fuel costs etc. I will send you the calculation for approval. If you approve, I prepare the contract.

Based on the data from the briefing I will prepare a contract, specifying: what is the work I am going to do, the deadline, in what form you receive the work and under what license. In some cases a detailed specificion of the artwork is included, meaning that I will describe what is the focus of thew artwork and how it is going to look like. Or, how am I going to do the work, how will I receive the payment, or how will the artwork used in the future. I will e-mail you the contract and you either mail me back a scan of a signed copy, or in case of urgent contracts, send a confirmation via e-mail (which will be specified in the contract). As soon as the contract is signed, I can begin to work.

In case of a standart contract, eg. an illustratioin, a design for a t-shirt, a tattoo etc., I usually offer three sketches with a pencil, to decide which direction we are heading, and one detailed sketch. In the contract I usually specify the time client has to reply after they’ve received the sketches. I have good experience when the client chooses the style and content of an artwork at the beginning and then lets me work until the artwork is finished. Working without preliminary sketches on the other hand proved to result in difficult situations. Therefore, although I charge for sketching (usually 700,- do 1000,-, according to the hour rate), it is not advisable to skip this step, persuade me that I have a “free hand” and push me to work on the final artwork without the preliminary process. The sketching phase is there for the client to present his or her comments, which then help shape the final outcome. It ensures that both sides are sure about how the outcome is going to look like and there is no more input necessary from the client. Any sketches out of the standart set (more sketches, more changes or completely different ideas than have been communicated in the briefing) are charged by a fee based on my hour rate.

In this phase we have all the sketches and a clear idea about the style I am going to create the artwork in. Any work resulting from the client asking for deviation from what had been agreed upon are at this point charged by my hour rate as an extra cost. 

The way the artwork is delivered is described already in the contract. For example sent by mail, or uploaded to a file sharing service (usually wetransfer.com). Also the time you have to confirm that the artwork has all the specifics you asked for is speciied in the contract. After that I send you an invoice which is usually due in two weeks. In charge of my invoices is Radek Wollmann (email radek.wollmann@gmail.com), who will contact you also in case of overdue payments and consult any other problems.

Price list

The fees that I charge foir my work cannot be set beforehand, each contract is individual. Take this pricelist as a basis for further communication.

What are you going to get if you order…

… a sketch?

By sketch I mean usually a black and white drawing with a pencil, which can be both

very schematic

… or detailed.

Sketch is only a way to confirm the content of the illustration, not the final style. The fee for a sketch is between 700 and 1000,-, depending of the complexity.

…illustration?

Time spent creating an illustration varies, depending on the size, complexity and colors I use. I base the price of illustrations on my hour rate, I always estimate time I am going to spend creating the illustration. It is not true that a simplicity of an outcome implies less time spent creating it. A good example of this prinicple is a logo, which can be extremely simple, but the creatin process involves a considerable ammount of time spent preparing, testing and adjusting the design.

These are rough estimates of fees for different types of illustrations:

Simple motive for use in a text
700,- až 1000,-

Black and white illustration
1000,- až 1500,-

Color illustration from one for use inside a text (which runs around it) to an editorial illustration (color illustration with a background covering the whole page)
3500,- až 5000,-

Black and white illustration with one color used in a graphical, non-illusive sense
1500,- až 1700,-

…a comics?

Creating a comics requires complex skills and experience, which are seldom delivered by one person. A visual artist with a distinctive style doesn’t usually also have the literary skills necessary to tell a story. Thanks to my complex education in arts, experience in news magazine publishing and study of literature I can honestly say that I meet all the criteria for both the artistic and literary demands of this work. Creating a comics is at the same time one of the most time-consuming disciplines, therefore I seldom accept such offers (and I prefer to create my own graphic novels). If you decide to ask me to create a comics, the price will be calculated based on my hour rate 700,- až 1000,- including all the preparation: collecting data, writing the script, sketching, storyboard, layout etc. and a fee for one page that is usually around 5000,- . If you count the average number of panels on one comics page (usually 7-10) and take into consideration that including the sketches I am going to spend at least an hour, a hour and a half with each o them, you’ll see that the price is accurate.

…painting?

The prices or paintings also depend on their complexity as well as size.
As usual, I start with preliminary sketches, that I show the client for approval.

The price for a simple drawing or a portrait of one person ranges from 5000,- to 15 000,-

 The price for a portrait in color or a similar painting ranges rom 20 000,- to 40 000,-. 

A big group portrait (for example a family portrait) or a painting I charge between 70 000,- and 120 000,-.

…a mural?

Murals and interior designs are preceded by preliminary sketches. A rough estimate for a price of a wall covered partly by a drawing, partly by painting ranges from 20 000,- to 60 000,-. The expenses (colors, printing) are charged extra.

In case you are interested in any of the above mentioned services, contact me via e-mail ( toybox@toybox.cz ), a phone ( 739 120 100 ), or with a private message on Facebook. I am looking forward to our cooperation!