Before we start, I'd like to say that doodling is a passion for me and there is never a day where I don't create something; with that being said, I can tell you now that pricing an item has got to be one of the most irritating and mind-boggling things I will ever do. I hate having to attach a price tag to a work of art. I love to doodle, and for me, it's not work, but it can be time consuming depending on the amount of detail required to complete each scene. I do love to create, but I also love spending time with my family and there are these things called bills, that even authors, musicians and artists have to contend with. I dislike bills just as much as I dislike billing clients for services rendered. I felt horrid handing over an invoice for X amount of money, as did some of my clients. They had no idea how much work actually went into such an endeavor. That had to change, so I set out to create a set of slides to show you all what I do, making sure to keep track of the layer count as I went.
**This is the way I do things, other illustrators may have different ways of pricing, but this seems to work for me. Always discuss your needs with your illustrator prior to starting any project.**
Layer Count: A layer added to increase detail and definition in a scene, with the ability to be moved, scaled and removed if needed, without having to recreate the whole scene. The client is in full control of the layer count. More layers = More Detail.
We will talk more about layers as we go through the steps to creating a fully illustrated scene; which is what we are here to do. I don't want to hand over another invoice to someone who doesn't know the depth of what they've asked for. It's not fair to them as the story creator, or me, as the illustrator. It takes teamwork to get a project like this done and both partners have to be on the same page to avoid any surprises.
So, here it is. Pesky Pricing Part 1- Character Creation
Your character/characters are one of the first, and most important steps, in this whole creation process. They are the leads in your story and you want them to look right. Whether they are six feet tall and have horns and a tail, or they can walk across a leaf and fly away on rainbow wings, you want the readers to see them, to know who they are in relation to the story. When I start a contract, I start with the characters. Depending on how often they appear in the story, and what sort of poses the client has set them in, this could mean creating four or five different renditions of the same character (Sleeping, running, laughing, sitting, etc...) This information will be gathered on the Character Creation Sheet, which I will leave a preview of, further down.
Now, for this presentation, I am only going to show you a single character, in a single pose. For a single character, say for a book cover, there are four basic layers.
As you see above, we have two basic outline layers and two basic color layers. For each layer, there will be a color layer to go with it (unless your project is in black and white.) Right now, we have four layers, if you want to add a purse, you've added two more layers. A laundry basket, another two layers. Coffee cup, another two! Now your single pose character is sitting at ten layers. Why make each detail a separate layer? So it can be moved, resized and/or removed if needed. Without these layers, removing that laundry basket for a new scene would mean recreating the whole character and/or scene.
Character creation is, in itself, a project. Depending on how many poses you want and how much detail you want in each scene, it can become hectic. For this reason, Character Creation is set as a separate cost, due to the varying additions and the fact that not every detail is required in each scene and the Character Creation Sheet is there to help both client and illustrator stay on track. As stated above, the client is in control of the layer count.
Here is an example of the
Character Creation Sheet,
which is about four or five pages, depending on how many poses and layers you require. Each character will need one of these filled out.
Character Creation Pricing:
As stated above, a layer is an addition to the scene/character that adds detail and definition. The scene itself is composed of many layers, and is called a slide. Character Creation is considered one slide with many layers.
Character Creation: 25$ a slide *includes 4 basic poses + 2 detail layers per pose
(Additional layers available for $1.75 each for full-color or $1.50 each for B&W slides) Let's do a little math: 4 Poses @ 4 basic layers each = 12
4 Poses @ 2 Extra layers each = 20 (Extra details could include: Laundry Basket, Coffee Pot, Microwave, Housecoat, Newspaper, Cell-phone, Toys, Puddle of Water...)
If we charged per layer, that would be 20 layers @ $1.75 each = $35.00 ******************** That's a 10$ savings! *******************
Whether you choose to add ten more layers or just go with the basic package, that is up to you, but now you know what goes in to creating a character/characters for your story. They can be plain and simple or incredibly detailed, you, as the client are in control of the layer/detail count. How do I keep track of the layer count? Glad you asked, I wouldn't want anyone thinking it was all in my head. I use a program called GIMP, sort of like a poor man's Photoshop. It's free to download and play with, but you may want to hit up some tutorials online, for it comes with NO Instructions. Nonetheless, it is my go to program when doodling digitally and the best part, it keeps track of the layers. Each one is labeled as it is created and each scene/slide has a layer count. From there, I keep track of each scene and the layer count within it, and when it comes time for the dreaded invoice, it helps me sort out the work and set the price. It also helps me show the client just what went in to each slide. Example: Basic Character Creation- Single Pose
*layer 1- Basic outline (Your character's body and hair) *layer 2- Basic outline color (Skin tone and color of hair) *layer 3- Basic detail outline (Clothing, shoes, etc... Anything permanently attached to the character) *layer 4- Basic detail color
Additional layers added:
*layer 5- Coffee Cup outline *layer 6- Coffee Cup color *layer 7- Newspaper *layer 8- Newspaper color
*layer 9- Laundry Basket outline
*layer 10- Laundry Basket color
It all adds up in the end, but the client controls the layers, which is a good thing, for I could add things upon things upon things... The last illustrated cover I did was around 136 layers, for ONE SCENE, but we'll cover Cover Creation, in part three!
Now that you've sort of got a handle on what it takes to create a character, I'll end part one and start on Part Two - Scene Creation, where we put your newly created character into a scene. Thanks for following along today and I hope I have done what I set out to do, which was not to bore you to death, but rather, inform people that illustrating is not just picking up a piece of paper and doodling; though, that is what I call it. In truth, I help bring your stories to life with fun and colorful images. You control the depth of the illustrations, just as you controlled the depth of your tale. Until next time, when we go over
Part Two - Character Creation! Happy Browsing, Mara!
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