(512) 784-6119 • david@idrawbooks.com

General Financial Information: Prices, Estimates

My Number One, Most Sacred of Rules:
"You can have it Good, Fast, or Cheap, but you can't have all 3."

"Good" is always the one part of the equasion I won't budge on, so you can either have it Good and Faster, or Good and Cheaper. If you want it "cheaper"–it may take longer, if you want it "faster", then the price will be higher. If you want it REALLY fast (let's say… in 2/3 or less of the time I'd normally take , I'll call it a rush job and the price will increase a bit more, primarily because I will have to put other jobs and clients on hold until I get your job finished. The amount of the rush fee is dependent on how much of a rush is required.

How these factors and formulas affect your price is something we'll have to feel our way through together as we proceed.

My second rule is: I am me, I don't like to emulate other artists.

You've hopefully looked at my work. You apparently like my work and are considering using my talents. So, apparently you like my style and the way I do things. Feel free to show me examples of styles you like, but know that I will most likely not base any of my work on it. If you say you want "Dr. Seusse" I will do whimsy, but in my own way.

Beyond the first two rules, I'm flexible.

Any of the other guidelines, rules, or policies I use are always open to negotiation. My prices are flexible. I do really love to stay within a client's budget and I really hate for someone to leave the drawing table unhappy. The bottom line is that I want to work for you. I want you happy, and myself happy as well. I want everyone to leave the table satisfied that they are getting a superior deal, and excited about beginning the project!

Payment methods: I accept cash, check, PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, and I will consider chickens or possibly barter.

Estimates: I'll be happy to give an estimate if you can send some basic information about your project. At that point you should feel free to make a counter offer. Get an estimate.

Ballpark Price: There is no magic formula, but there is still a range for each kind of illustration. Plan on anything you want done only by hand being at the extreme top end of the range, and anything by computer, at the bottom end. For more info on that, go to techniques.html. I do set a lower price depending on the quantity of illustrations needed.

Item
Cover (each)
Full pg. (each)
Half pg. (each)
Small (each)
Full color, CMYK or RGB
$450-700
$350-600
$200-275
$85
Line art with 2 spot colors.
$300-375
$250-300
$125-175
$75
Line Art
$225-300
$175-250
$75-125
$65
Web Icons
Order a group and every fifth one is free! (20% off)
$50

Normal payment schedule: 1/3 of price for deposit, 1/3 at approval of roughs, 1/3 on delivery of finished art.
"Rush" jobs payment schedule: 1/2 of price at agreement to proceed, 1/2 on delivery of finished art. (Books are still based on the 1/3's schedule even if there is a rush charge, due to the number of drawings.)

Can I do the work in the amount of time you have?
First it must be physicaly possible to do what you need in the time you have, otherwise I'll probably not accept the job. There are always exceptions, but I can generaly do 15-30 detailed pencil illustrations in a month, but I cannot do 30 fully detailed color illustrations in a month.

I'd prefer to have at least 5-7 working days for each illustration.
Four days is pushing the envelope, but do-able if you don't mind a rush charge.
Two days is the absolute bare minimum, and the drawing is going to border on a simpler level of detail.

Tight turnaround necessitates that you and I can be in contact at any time, at the drop of a hat. If there is anyone else who will be involved in the decision process, they will need to be as accessable as you. I'd ask that we can add oe another to a facebook account or twitter etc. And Email would be a definite tool we'd use daily, sometimes hourly.

What constitutes a rush job?

For single illustrations:
Anything needed in 5 business days or less PER ILLUSTRATION.
The rate will increase anywhere from 25% to 50% depending on the level of urgency.

For Books or a large group of drawings:
Rush jobs: Normaly, you can figure on 5 business days per illustration, so a book with 30 drawings will require an average of 150 business days. Anything needed in less than 5 days PER ILLUSTRATION will be counted as a "Rush Job" and the rate will increase anywhere from 25% to 50% depending on the level of urgency.

If we fail to make the rush job deadline of 3-4 days due to any reasons not of my own contol such as a board or committee who can not reach a consensus, the fee will still be charged.

Non-Disclosure Agreements: If you feel a need to protect your idea but still need to give me details about what you'll need illustrated, you can request a Non-Disclosure agreement by E-mailing me.

A Few Notes:

  • I rarely price illustration work strictly on an hourly basis.
  • I tend not to do work "On Spec" or in a"Work For Hire" agreement.
  • I rarely sell the originals, or complete ownership.
  • I'll always ask for advance payment.
  • I will want a kill fee on big projects.