This is what I have to dig through every time I look for new jobs to apply for.
For non-artists, letās give you a little perspective.
For me, an illustration takes a bare minimum of 6 hours. Mind you, thatās JUST the drawing part. Not the research, or the communications, or gathering information. Just drawing.
Thatās if itās a simple illustration.
My art deco or more detailed stuff can take 20+ hours each.
Even simple, cartoony things still take at least 3 hours.
Letās go with the second one. 2 illustrations for $25. Figuring 6 hours each. 12 hours total, for JUST the drawings. Thatās approximately $2.08/hour.Ā
Asking these prices is an insult. But whatās even more hurtful is there are people out there that will take these jobs. Which only encourages rates like this to be acceptable. And there are people who will try to say these are just what you have to do to get started.
I believed that. So my first coloring gigs were just $10/page. The day someone offered me $25/page for just flatting work, I realized just how wrong Iād been. Iām still not making the rates Iād like, but now I refuse anything below $25/page. Because there is value in my time.
In any standardized industry, even ones that pay piece rate over hourly, these numbers are criminal.
Do your fellow artists a favor. Never accept jobs like these. There are others that pay legitimate rates. Or at least closer to legitimate.