Every illustrator knows the moment. A friendly email arrives, the project sounds genuinely interesting, and the last line asks the question you were hoping to avoid: "What would you charge?" The figure you type back matters, but it is rarely the whole story. Two jobs with the same fee can end up wildly different once revisions, rights, payment terms and tax are taken into account. Treat pricing as a checklist rather than a guess, and quoting becomes calmer, faster and much easier to defend.

Start With the Brief, Not the Number

Before you write a figure, get the job described in writing. A quick reply asking five or six questions shows professionalism and saves an awkward renegotiation later. Ask:

• How many finished illustrations are needed, at what sizes or aspect ratios?
• Where will the work appear — print, web, packaging, social media, advertising, a book?
• Who is the client, and is anyone else involved, such as an agency, publisher or brand team?
• What is the deadline, and how many rounds of revisions are included?
• Is there a budget range already set aside for illustration?

If the client can't answer yet, quote anyway but state your assumptions in writing — "based on three spot illustrations, one round of revisions, UK web use for twelve months". That single sentence turns a vague guess into a defined offer.

Time Is Your Floor, Not Your Price

Work out the honest hours: reading the brief, research, thumbnails, sketching, refining, revisions, file preparation, emails, invoicing. Multiply by an hourly or day rate you would actually be pleased to earn. That number is your floor. Never quote below it without a deliberate reason.

The floor is not the price. Add for the things that make a job harder or more valuable: a tight deadline, unusual formats, technical accuracy, a fussy approval chain, or a client who needs the work for commercial gain. If the quote starts to feel uncomfortable, the honest response is usually to raise it rather than to talk yourself down.

Licensing: Where Quotes Quietly Go Wrong

An illustration fee buys the artwork. It does not automatically buy the right to use it everywhere, forever. Those are separate things, and separating them is the single most useful habit in illustration pricing.

Usage

Ask where the image will appear and how widely. A single magazine inside page and a national advertising campaign are not the same job, even if the drawing takes identical time. Price the usage on top of the creation fee, or build it into a combined figure — just make sure it is visible in the quote so the client understands what they are buying.

Exclusivity, territory and duration

Note whether the licence is exclusive or non-exclusive, which countries it covers, and how long it lasts. Exclusivity costs more because it stops you reselling the image. A twelve-month UK web licence is a very different proposition from perpetual worldwide rights across all media.

Watch the word "buyout"

When a client asks for full copyright, they are asking you to hand over the artwork permanently. That is possible, but it should be priced considerably higher than a licence, and it is worth pausing before agreeing. If the wording in a contract feels broad or unclear, take advice before signing.

Deposits, Terms and the Paperwork

Good terms protect both sides and make you easier to work with, not harder. A simple sequence covers most commissions:

1. Deposit first. Many illustrators ask for a percentage upfront — often somewhere between a quarter and a half of the total — before starting work. It covers your time if the project stalls and confirms the client is serious.
2. A short written agreement. Deliverables, deadline, revision rounds, licence terms, fee and payment timing, all in one page. Email confirmation is better than nothing, but a signed document is better still.
3. A proper invoice. Numbered, dated, with a clear description, the amount due, your payment details and your VAT status if relevant.
4. Clear payment terms. State them on the invoice and in the agreement. If an invoice goes unpaid, follow up promptly and politely, and look into your options under UK late payment rules for commercial debts.
5. A cancellation clause. Decide what happens if the job stops midway. A staged fee, rather than nothing, is normal and fair.

VAT Basics for UK Illustrators

If you are not VAT registered, you cannot charge VAT, and your quote is simply the total. If you are registered, the usual approach is to quote fees excluding VAT, then add VAT at the applicable rate on the invoice — which means the client pays more than the number in your quote. Say so plainly to avoid a nasty surprise at the invoicing stage.

Two things catch people out. First, VAT applies to the whole invoice, including licence fees, not just the drawing time. Second, work for clients abroad can fall under different place-of-supply rules, so the treatment is not always the same as a UK job. Registration thresholds change, so check the current figure on GOV.UK rather than relying on what you remember. VAT is a technical area and getting it wrong is expensive — a short conversation with an accountant is money well spent.

This is general guidance, not tax advice for your specific circumstances. If your turnover is approaching the threshold, or you work with overseas clients, speak to a qualified accountant.

Send the Quote and Stand Behind It

Put the quote in a simple document: scope, assumptions, licence, fee, deposit, timeline, validity period — thirty days is common and reasonable. Then send it without apology or hedging language.

If the client says it is too expensive, resist the urge to discount. Offer to reduce the scope instead: fewer concepts, a shorter licence, a simpler format, or a longer deadline. That keeps your rate intact and lets the client choose what they actually need. A quote is not a plea — it is a description of a job done properly, and the clients worth having will recognise it as one.

Photo: Jakub Zerdzicki / Pexels