FAQs

W H A T K I N D OF P R O J E C T S DO Y O U L I K E TO W O R K ON?

My process works best for those who are passionate about their book project, yet approach it like a business. I love variety in illustration and work on all different types of stories with all different kinds of authors. However, my strengths and interest lie heavily in doing nature, outdoor settings and animals (as well as kids of course). Books with only interior scenes do not play to my strengths. I book a limited number of clients each year to make sure each project gets the love it deserves. Therefore, I strive to find clients who are a good fit for me as well as me being a good fit for them.

W H A T I S Y O U R A V A I L A B I L I T Y?

In an effort to offer my clients an exceptional and personal experience, I only accept a limited number of clients every year oftentimes booking projects months 1-6 months in advance. Please inquire as to my current queue and book your project as early as you can.

D O Y O U H A V E S E T B U S I N E S S H O U R S?

Yes. I believe very strongly that a good work-life balance is key to running a successful small business and a joyful, simplified life. This balance is all that harder to maintain when your office is in your home. Out of respect for the personal time of my clients and that of my family, I have set working hours. Business hours are Sunday-Thursday from 9am-5pm. I typically respond to all emails within 1-3 business days during business hours and email is my preferred method of communication, as it’s extremely difficult to keep track of requests and details through social media.

H O W L O N G D O E S I T T A K E TO I L L U S T R A T E A B O O K?

Typically, it takes me 6-12months to finish a book project. Every book project is a bit different and will depend on many varying factors. My schedule may be more or less busy at different times of the year as well. It can be done in 6 months, but it could also easily take 12 months for complex projects. I would need to have you fill out my Creative Brief and send me your manuscript before I can give an estimate of both time and cost.

W H A T D O E S C O N C E P T A R T I N C L U D E? 

Concept art is done for a prospective client who would like to try me out, to see how  I might interpret their character and to see how my style will look paired with their story. Sometimes a client will commission concept art from their final two or three choices for an illustrator to help them make the final decision. The scope of the concept art is agreed upon between myself and the client beforehand. It usually consists of either a character development sheet (multiple sketches of the same character interpreted and shaped in different ways, usually with one of the character sketches fully colored) or a one-page full-bleed illustration of the main character and simple background to test out the color palette and any important secondary elements. Concept art includes one round of revision to do some tweaking, but any further development to the character design or concept art would have to take place after the project is booked. It is more a “taster.” Should the author contract their entire book with me later on, the concept art fee is credited back to the author. I do not do concept art for free, as it takes many hours to do it the right way, and given that I have a single signature artistic style, a prospective client can have a great idea of what their final artwork will look like by familiarizing themselves with my portfolio. My process is very thorough, which you can read more about above, and I have never had a client less than thrilled with their final artwork.

C A N I H A V E T H E C O P Y R I G H T TO T H E A R T W O R K?

I maintain the copyright of my artwork and the illustration, however, I do issue an exclusive commercial license, as is standard practice in the publishing industry. This basically allows you to use the artwork in any way you wish in order to promote your book. You can print flyers, postcards, stickers, bookmarks, posters, flyers, t-shirts, stuffed animals, promotional items and anything else that you want to sell yourself. Don’t fret. Just because I maintain the copyright does not mean that I can use the artwork or characters in other work. There is a competitor clause in my contract to protect you. Copyright ownership simply protects me from having my artwork sold to a third party without being compensated for it. A good example of this is how the well-known Llama Llama children’s picture books were recently made into an animated cartoon series available on Netflix. The illustrator deserves compensation for this and had she sold the copyright she would have lost out on a lot of income! Maintaining copyright ownership also allows me to showcase the artwork in my portfolio or to sell the “original art” as the one taking credit for creating the art. For a traditional artist, this implies they can sell the canvas or paper the art was painted on and art prints. For a digital artist, this implies art prints. It would be very expensive to buy the copyright for the illustrations, as I would have to estimate the potential future income that could be lost if it were to become a hit success. Maintaining the copyright also allows me to protect myself from anyone else trying to pass off the artwork as their own. There really is no need for the author to own the copyright to the illustrations, nor to waste their money on it. The commercial license offers you everything you need and protects you in every way. Once our project is complete, the artwork is, in almost every essence, your artwork.

W H A T A R E Y O U R B I L L I N G A N D P A Y M E N T M E T H O D S?

I invoice my fees and services through Square invoicing, a secure online payment method. In some circumstances, I can accept bank transfer into my bank account via Zelle. A 20% deposit is required to book your project into my schedule with the remaining amount split into equal monthly payments. The final payment must be made before any final hi-resolution files are delivered.

C A N I P A Y I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y I L L U S T R A T I O N? 

This might sound like a pretty fair deal on the surface, however, there is a lot of research, concept development, sketching, re-sketching, starting over, sketching again, revisions, and a lot more behind the scenes work that takes place to even reach the point of coloring a final illustration. By the time I get to that stage, I’ve already put in about a third of the hours for the entire book project. A book can take easily take hundreds of hours to complete, so I do have to protect my time and make sure I’m being paid for it as we go. I have, however, come up with a fair payment plan, where the illustration fee is spread out into equal monthly payments over the course of the project timeline.

D O Y O U T A K E A D D I T I O N A L R O Y A L T I E S?

This is decided on a case-by-case basis. Some first-time or “passion project” self publishing authors do not sell enough books to the point where any royalties would exceed my illustration fees or “advance payment”, as it is usually called. Nor do I want to be bothered with collecting royalty statements every quarter from all my past clients. However, I will sometimes negotiate for a standard 5% royalties fee from self-publishing authors who have a history of selling more than 5000 books or projects where I believe more than 5000 books will be sold. In such cases, royalty payments do not kick in until the advance payment is recouped by you, the publisher. You are welcome to send me a bonus, however!

I S MY D E P O S I T R E F U N D A B L E? 

In most cases, deposits are non-refundable, as it is your way to secure a spot in my schedule, which helps me to make sure that I give each client the proper amount of time and effort their project deserves. I book projects months in advance and with that, often turn away potential clients who require a quicker time frame. If you cancel your project, it leaves an empty space that could have been given to someone else. Only in certain circumstances, if I am unable to finish a project or I choose to cancel a project, would any refund be considered.