How do I get into Freelance???

[Lancer_fm]

Wassup,
I really need help. I want to do some freelance work (basically any work I can get my hands on) and I :
1) Have no idea were the hell to start...
and 2) Have ABSOLUTELY no idea were to start...

I have a few character sketches that I have drawn and some environment designs (and thats basically all my portfolio entails at the moment).
All I have done to date is post my stuff in the "Artists looking for work" forum. I have lots of views but no replys...I dont know if thats a bad thing or not?

So it basically comes down to this...Do I start emailing companies my stuff (who? were do I start looking?), do I start applying for jobs (Where do I start looking again...), or do I just sit and wait for an email from my thread?

This might sound like Im lazy and haven't really looked, but I really dont know what to do....how to get into freelance...

Any help Appretiated.... :D

:mumble:

[deschamps]

You must decide what type of work you want first, which is very important! Without that you'll have no direction in building a portfolio. Next you must build a portfolio that reflects that type of work you are looking for. Think about what you feel an art director in that field would like to see. Then go ahead and send those badboys out!

[jetpack42]

check http://www.craigslist.com (in your local section (you do this by clicking "craigslist" in the upper left)) in the art section of the jobs, freelance gigs come up there all the time. Good luck!

[Lancer_fm]

Thanks for the replys dudes....really helping a lot.
:btu:

[donkeyslayer]

i have been wondering the same thing too. thanks a lot for the link jetpack!

[CoreyPierce]

tips by successful illustrator Brad Holland



With art schools letting out, many young artists have questions about how to get started in the illustration business. There are no sure-fire answers to questions like these. Every artist has to find the approach that best fits their own work and temperament. But we've compiled a practical list of questions and answers that may come in handy for beginners. These suggestions are neither definitive nor exhaustive. Anyone who'd like to contribute their own advice is welcome to do so.

Q: What sort of portfolio should I use to present my work?
A: You're not trying to sell the portfolio, you're trying to sell the work inside. Keep it simple. A basic black press book can be an effective way to let the work speak for itself.

Q: How do I put together a portfolio before I have any published work?
A: There are a couple of possibilities here and the jury is split on which one is more effective. One option is to mock-up magazine covers or spreads using your own unpublished illustrations. Assign yourself an existing article to illustrate, or put one of your pictures on the cover of a popular magazine. It can be helpful for an art director to see your pictures within the context of a publication. On the other hand, as with the presentation of your portfolio itself, presenting your unpublished work simply, as c-prints or color xeroxes, can work too.

Q: What about advertising? Are postcards an effective way to get my work out there?
A: Yes and no. Art directors are bombarded with mountains of postcards and promotional mailers every day, so the chances of an art director picking yours from the heap might be slim. However, postcards are an inexpensive way to get your work out there, and they work well as leave-behinds, too.

Q: How do I get a mailing list?
A: Like everything else, there's a cheap way and a less-cheap way. First, the cheap way: Go to Barnes & Noble with a notebook and get a big cup of coffee. Then sit down for a few hours and write down all the names of art directors and mailing addresses (for the publications' EDITORIAL OFFICES) for the magazines that fit your style and interests. This is good homework, too - seeing what's being published and who's publishing it. Or, for a few hundred dollars, you can purchase a mailing list that is tailored to specific markets (book publishing, the recording industry, fashion, etc.).

Q: How about the sourcebooks?
A: Sourcebooks are expensive, but they reach a wide-ranging audience of people who buy illustration. If you're living in a big city with lots of publishers, it might make sense to pound the pavement for awhile and try tracking down work on your own, door-to-door. You'll meet people and put faces to those you hope to work with. But if you're working from a smaller market and hope to tap into more national publications, an ad in a sourcebook can be a way to extend your reach beyond your little town.

Q: How should I contact art directors to show them my work.
A: This is one of the more frustrating aspects of getting started as an illustrator. Art directors rarely meet with illustrators face-to-face. Instead, most publications have set drop-off days when illustrators can drop off their portfolios for an overnight review. And don't feel bad if there's not a note inside when you pick up your portfolio the next day. Chances are your work was reviewed and any leave-behinds were filed away for later projects.

Q: How often should I show my portfolio?
A: It's smart to keep a portfolio in circulation as you're getting started. Show your work to anyone who'll have a look. It might also be wise to make up several portfolios. That way, you can drop them all off in a few hours and use your time more expeditiously.

Q: Should I get an agent?
A: A good artists' rep can certainly help you make many tough decisions and free up your time for making art. As a rule, most reps will expect you to have a track record of some sort before they accept you, but that shouldn't dissuade you from showing them your work. It never hurts to get a professional opinion. You might pick up some good tips and there's always a chance you'll get lucky.

THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS
Q: When I get an assignment, how do I go about pricing my work?
A: Remember that you're only selling reproduction rights. Think of your pictures as songs. A songwriter doesn't have to write a new song every time he sells an old one. Why? Because he is only selling specific rights to that song (for a car commercial or a radio jingle). The idea is to keep the exclusive rights to your pictures and sell only limited rights for specific usages to clients. It sounds complicated, but it isn't.

Q: When I get an assignment, what should I look for in the contract?
A: It's generally understood that an illustrator is only selling one-time reproduction rights when doing a picture for a client. The original artwork and copyright remain the property of the artist. If a client sends you a contract, you should read it carefully because they are probably trying to get more than they're paying for.

Q: What can I tell a newspaper or magazine when they ask me to sign an unfair contract?
A: Remember that contracts are drafted by attorneys and that the art directors you work with will probably be sympathetic to your concerns. So the best course to to take a collegial tone. Negotiating contracts is never pleasant, but with experience you'll gain confidence. Two good books can aid you here. Both are available from Allworth Press:
Licensing Art & Design By Caryn R. Leland, Esq. http://www.allworth.com/Catalog/ILL042.htm
BUSINESS AND LEGAL FORMS FOR ILLUSTRATORS By Tad Crawford
http://www.allworth.com/Catalog/ILL118.htm

Q: When I get an assignment, what steps do I take?
A: In theory, you should complete all the negotiations before you begin to determine rights, usage, schedule, exclusivity, complexity and extended rights (including Internet usage). In reality, however, you'll probably face a short deadline and will have to negotiate these terms even as you prepare sketches.

Q: How many sketches should I do?
A: The choice is yours. Unless the client requests more, one sketch is standard. If the project requires more, this should be negotiated beforehand. Often, "corrections" are requested in the finished art, but only to the original agreed-upon concept.

Q: What about changes to my final artwork?
A: Original artwork cannot be changed without the creator's approval. Changes to an illustrator's work must be made by the illustrator, unless permission is secured from the illustrator.

Q: How should I price my work?
A: Price your work according to how the image is to be used (full-page, double-page spread, cover, spot, etc), and whether the client wants one-time rights or more extensive usage.

Q: But how do I know if my price is right?
A: There's no easy answer for this. The good news for beginners is that most publications have standard usage fees and most art directors will tell you how much they can pay. A good negotiator may be able to drive up these standard fees, but you'll have to depend on trial and error to find out.

Q: Should I use Pricing Guidelines as a tool?
A: For several decades, artists considered Pricing Guidelines a valuable resource. Only lately have many realized that publishing these fees for art directors and publishers to see may have been a serious mistake. Many clients and art directors believe the prices quoted in these tables establish maximum fees and build these fees into their budgets. In fact, the Pricing Guidelines are nothing more than a survey of what current prices are. It should be obvious that if you base future fees on a statistical average of what current prices are, you’ll preserve the status quo. Many artists now believe these guidelines are one of the reasons that illustration fees have stagnated for 30 years.

Q: Should I copyright my work?
A: If you're a freelancer, your work is automatically copyrighted the moment you do it. This protects it for your lifetime plus 70 years. You don't have to sell your copyright to a client, although, for enough money, you may choose to do so. If you work as an employee of a studio or agency, your employer probably owns the copyright to the work you do. It's important to remember this distinction.

Q: Should I register my copyrights?
A: To be eligible for your full copyright protections, you must register your work with the Copyright Office. The procedure is simple and inexpensive. It is explained clearly at: http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/06_resources/index.html
The necessary forms are available for downloading there.

Q: Who owns my original art?
A: You do. Your client only licenses designated usage.

Q: What does "usage" mean?
A: A client pays you for the right to use your art in a certain manner. Traditionally, a publisher buys "first-time publication rights" only. That gives them the right to use the art only in their publication and only for one-time usage. You automatically retain all "secondary rights" and the client must negotiate separately for these.

Q: What are “secondary rights?”
A: Secondary rights are all rights except those licensed to the client who commissioned the work. While you are legally entitled to license secondary rights to other publications, good business sense will tell you not to license an illustration soon after its first publication, or to a competitor of the original client.

STOCK
Q: What is "stock?"
A: "Stock" is just a common name for the secondary rights to pictures.

Q: Should I sell stock?
A: It's best to remember that selling stock requires an inventory of pictures. This means that an artist with 20 years in the business will have hundreds or thousands of images to license, while you may have only a few. Stock favors established artists, not beginners.

Q: A stock agency says they can help me get started in the illustration business by promoting my work. Should I believe them?
A: You should proceed cautiously and get all the facts before you sign a contract with a stock house. A stock house is in business to make money for themselves, not for you. If they use your work to attract clients, those clients will call the stock house - not you - the next time they want art. Think of a stock house as your competitor, and if you conclude that it's a sound business decision to give inventory to a competitor that they can use to underprice you, then proceed accordingly.

Q: A publisher has offered me money to do illustrations for a royalty-free disk. Should I accept?
A: It's a violation of antitrust law for any trade association to tell you what you should or shouldn't do with your work. All we can legally say is that most illustrators regard royalty-free art as exploitation.

Q: Why?
A: In royalty-free, you get a small, one-time fee for a series of pictures and surrender all rights forever. The buyer of the CD-ROM can do anything he wants with your work. He can alter the images, crop them, sample them, or combine them with other pictures. They can remove your name. And by surrendering all interest in your pictures, you can never build any residual value in your work. Worse, by providing others with pictures to alter, you're signaling to clients that you have no respect for you own craftsmanship. In royalty-free, the company that pays you is considered the "author" of the work. Legally, you have no further claim to the pictures at all.

Q: Will joining an organization help me get work?
A: That's not typically considered the role of an organization. It's better to think of organizations as a means by which artists can work together to share information and to help improve the industry. It's worth joining any organization whose goals you believe in.

There's much more we could say about getting started. We'll try to add to it as we get the time. But if others have questions or suggestions, please add them below.

Jonathan Twingley
Brad Holland

[pmiles]

Be forewarned that as a freelancer, you are self-employed. Tax laws regarding the self-employed (in the U.S.) can be quite deadly if you are not aware of what they are. When I worked freelance, I was required to pay upfront, quarterly what I thought I would owe in taxes at the end of the year. This also includes social security taxes and medicare taxes. If you do not pay these taxes quarterly or underestimate your taxes, you can be hit with a pretty stiff penalty at the end of the year. Definately see a CPA about your tax liabilities BEFORE quoting any prices or taking on any work, otherwise you may end up owing more than you earn.