Are You Charging Enough for Live Illustration? Let's have a pricing chat.
Fee transparency - what’s fair & what’s too low for graphic recording and scribing?
I’d love you to finish reading this article feeling inspired and empowered to charge more for your incredibly valuable, highly skilled work.
Most of us start out undercharging. It’s not your fault! You just haven’t been given the right information. Until now. 🤩
This pricing question has been following me around for years.
It haunts me.
But what haunts me more is seeing fellow live illustrators seriously under charge and deprive themselves of a decent income.
For the love of eating-cold-baked-beans-out-of-the-tin-because-you’ve-been-chronically-undercharging-and-can’t-afford-to-heat-the-beans-up PLEASE STOP.
Put your fork down and read this. What I’m sharing here might just earn you a few more hundred quid per job. (At least!)
“When I saw the suggested budgets listed for the various jobs on the jobs board I first swore, then swore some more, then scribbled all over my day rate papers and upped my prices by....hundreds.
I wonder if quite a few of us are undercharging for a variety of reasons
Part of it was I didn’t know what people were charging for this work. I kinda guessed. I tried to research but people weren’t very clear with their prices.”
-Cassandra
Growing up, I quickly learned that you’re not supposed to talk about money openly. It’s embarrassing or dirty or something.
You’re also not supposed to tell strangers on the internet your entire life story and deepest darkest secrets but HERE WE ARE. Let’s just carry on, shall we?
If you’re having a tough time, you’re not alone. Fresh out of uni I was slapped in the face with how scary, frustrating and limiting life can be when you’re not earning a sustainable income. I don’t want that for you. If you can do live event illustration work, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Hopefully, my breaking of pointless societal rules about talking about money means that at least one other illustrator can earn a decent income.
I hope this post makes your parents/guardians all squirmy and uncomfortable. I want them to clutch at their pearls and gasp. I might even swear a bit.
If making more money from your creative work and being transparent about the industry and fees etc. sounds good to you? You’re in the right place. I’ll put the kettle on.
BUCKLE IN! Yee hawwwww.
When one illustrator charges properly for their work, the whole industry benefits from it.
Oh wait, first! Some housekeeping: none of this is legal or financial advice. I’m just sharing my perspective, my experience, and how I’ve navigated charging for live illustration over the years.
I trust that you will employ your entire brain, nuance and discernment when reading this. Because I’m based in the UK and only work at English-speaking events (all over the world), most of my experience is through this lens.
This article is all about getting you properly paid for a skill which is in high demand - and that not everyone can do. It is NOT an article about ripping off clients and charging as much as you can for as little work as possible.
You know how tough and energy-sucking live illustration is, don’t you? Good.
Now that we’ve got all that oot of the way, let’s go.
When I finally got my first paid live illustration job, I panicked.
With shaking, clammy fingers, I messaged a pal who I knew had lots of live illustration experience. HELP. HOW MUCH DO I CHARGE?
I love this particular friend because she is zero-bullshit. She’ll just tell you.