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What to charge as an illustrator

Illustration is priced as two things: the fee for making the work, and the licence fee for using it. This page works out both, in this tab.

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What illustrators charge

What was measuredRateSource
Freelance illustrators on Upwork, typical hourly range$15 to $30 an hourUpwork
Freelance illustrators on Upwork, median$25 an hourUpwork

Upwork's figures are hourly contracts on its marketplace, worldwide. An hourly rate prices the drawing and not the use made of it: the licence, for how long, where and in how many copies, is priced separately below.

The creation fee

This is the time part. The licence is a separate calculation underneath.

After tax. What actually reaches your account.
Software, insurance, hardware, accountant, workspace, training.
Everything you set aside before the money is yours.
52 minus holiday, illness and the week you lose to admin.
The one people get wrong. Pitching, quoting, invoicing, chasing, marketing and admin are not billable.
You need to charge at least
an hour
half day, 3.5h
day, 7.5h
week
Revenue you have to bill
Hours you actually work
Hours you can invoice
Hours you work and cannot invoice

Then price the licence

Licensing is charged on top of creation, not instead of it.

Creation fee
Licence fee
Licence multiplier applied
Quote the job at
creation plus licence
How it works

Everything on this page is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored when you close the tab.

Doing this often? OBSCURA Books keeps an illustrator's invoices, licence fees and bank in one set of books, with the self-assessment figures at the year end. On its own, US$4 a month; with everything else, US$9 a month or US$79 a year. 7 days free.