Free lance graphic artists.

[Sneil]

Hi all, I was just curious if we have any graphic artists in the community that do freelance work and have much experience in the field. Curious as to what kind of money an artist generally makes. Im sure its a fairly competitive market to be in, but im wondering what I'd be looking at if I decided to put in more time and effort into it. Not enough to change carriers right away or anything, but to be able to do some side work at least.

How much time needs to be invested and what generally is the pay off, at least to start. I'm sure it all changes once you've made a name for yourself and have a few major titles to put your name on, but curious as to what starting off is like.

Thanks folks!


edit: dang cant edit free lance to freelance in title.

 

[666jet]

i believe @nox dose artwork so maybe he can tell you

 

[Elric von Rabenfels]

Freelancing in this field is anything but easy.
It's extremely competitive, with so many extremely talented individuals whose talents surpass most.

First of all, as freelance graphics artist, you should have studied the trade.
Then you build up your references. Then you do smalltime projects to gain recognition.

Unless you're extremely talented and create amazing art, it's a very long and rocky road to a position in the freelance business where you can really pay your bills without any other job on the side and work on larger projects.

 

[ZaratanCho]

You shouldn't really go in thinking about how much money you will make rather than just getting really good and showing off your work in big sites and getting some popularity. For 2d art it is usually payed by the hour. The client tells what he wants and the artists says he will need 15-20 hours etc. For 3d work not so sure, but i remember there were sites where you can put up your models and people can buy them(you might know of such sites). Many self taught 2d artists got there jobs by putting there work on deviant art and getting popular with a stable fan base and in time they just start receiving job offers, because people looking to hire browse such sites to find good artists they like that can do work for them.
As far as paying the bills and such things, i gotta say life standard can vary to a huge degree between people. I see plenty of people saying they need a certain amount of money a month to be stable and that amount for me is huge, it does depend on your lifestyle etc.
And you should really know exactly which field you want to focus on if you want to find a more stable job in a studio or something and build a portfolio probably. By field i mean, for example in 2d art if you want to work in a studio you should usually focus on either character design/landscapes,environments/or something even more specific, not just do everything,but be REALLY good in one. Well if you want to do a comics or a novel you better be good at everything ;D.
My experience in 3d is pretty limited though(might get into it more in the future ;d), maybe look for challenges etc try to win some prizes, again get really good, gain some popularity in big 3d websites.

 

[Sneil]

Thanks for your replies guys. So, don't quit my day job any time soon is what you're saying. Yea i knew it woukd be difficult to start off. i dont think ill be switching carrers seeing as im quite deeply rooted where i am now. It would have to be more of a side job type thing as i am relying heavily on my current income now to support my growing family.

And yea, it is 3D art Im persuing. Currently building up a bit of a portfolio, but an environmental artist for gaming would be the direction Id be heading. I have a feeling I'd need to keep it low key and just keep it to small side work helping small indie companies perhaps, like BM, or stick to selling models on sites like turbosquid, which i believe is what you, Zaratan, were referring to.

I guess just keep pumping stuff out and build up a portfolio, sharing work on sites like zBrush central etc and see where it goes from there then hey. Maybe start a website once Ive developed enough content to show off some talent.

 

[J.G. Elmslie]

Hi all, I was just curious if we have any graphic artists in the community that do freelance work and have much experience in the field.

I was a freelancer for years.

Curious as to what kind of money an artist generally makes.

Ah.
Well.... yes. Good luck.

No, sarcasm aside, it can be fairly lucrative, but it can be a complete headache to get into. I used to work as a 3d modeller and freelancer, and things Iv'e created are in a fair few titles out there. The difficult part is to get the initial contacts. my advice there is to do smallish work for outsourcing companies to build up a CV/folio. Having a website should be considered essential, as part of your portfolio. If you're an animator, you can host the videos on vimeo or the likes too and embed into the web folio. As a freelancer, I also recommend you try to build up a second computer, which can be kept clean, for when clients want Due Diligence reviews. a clean machine can make that far easier. We all had software that accidentally fell out the back of someone else's server, stuff like software that was very rarely used except for importing a file from a client once every six months, for instance, where spending £3K on a license would be insane. Keep that off the clean work computer, so every single piece of software on the clean computer is above board, and you pass Due Diligence.

However, the most important thing as a freelancer is your responsibility to set your hours, and that's what I'd like to leave a word of warning about. Its very easy to push way, way too hard, and find yourself doing 16-hour days day in, day out. Problem with that is, you will end up wrecking your hands. Take breaks every hour, get up, wander around, stretch your hands, and do things that aren't at the computer, to avoid Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). I didn't, which is why I use the word "was", not "am". RSI got so bad that there was a point where I was unable to even pick up a pencil my hands were so bad, and even now, 6 years since I stopped, I wake up every morning with my hands hurting. Its your responsibility to protect your health as a freelancer, and I urge you to not have the "oh, it wont happen to me" mindset. RSI damage is commonplace, and can be permanent.

 

[nox]

i believe @nox dose artwork so maybe he can tell you

Nope not professionally... yet.

 

[Elric von Rabenfels]

-snip-

Welcome to the forums, friend.
Good to have you here.

Everyone, listen to what James is saying.
He absolutely knows what he is talking about.

 

[Sneil]

Sorry J.G. Elmslie, cant believe I missed your post! Thank you very much for your input and your insight into your first hand experience in the industry. Very good to know about RSI, crazy to think such an injury can occur like that in a field like this. I'm currently in the construction industry and injury prevention is always first and foremost every day and our safety programs are ridiculously thorough. You don't expect to hear what you've brought up and suffered as a result of this type of work. Very sorry to hear, sounds like you are a very talented artist!
I can see you don't go into this expecting to make a serious living, and things are up in the air from job to job and pay changes project to project. I guess the best I can expect is to do this on the side and see where it takes me, perhaps counting it as extra income if opportunities arise. Im guessing it takes some serious amount of work to really be able to pull it off as a stand alone carrer, and with a 4 and 2 yr old at home, this could be difficult.

Thanks again very much for the input. I'll definitely continue on with a portfolio and eventually start a website. If the time comes, I'll remember what you said about due diligence as well, keeping a separate PC set up in the way you've suggested.

Thanks again, hope life isn't too difficult for you with your hands now and you've moved on to bigger and better things.

 

[Elric von Rabenfels]

The state of his hands are a real shame, but oh he's moved on to bigger and better things alright.

He now works as historian and cutler.
He is making most of my personal medieval weaponry.

And he's fucking good, his work is amazing.
If you ever need -anything- from a small knife to a longsword or even a pollaxe, don't hesitate to contact him.

 

[Sneil]

Wow, right on. Happy to hear.

 

[J.G. Elmslie]

yeah, people go "oh, its only sitting at a computer" - thing is, particularly modelling and the likes, you're going to be doing long, dragging motions with mouse or tablet constantly, repeating the same action again and again. its no less damaging to the hands than construction is to the back or knees. So take care of your hands. As I say, 6 years since I quit, I'm still waking every morning with burning pain and hands that wont work right. I'll have that for the rest of my life.

I would slightly disagree with "you don't go into this expecting to make a serious living" - if you have the skill, you can easily be making a decent income in the 25-30K pa range. but it does take a lot of work to get to that point. and its during that push that you're likely to find yourself overworking your hands and wrecking it all. So take it with a large dose of caution, and you can succeed there.

And well, as for myself, I make an adequate career as a swordsmith nowadays, doing stuff that isn't too badly impeded by my hands. So it could be worse...