Invoice template for illustrators
Illustrators are usually paid for two different things that get blurred into one number: the work of making the image, and the right to use it. A spot illustration for a blog and the same image on a national packaging run take the same hours, but they are not worth the same. Showing the licence as its own line makes that obvious and protects your rate the next time.
The invoice should also name the licence it grants: medium, territory and duration. If the client later wants to put the editorial piece on a T-shirt, both of you can look at the invoice and see that this use was not covered.
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The example lines and prices are illustrations. Replace them with your own.
What illustrators forget to bill
- The usage licence as its own line, with medium, territory and duration written out.
- Rush fees when the deadline was shorter than your normal turnaround.
- Extra sketch rounds or a change of direction after the sketch was approved.
- Additional formats or crops for social, web and print versions.
- A kill fee if the project was cancelled after sketches.
Questions illustrators ask
Should illustrators charge separately for usage rights?
Yes, or at least show it separately. The creation fee covers your time; the licence covers what the client does with the image. Splitting them lets you charge more for wide use and less for a small one-off, without changing your hourly worth.
How much should an illustrator charge for a rush job?
There is no standard figure. Pick a rule and state it in your quote, for example a fixed surcharge or a percentage of the fee for anything under your normal turnaround. The point is that rush work bumps other clients, and that has a cost.
What goes on an invoice for a cancelled illustration?
A kill fee line, matched to the stage the job reached: a smaller amount after sketches, more after colour roughs. List the stage so it matches the kill fee terms in your quote or contract.
Keep the next one in OIO
Numbered automatically, tied to the client and the project, outstanding until you mark it paid. Overdue invoices get their own list and a reminder written for you. Free plan, no card.
Start freeAlso for illustrators: quote template and contract template. Invoice templates for related trades: graphic designers, animators, 3D artists, copywriters. Or browse all invoice templates.