Commission an Illustrator

What is the role of the Hong Kong Society of Illustration (HKSI) in the client's quest for an illustrator?
HKSI is committed to effective communication between client & the illustrator, so that the illustrator can successfully complete the work requested by the customer to achieve a win-win situation.
How do I search for desired illustrators on the HKSI website?
Use the category search function in the upper right corner of the website homepage and directly enter the name of the illustrator to reach illustrator's personal page. Or enter a keyword in the Filter window in the Members page to reach the particular illustrator.
After I have finished searching the website, yet I have not been able to decide which illustrators to contact with, or when I have questions. What should I do?
You can email the relevant information to hksi.member@gmail.com , we will follow up.
How many talented illustrators are there among our HKSI members?
HKSI members consists of members with different skills such as hand-painted, computer-illustration, Figure,  street graffiti, mixed media, etc. Please feel free to browse their individual pages for better understanding.
What is the standard procedure of working with an illustrator?
The standard procedure is as follows:

1. Customers need to find illustrators by demand and obtain quotation

2. Contract agreed and signed by both parties, the contract should specify the price, completion time (draft and final), payment methods, the number of modification, Period of use of Illustration (if any) and the use of work , copyright etc.

3. Customers pay the deposit, the illustrator will then complete the draft for customer confirmation before the final artwork is processed;

4. The balance needed to be settled after the customer approval of draft,

5. Illustrator delivery works.

Each illustrator standard of procedure may differ, please communicate with each other to the consent of a  comfortable way of cooperation.

Under the contract period, can the draft and finished artwork can be further modified?
The collaborators are agreed to modify the draft to meet the customer's needs (suggested 3 times for modification). When the work is completed, if customers need to make a large area of ​​change again, the illustrator has the right to request additional costs to modify the finished product.

If the contract states that the copyright belongs to illustrators, the other party cannot unilaterally make the work complex or reprocessing.

 What if the client wants to buy copyrights of illustrator’s work?
HKSI do not suggesting illustrator selling his/her copyrights to clients; selling copyrights illustrator will lose the rights to reproduction, distribution, display and exhibition, public performance, and producing derivative work to illustrator’s original.The usual cost of copyright is multiple times of the licence to use the same copyright
What is licencing your copyright?
Licence is a contractual agreement between illustrator and client which sets out what the client can do with a work. The scoop of use and time frame should be listed in contract to protect both parties. The licence can either be exclusive or non-exclusive. The illustrator retains the copyright of the work.
If a client cancels a work in progress, will the illustrator be paid?
If a client cancels a work in progress or rejects a finished artwork for reasons unrelated to the artist’s performance, the artist has a right to compensation. The amount is based on the stage at which the project is cancelled.
Can the customer request the illustrator to provide a digital original file (eg graphic files)?
The customer should indicate this request before signing a contract, the illustrator can decide whether an additional fee is required or not.
I want the illustration to be economic, fast, and high quality, is that possible?
High quality works are time consuming and will increase the workload of the illustrator, which means that there is a need to pay the corresponding price. Therefore, it is unreasonable for fast and high quality work with a cheap price.
What information I must prepare for getting a quotation from an Illustrator?
Customers need to know clearly what they want for the style of the work (if necessary, can provide reference to illustrators), the content of the work (easier for illustrators to measure time and difficulty required for creation) the usage of the artwork (e.g. for newspapers, magazines, advertisements, branding, network media), Usage time frame (Using only one time, several years or permanent use), Work submission date (commonly known as deadline, so that the illustrator can measure whether there is enough time to draw), Region / country in use, size and format required ( e.g. hand-painted original or computer files), whether the need for additional design and printing services ... ... every illustrator will have different requirements, please make sure to have better understanding before signing the contract.
What is the difference between a Full Membership and Associate Membership?
They are different in Assessment criteria, membership rights and membership fees. Full members are required to have 3 years or above of illustrative experience. The assessment will be rigorously assessed by the applicant's "experience", "skill", "creative" and "personal style"; the membership fee is also slightly higher than the Associate membership. Some of the HKSI activities are only available for Full members to participate. Full members enjoy some of the voting rights. So we highly encourage excellent illustrators to apply for becoming a full member of HKSI.
How does the illustrator determine the price/ quotation?
Illustrators will quote a job based on workload, working hours, branding, personal popularity and the use of regional. Further enquiries please feel free to email to hksi.member@gmail.com , we are happy to assist the illustrator to set up a reasonable price.

 

 

If you have any further questions, please email hksi.member@gmail.com .