Illustration contract template
Illustration is sold twice: once as the work, once as the right to use it. This agreement separates the two so you are paid for both.
The template
1. Commission[Three] illustrations for [use: a children's book / packaging / an editorial feature], in [style], delivered as [300 dpi TIFF and layered PSD] by [date].
2. ProcessSketches by [date]; Client approves one sketch per illustration before final art begins. [Two] rounds of changes at sketch stage and [one] at final are included. Changes after approval of a sketch are billed at [rate] per hour.
3. Fee[amount], [50]% on signing, [50]% on delivery. Additional illustrations at [rate] each.
4. LicenceOn full payment Client receives a [non-exclusive / exclusive] licence to use the illustrations for [use], in [territory], for [term]. Any other use, including merchandise, is licensed separately.
5. Ownership and creditIllustrator retains copyright and the original files. Illustrator is credited as [name] where practical and may show the work in a portfolio after publication.
6. Kill feeIf the project is cancelled after sketches, [50]% of the fee is due; after final art begins, the full fee is due.
Paperwork keeps the licence terms on the proposal, the contract and the invoice, so they never drift.Paperwork fills the proposal, contract, invoice, SOW, NDA and change order from one form, and your client signs from a link. $19 once. Try the free demo first.
Licence, don't sell, unless they pay for it
A full buy-out (all rights, forever, everywhere) is a real product and usually costs two to five times the licence fee. Quote both. Most clients only need the licence.
Approve the sketch, then draw
Final art is where the hours go. Written approval of the sketch is the line after which changes cost money, and it protects the client too: they know exactly what they are getting.