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As a bit of relevant background: Alyssia, my client, is one of my regulars. I've been doing illustration commissions for her for years now. This is great for both of us, namely because a) she knows what I do and what to expect (including how sometimes I will be a month late) and b) I know she knows what I do and what to expect.
So, without further ado.
How to Write an Amazing Commission Request
1. Query the illustrator. This is not as scary as sending in a cover letter to a prospective employer or emailing a query letter to a prospective literary agent. This is more about making sure the illustrator is available and willing to do your project. Here's what Alyssia wrote:
I'm e-mailing you to ask about a commissioned full color piece that I'd like you to do.
Great. I know what's going on. I like knowing what's going on.
2. Give me a timeline. Alyssia writes:
It would be awesome if I could have this in my hands by the night of the 28th (or the wee hours of the morning on the 29th). This is for my D&D group and our next session starts at noon on the 29th. I'll understand if a week and a half just isn't enough - I'm only letting you know what my ideal time frame is, not trying to make any demands or anything.
Perfect. I know when she wants it by, and even a timeframe. Even though I wasn't able to make this deadline (stupid Real Adult Job!), I had an idea of the urgency. She also didn't give me a completely unreasonable request -- say, asking for a full color commission within two days. She also let me know just how strict the deadline was -- to the point that I could ask whether or not she wanted to proceed with it in the case I couldn't make it. She also sort of let me know what the commission was for -- a D&D group. I like knowing that stuff because it lets me know what genre of commission I'm dealing with (in the case of D&D, usually epic fantasy stuff) and also that there will be more than one person looking at the image. Although this didn't happen with this commission, I've had previous commissions for D&D or other RPG/LARP groups where the commission had to get every single player's stamp of approval (and tweaks!). So anyway, it was nice to have a heads up.
3. Bring up money. I like it when people bring up money in their query. It completely eliminates the "Do they know how much I cost?" question, which can lead to all sorts of awkwardness later. Let's not pretend that I do (all) my work for free. If you can, be informed about your illustrator's prices. If you have no idea, ask! Don't start a commission project until you have at least a ball park idea of how much your illustrator charges. Do not assume they are cheap. Alyssia writes:
The last posting for prices say that this should by $XX. If that's not the case let me know - also let me know if you're just plain not accepting commissions right now.
To be honest, I already knew Alyssia was aware of my pricing, but it was nice that she put out the price that she was willing to work with just so I didn't have to worry about negotiating or breaking her heart when I revealed my rate. I also really appreciated the "let me know if you're not taking commissions" bit because sometimes, I'm not! All in all, a solid, informative query outlining the most important information: Type of commission, description, time frame, and proposed rate.
Speaking of description, let's move on to that!
4. Start with the basics. Let's see what Alyssia wrote:
I'd like it to be two characters, full color and full background.
Again, good. Talk to me like I have no idea what you want, because I probably don't. Let me know the scope of what you're looking for! I generally do three levels of commissions: Line-art portraits, colored portraits, and full-out background illustrated things. Here, Alyssia tells me what level of image she wants.
5. Describe, describe, describe -- but be appropriate.
This is the most important part, really; if I don't have this, obviously I can't really do anything. I have gotten the most bizarre descriptions, if one could call them that. When I used to do a lot of pin-up illustration and I would get emails that simply said "blond girl make sure she's cute." That does not give me a lot to go on -- it gives me three things: Girl, blond, cute. First of all, for pin-up art, cute is sort of implied. Second, girl and blond? There's a bit of a range there, right? So please:
The first character is an incubus, so he should have horns, wings peeking up from behind his shoulders, and hooves. He's got long reddish-brown hair that he keeps back in a braid and a somewhat Greek skin tone. I don't have a very specific idea of his clothes... he's a king, so anything regal would be good. He should be wearing mostly red and tan with green accents, and his crown should include fire opal as the main jewel. I don't much care if he's wearing a traditional on top of the head crown or an ornate circlet - whatever you're more comfortable drawing or think looks better. He should also have a couple of rings, one with a fire opal, one with a green pearl, and a signet ring. He's very strong and should have a broad, well-muscled build. His eyes are kind of an olive green.
This is almost a perfect description. The only thing that could get her in trouble is if I didn't know what an incubus was, but she even covered her bases there by letting me know she wanted horns, wings, and hooves. You shouldn't really assume I know what species/breed/etc your character is, but Alyssia also knows I'm pretty fantasy savvy, so it was a safe bet. Other than that, she gave me everything I really, absolutely need to know: Gender; hair color, style and length; clothing colors and whether he needs to be wearing something specific; accessories and items (important in a D&D illustration, I know!); build and physique; and finally, eye color. She didn't tell me what his name is, she didn't give me a 10-page summary of his origin story, and she didn't tell me any of his powers. Yes, I suppose powers are relevant sometimes for illustrations, but for this one, it isn't, and so I was glad I didn't see that. I'm not here to judge your characters and their abilities and marvel at how strong they are. I just want to draw them for you, so other people can do that.
Okay, character two:
The second character is a female. She's got hair that looks like an orange-yellow fire kept in a loose up-do and medium-toned skin more on the reddish side the olive side. Her eyes also resemble an orange and yellow flame. I also don't care too much about what she's wearing. It should be regal, but she should be able to dress herself and still move in her outfit unassisted. The dress should be primarily red and brown with gold accents. Same thing for her crown - whatever style you're most comfortable with and a fire opal as the main jewel. She should have a fire-opal choker, pair of earrings and a ring or two. If you leave her arms bare she should also have a couple of bangles. She's thin but she has a lot of well-defined muscle so be sure to show that if you leave her arms bare.
Great! I'm getting an image already. Alyssia used a lot of fire words so I'm thinking we're dealing with some sort of fire spirit or something, so I'm going to pay close attention to her hair and making it fiery, not just... blond, or red. I like the flexibility I'm being given with her clothing -- Alyssia is telling me what kind of outfit to put her in, but she's giving me options (read: ARTISTIC LICENSE). Too many details can get me really frustrated, especially if there are really complicated things like a coat of arms, elaborate gowns, or things that are very, very specific. I like that Alyssia is giving me the things that are important to her and letting me take care of the rest.
That just about does it for the physical descriptions, but then she throws this in:
All metals used for either character should be gold or bronze.
You know, this sentence seems like it's sort of insignificant, but it's actually one of the most important sentences in the entire description. Obviously, with fantasy-type illustrations, we're going to be dealing with belt buckles, jewelry, swords, weapons, and LOTS of things that have metal. Choosing between silvers and golds is something that is rather important that people don't always think about, so I was really grateful for this bit of direction. It saved one more round of Q&A.
6. Tell me about the scene. Again, I can't do much without this. But please remember, I am not reviewing your novel, I am not an editor, and I'm not an animator making you a television series. I don't need to know anything that is not relevant to the one, singular image I am illustrating for you. Let's see how Alyssia handled this:
For the scene - I'd like them to be on some kind of balcony on a high level of a castle. I think it would be cool if the shot could be slightly from the side so you can see the castle in one half of the background and an expansive medieval fantasy city on the other half. Any banners that might be on the exterior of the castle would be in red or green, but don't feel like you need to put one in.
Fab! She gave me an idea of what she's thinking (her "vision," if you will) without giving me a truckload of details that won't help me one way or another. She gave me things like: Balcony, castle, high-up, and medieval fantasy city. She also gave me some optional information, like banner colors, in the case that it came up (again, avoiding another round of Q&A).
They're husband and wife, so I'd like them to be close with one another but feel free to play with the pose. They're looking over their recently claimed land, and the king has just achieved one of his two life-time goals, so they should seem happy, content, maybe a little proud. They're very much in love with each other so they should be touching each other somehow.
Next she gives me an idea of how the characters should be interacting. This is so important. Are they lovers? Enemies? Siblings? How should I know? Well, she tells me: They're married and they're in love. She gives me a mood, too, IN ONE SENTENCE: They're looking over their recently claimed land, and the king has just achieved one of his two life-time goals, so they should seem happy, content, maybe a little proud. This is all I need to understand what's happening in the picture. I don't need to know what his other life-time goal is, I don't need to know if they have children, I don't need to know if his best friend sacrified his life to give them this happiness.
7. And wrap it up. Then she closed it up with "Thank you," which I always appreciate, and her name. Even though I know who she is. Please don't query me and don't tell me your name. I don't necessarily need to know the names of your characters, but I'd like to know who I'm talking to. Also, your initials go on your invoice. That's how I sort things. Even a screenname. Just be professional. You know.
Right, so there you have it. A probably overly-exhaustive rhetoric on what I considered a really great proposal. To be honest, the only thing it was lacking was maybe some links to reference images (if there were any), links to other images I've done, or other things in the referential vein of things. I like references. If you know of an anime character who has the same haircut as your character, by all means give me a URL. I know how to use the internet. Shoot.
(by the way, here's the finished image:)
I'm e-mailing you to ask about a commissioned full color piece that I'd like you to do.
Great. I know what's going on. I like knowing what's going on.
2. Give me a timeline. Alyssia writes:
It would be awesome if I could have this in my hands by the night of the 28th (or the wee hours of the morning on the 29th). This is for my D&D group and our next session starts at noon on the 29th. I'll understand if a week and a half just isn't enough - I'm only letting you know what my ideal time frame is, not trying to make any demands or anything.
Perfect. I know when she wants it by, and even a timeframe. Even though I wasn't able to make this deadline (stupid Real Adult Job!), I had an idea of the urgency. She also didn't give me a completely unreasonable request -- say, asking for a full color commission within two days. She also let me know just how strict the deadline was -- to the point that I could ask whether or not she wanted to proceed with it in the case I couldn't make it. She also sort of let me know what the commission was for -- a D&D group. I like knowing that stuff because it lets me know what genre of commission I'm dealing with (in the case of D&D, usually epic fantasy stuff) and also that there will be more than one person looking at the image. Although this didn't happen with this commission, I've had previous commissions for D&D or other RPG/LARP groups where the commission had to get every single player's stamp of approval (and tweaks!). So anyway, it was nice to have a heads up.
3. Bring up money. I like it when people bring up money in their query. It completely eliminates the "Do they know how much I cost?" question, which can lead to all sorts of awkwardness later. Let's not pretend that I do (all) my work for free. If you can, be informed about your illustrator's prices. If you have no idea, ask! Don't start a commission project until you have at least a ball park idea of how much your illustrator charges. Do not assume they are cheap. Alyssia writes:
The last posting for prices say that this should by $XX. If that's not the case let me know - also let me know if you're just plain not accepting commissions right now.
To be honest, I already knew Alyssia was aware of my pricing, but it was nice that she put out the price that she was willing to work with just so I didn't have to worry about negotiating or breaking her heart when I revealed my rate. I also really appreciated the "let me know if you're not taking commissions" bit because sometimes, I'm not! All in all, a solid, informative query outlining the most important information: Type of commission, description, time frame, and proposed rate.
Speaking of description, let's move on to that!
4. Start with the basics. Let's see what Alyssia wrote:
I'd like it to be two characters, full color and full background.
Again, good. Talk to me like I have no idea what you want, because I probably don't. Let me know the scope of what you're looking for! I generally do three levels of commissions: Line-art portraits, colored portraits, and full-out background illustrated things. Here, Alyssia tells me what level of image she wants.
5. Describe, describe, describe -- but be appropriate.
This is the most important part, really; if I don't have this, obviously I can't really do anything. I have gotten the most bizarre descriptions, if one could call them that. When I used to do a lot of pin-up illustration and I would get emails that simply said "blond girl make sure she's cute." That does not give me a lot to go on -- it gives me three things: Girl, blond, cute. First of all, for pin-up art, cute is sort of implied. Second, girl and blond? There's a bit of a range there, right? So please:
The first character is an incubus, so he should have horns, wings peeking up from behind his shoulders, and hooves. He's got long reddish-brown hair that he keeps back in a braid and a somewhat Greek skin tone. I don't have a very specific idea of his clothes... he's a king, so anything regal would be good. He should be wearing mostly red and tan with green accents, and his crown should include fire opal as the main jewel. I don't much care if he's wearing a traditional on top of the head crown or an ornate circlet - whatever you're more comfortable drawing or think looks better. He should also have a couple of rings, one with a fire opal, one with a green pearl, and a signet ring. He's very strong and should have a broad, well-muscled build. His eyes are kind of an olive green.
This is almost a perfect description. The only thing that could get her in trouble is if I didn't know what an incubus was, but she even covered her bases there by letting me know she wanted horns, wings, and hooves. You shouldn't really assume I know what species/breed/etc your character is, but Alyssia also knows I'm pretty fantasy savvy, so it was a safe bet. Other than that, she gave me everything I really, absolutely need to know: Gender; hair color, style and length; clothing colors and whether he needs to be wearing something specific; accessories and items (important in a D&D illustration, I know!); build and physique; and finally, eye color. She didn't tell me what his name is, she didn't give me a 10-page summary of his origin story, and she didn't tell me any of his powers. Yes, I suppose powers are relevant sometimes for illustrations, but for this one, it isn't, and so I was glad I didn't see that. I'm not here to judge your characters and their abilities and marvel at how strong they are. I just want to draw them for you, so other people can do that.
Okay, character two:
The second character is a female. She's got hair that looks like an orange-yellow fire kept in a loose up-do and medium-toned skin more on the reddish side the olive side. Her eyes also resemble an orange and yellow flame. I also don't care too much about what she's wearing. It should be regal, but she should be able to dress herself and still move in her outfit unassisted. The dress should be primarily red and brown with gold accents. Same thing for her crown - whatever style you're most comfortable with and a fire opal as the main jewel. She should have a fire-opal choker, pair of earrings and a ring or two. If you leave her arms bare she should also have a couple of bangles. She's thin but she has a lot of well-defined muscle so be sure to show that if you leave her arms bare.
Great! I'm getting an image already. Alyssia used a lot of fire words so I'm thinking we're dealing with some sort of fire spirit or something, so I'm going to pay close attention to her hair and making it fiery, not just... blond, or red. I like the flexibility I'm being given with her clothing -- Alyssia is telling me what kind of outfit to put her in, but she's giving me options (read: ARTISTIC LICENSE). Too many details can get me really frustrated, especially if there are really complicated things like a coat of arms, elaborate gowns, or things that are very, very specific. I like that Alyssia is giving me the things that are important to her and letting me take care of the rest.
That just about does it for the physical descriptions, but then she throws this in:
All metals used for either character should be gold or bronze.
You know, this sentence seems like it's sort of insignificant, but it's actually one of the most important sentences in the entire description. Obviously, with fantasy-type illustrations, we're going to be dealing with belt buckles, jewelry, swords, weapons, and LOTS of things that have metal. Choosing between silvers and golds is something that is rather important that people don't always think about, so I was really grateful for this bit of direction. It saved one more round of Q&A.
6. Tell me about the scene. Again, I can't do much without this. But please remember, I am not reviewing your novel, I am not an editor, and I'm not an animator making you a television series. I don't need to know anything that is not relevant to the one, singular image I am illustrating for you. Let's see how Alyssia handled this:
For the scene - I'd like them to be on some kind of balcony on a high level of a castle. I think it would be cool if the shot could be slightly from the side so you can see the castle in one half of the background and an expansive medieval fantasy city on the other half. Any banners that might be on the exterior of the castle would be in red or green, but don't feel like you need to put one in.
Fab! She gave me an idea of what she's thinking (her "vision," if you will) without giving me a truckload of details that won't help me one way or another. She gave me things like: Balcony, castle, high-up, and medieval fantasy city. She also gave me some optional information, like banner colors, in the case that it came up (again, avoiding another round of Q&A).
They're husband and wife, so I'd like them to be close with one another but feel free to play with the pose. They're looking over their recently claimed land, and the king has just achieved one of his two life-time goals, so they should seem happy, content, maybe a little proud. They're very much in love with each other so they should be touching each other somehow.
Next she gives me an idea of how the characters should be interacting. This is so important. Are they lovers? Enemies? Siblings? How should I know? Well, she tells me: They're married and they're in love. She gives me a mood, too, IN ONE SENTENCE: They're looking over their recently claimed land, and the king has just achieved one of his two life-time goals, so they should seem happy, content, maybe a little proud. This is all I need to understand what's happening in the picture. I don't need to know what his other life-time goal is, I don't need to know if they have children, I don't need to know if his best friend sacrified his life to give them this happiness.
7. And wrap it up. Then she closed it up with "Thank you," which I always appreciate, and her name. Even though I know who she is. Please don't query me and don't tell me your name. I don't necessarily need to know the names of your characters, but I'd like to know who I'm talking to. Also, your initials go on your invoice. That's how I sort things. Even a screenname. Just be professional. You know.
Right, so there you have it. A probably overly-exhaustive rhetoric on what I considered a really great proposal. To be honest, the only thing it was lacking was maybe some links to reference images (if there were any), links to other images I've done, or other things in the referential vein of things. I like references. If you know of an anime character who has the same haircut as your character, by all means give me a URL. I know how to use the internet. Shoot.
(by the way, here's the finished image:)
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