Wattpad 101: Your guide to the world of Wattpad

Artists, Illustrators, and Book Covers

"It takes me X amount of time to complete this gig, so with the amount of money we agreed upon, I'm only making X amount."

You might hear this or something like it. However, here's the problem. It takes YOU x amount of time to complete this gig. It might take a skilled and knowledgeable artist half or a third of that time. Just by being better at their job, another artist makes three times that amount an hour without me, the user, paying them more (and likely I'd get a better product too).

There lies the conundrum of artists referring to their work on a per-hour basis. In general, you ask for a specific work to be finished, agree on a price, and then the artist completes the work based on the price agreed. How long they take to do it is entirely up to them. However, just because my second-grade kid took six hours to draw a crayon tree does not mean they're worth six hours at $35 an hour, and just because at an artist's skill level, it takes them about 8 hours to finish a gig does not mean they're entitled to... well... even minimum wage.

I'm not sure how many artists will ever read this thing, but if I had any advice for you, the thing you should work on the most isn't the quality of your work, but it's the speed. It should naturally reach a competent level, but once you're at a good enough level, most people who hire you will know what they are getting, especially if you have a large portfolio. You need to be able to finish work quickly. The quicker you can get it done, the more you'll make. After you get your speed up, then you can work on improving quality. Ultimately, a skilled illustrator is one who is both fast and good, because that's what would be needed from ANY artistic field. 

You see, the finest work an artist makes and puts on display in their portfolio is NEVER going to be the art they make for you. Unless you're lucky enough to find a skilled artist who is also a major fan of your work, which is unlikely unless you're already extremely successful, which is kind of a catch-22 that by the time you're big enough to get people freely doing art for you, you can easily afford the best art you can pay for, you're unlikely to get an artist who will go all out for you.

Why would they? They aren't passionate about your project. They don't care about you. You're just a small paycheck for them. Any artist you hire is going to do your art as quickly and for as minimum effort as they can. Don't get me wrong. Many of them have a basic level of standard, but if it's a $50 image they just want to finish and move on, they're not going to be spending oodles of time reflecting on your art, repositioning, fixing, and trying to maximize it so it's the best thing.

Some artists... and I try to avoid these, will say "what's your budget". If an artist asks what your budget is without having a basic quote scheme... I'd run. Believe me, their image will cost exactly as much as your budget is, and the quality won't be any better for it. 

I'd also say I'd try to avoid anyone who charges differently for different quality levels. Drawing more complicated things, sure. Drawing more things, sure. A head versus a whole body, a simple versus complex background... all fair game. I'd even say color versus black and white. However, if they're claiming their art will be better and have more detail the more you pay... that is a slippery slope and a hard gauge to make, and I'd back away, because you'll never know what they truly offer until it's too late and you've already paid. 

Ultimately, you'll probably want to spend the least you need to for the best work they're willing to do, while they simultaneously will want to make the most money they can. If you actually want an artist long term... like you want the same artist for an image of every character in your book, that grows even more difficult. Because they might be willing to do a picture for you, but if they feel they're being undercharged, then they'll be less willing to do pictures with you than with someone they negotiated at a higher price. At that point, you can either raise your price or lose your artist... and if you're halfway through a set of images, losing the artist and being forced to change to a new one can really mess things up.

I have hundreds of dollars of art that are virtually unusable because they were one-offs by an artist that I chose not to rehire or who chose not to work with me. It really messes up your flow, especially when you're trying to create unifying art.

The best I can say is to always be clear. Don't allow yourself to be taken advantage of, but don't be rigid either. Decide the quality you want, and then look at images that people have gotten with that quality. That's ultimately the price point you should give for it. And if you hire an artist, and they ultimately do not deliver that quality, you have every right to request they improve on it. In other words, you need to both be flexible with what you get, but also be willing to walk away if the deal leaves you unsatisfied. 

Artists Can Be Difficult

While looking for artists, I've had many unique experiences. I mentioned earlier that artists will approach you who don't even draw in the style you ask for. If you ask them for examples of their work, they literally don't have them and won't even make them unless you pay them. It is... absolutely ridiculous.

Some pull the quote I mentioned above, claiming their work is worth far more than I value their work. The good ones communicate with you, but some won't say a thing to you until they send you the finished product. Was it even what you envisioned? Too bad. You're stuck with it.

A good artist will always show you sketches first and will be flexible and willing to work with you. One of the biggest problems when getting what you want is that it's really hard to judge what something looks like just by the sketch. However, most artists aren't willing to do much after the image is already finished. Once they color it, they're pretty much done. I've only known a handful of artists that, if you're not happy, will go back to the drawing board and redo it until you are.

I guess the main point of it is that artists are content creators just like you. Imagine every single issue you've ever had in your pursuit of writing. Mean comments. Reluctance to throw away completed work and restart when it doesn't work out. A desire to be validated. They go through the same stuff we do.

Then again, most of you aren't requesting money either, so that adds another layer of expectation. If you want to get paid for your art, it better be at a level that people feel they are getting their money's worth.

Ultimately, it's up to you what you want to invest in art. I've invested HEAVILY in art, obviously, and I feel that it's a lot of the reason my brand has built to the success that it has. Then again, I've seen authors who do freemium for everything. Cheap auto-generated clipart covers, google-lifted images for characters, and even cropped wallpapers for site banners, and many of them have been perfectly successful. They've made a decent living, and have spent little of their own money into it.

Hopefully, this guide has prepared you a little bit for when you start seeking out art as well.