How Much Does Comic Art Cost? [2022]

Ok, so, how much does comic art cost? and what do i pay a comic artist are two of the most frequent questions i get asked on Twitter and via my site. How much do comic artists make and what are Page rates in comics can be tricky to get your mind around so, hopefully, this video will clear you up and help you to understand what you need to do when you start to look at the cost of art for your comic. So, let's talk about comic artists page rates, shall we?
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[DavidCousens]

Excellent advice Matt, it's great to see writers who are so respectful of artists.

[dkmbstudio]

as an artist it makes me so happy that there are clients who are very understanding of our side.

[GaidenDS]

Great insight, my heart goes also to those artist who undervalues themselves on extreme rates back in the 2000s up to 2015s. As much how people will find desperate ways to find their clients
(on which most of them are not corpos.) by devaluing themselves it's best that we should all treat this as a proper art business unless you're from somewhere else outside U.S. and the tax system differs but I'd also figure it out why some companies outsource clients to save money on which why the pay rate themselves are on that level.

P.S. also you said around at 8:40 - 9:01 mark I can see some folks are guilty of telling other artist what their charge rate should be during the days on deviantart (and I see some guys telling that on Quora as well) only to lowball the price based on their skill level as such and it can be discouraging as well once reality catches up.

[thedigitalnoodle]

Oh what an awesome channel, glad I found you Matt. Im an artist but want to create my own stuff. Hoping to learn basics so I could throw small strips together.

[nervoussuffermaker]

I think if not a page rate standard, but a good starting point is to aim for a rate that is AT LEAST (and not lower) an hourly living wage.

[theman_Fayth]

Very helpful as always, Matt. I would add one thing you forgot to mention that can be a factor on the page rate number is not only the artist's place in the world of comics and how successful the artist might be, but also its geographical location in the world. Amounts of money which might not be acceptable for artists in first world countries, might be very sought after in places where that dollar exchange to local currency can go a lot further.

[AlVainactual]

Hey, you know, I never thought of it that way. I've been thinking of starting to take on comissions for my art and I really had no idea what and how I should charge for my silly stuff. This video helped a lot, thanks!

[pascruel]

Just commenting for the algorithm.

Good stuff, man.

[reneallanart]

I just found this video by coincident. Great video and definitly going to follow You. I have just started drawing comics again and got contacted what my rates are for comic pages. Thank you!

[stevespeaks]

Awesome video! Very informative! Love the content, have a nice weekend!

[Półka_wstydu]

Are there situations where the writer and the artist agree that the profits from the sale of the comic book will be divided equally between each of them? In self-publishing, of course. I'm very curious.

[tobebuilds]

Thanks for sharing the unwritten rules of business!

I disagree about giving away 50% ownership if you are also paying a page rate. That's what the page rate is for. The person footing the bill is also the one taking the risk of never making that investment back.

[agent]

Excellent advice, I have a artist sketch comic book done by one of my favorite artist Bruno Redondo. And at the bottom it has a 1/2" tear and what I was wondering do you think if its a good idea to get it Restoration by cgc or should I leave it? Like to get it graded but not sure if its worth it. Thanks

[castintothevoid]

Great video, Matt. How do you find artists, is the question and if you're looking for a specific style. I'm not sure if you've done videos on it, but I will check your videos.

[electricgecko]

As an artist, I can say that I've never been offered enough money to make it worth my time. I don't work fast enough to manage minimum wage, even when paid well. So I don't freelance. Get lots of asks, but sadly always have to say no.

[lacoycooks]

Does the artist print out the large copies of your comic or do you go to a different source for that, and if so, where do you go to get large copy quantities

[XAQ_UH_TAQ]

Probably a stupid question, but do you pay an artist per page or pay it all upfront?

[steveis]

Yep, a friend of mine who worked for dc and verotik and he was getting £150inking and £150pencil👍

[JuwanBuchanan]

Fortunately for me I have the benefit of getting in good with a few good artists I work with that they give me a good discount, and their page rates are expensive. 😂

[paulbateman]

Self publish, these days even if youre good its rare a company will pay you sufficient to live on comfotably.. Some of the best out there still go through phases of earning peanuts.