Free illustration invoice generator
Bill artwork and the licence separately, with revision rounds counted, kill fee terms written down, and rights that do not transfer until the invoice is paid.
Build your illustration invoice
Prefilled with an editorial commission. Replace the pieces, licence and rounds, then download.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|
What is a illustration invoice?
An illustration invoice prices two different things: the work of making the image and the right to use it. Confusing them is the single most expensive habit in this profession. A spot illustration for a newsletter and the same drawing on a book cover in twelve territories are the same hours and wildly different prices, because the licence differs.
So state the licence explicitly: medium, term, territory and exclusivity. "One-time use, North American print and digital editions, 12 months, non-exclusive" is a sentence that determines the fee and prevents the image reappearing on packaging next year. Any additional use is a new licence and a new invoice, and saying so on the original document makes that conversation routine.
The production side is simpler: a fee per piece with a stated number of sketch concepts and revision rounds. Rounds are what turn a profitable commission into an unprofitable one, so count them, include two, and price the third. Rush work — anything that displaces other commissions — carries a surcharge that should also be on the page.
What to include
Everything below is already in the generator above — this is what each part is for.
Commission and deliverables
What was drawn, in what format, at what resolution, and how many pieces.
Illustration fee
The creation fee per piece, separate from any licensing.
Sketch and revision rounds
Concepts provided, revision rounds included, and any additional rounds billed.
Licence granted
Medium, term, territory, exclusivity, and print run or impressions where relevant.
Rush, kill fee and cancellation
Surcharges applied, and what is payable if the project is cancelled mid-way.
Credit and rights terms
Artist credit requirements and the statement that rights transfer on payment.
Three steps to a finished PDF
Enter the commission
Client, project, number of pieces and the delivery format.
Separate fee from licence
The illustration fee per piece, then the licence line with medium, term and territory.
Download and send
Download the PDF with the rights-on-payment clause in the terms, and send it with delivery.
Licensing, revisions and kill fees
Never sell a drawing when you can license an image
Full copyright buyouts should cost several times a standard licence, because you are giving up every future use forever. Most clients do not need one; they ask for it because their contract template says so. Offer a broad exclusive licence instead — the practical difference to them is usually nothing, and the difference to you is your own portfolio, prints and reuse rights.
Write the licence in four dimensions
- Medium: editorial print, digital, packaging, advertising, merchandise.
- Term: one-time use, twelve months, or perpetual.
- Territory: single country, region or worldwide.
- Exclusivity: exclusive costs more and should be time-limited.
Count rounds and charge for the extras
Two or three thumbnail concepts, one chosen, two revision rounds on the chosen direction. Additional rounds, or a change of direction after approval of the sketch, are billed at a stated rate. This is not pettiness — it is the only mechanism that keeps a client's internal indecision from being paid for by the illustrator.
Kill fees and payment on delivery
Projects die. A kill fee — 25% if cancelled after briefing, 50% after sketch approval, 100% after final delivery — should be in the terms of every commission. And state plainly that usage rights transfer only on payment in full. That single sentence is the most effective collection tool an illustrator has: an unpaid invoice means the client is using unlicensed artwork.
Three mistakes that delay payment
One price covering fee and rights
It gives away licensing value silently. Separate the creation fee from the licence.
Unlimited revisions
Two rounds included, the rest billed. It is the difference between a good month and a bad one.
No kill fee clause
Cancelled projects happen. Without a clause you are paid nothing for work already done.