Like all work, it’s a balance between how much your time is worth to you and how much the market will tolerate. Rates for art and graphic work vary greatly depending upon the artist’s skill and the audience whom they are trying to market their work to.
Contact a local studio what they would pay for the service you can provide.
L
a good (but not exceptional) character model could take about two weeks of 8-hour days. A detailed prop like a futuristic gun, something along those lines could take up to a week of 8-hour days.
a typical freelance sculptor, depending on their speed and experience, could charge anywhere from 60 to 150 USD per hour. Keep in mind that the more experienced the artist, the faster they can get things done, but the more they will charge. And conversely, the cheaper the artist, the less experienced they are, and the more potential for slipped deadlines or longer estimates. Shop around and you should be able to find what you’re looking for, just keep in mind that you will get what you pay for.
also- if freelance artists seem like they’re expensive take a few things into consideration:
- they are responsible for their own taxes
- they pay their own insurance
- they pay any federal programs such as medicare, social security, etc.
what you get for this higher price is:
- ultimately you save money by working on a per-project basis by not having to keep an artist ‘on retainer’ by paying them a more stable (yet much lower) income.
- not having to pay insurance
- not having to pay federal programs or taxes.
good luck!
How many hours a week can an artist expect to work?
depends on where you work. as a freelancer though, my motto has always been ‘if you work from home, you’re always at work’
which is why I don’t like freelancing… I personally have a hard time separating work from home-time, so if i were to freelance I would need to set up a dedicated office either at home (that i didn’t use for anything but work), or off-site. but that’s just me.
so yeah, not freelancing- 40-50 hours typically, it can skyrocket during crunch periods though (i work in the games industry).
It’s very good information for the guys who want’s to work as freelancer.
And thanks to testure for the information…
thanks for everyones input. I have a better understanding now. I live in New York but I will see what the typical rates that a company charges and compare it to other companies and build my rates off of that after I actually get good at zbrush that is.
60 -150 dorras an hour o_0. Man i must be a horrible artist…
Time for a career change…
“60 -150 dorras an hour o_0. Man i must be a horrible artist…
Time for a career change…”
1200 a day, 6000 a week and so on, some dudes are filthy rich!
alot of that dissapears through tax and costs of being a freelancer, software, hardware, coffee, dounuts lol etc… but ye some people with a good reputation and skills still come away with alot of money
Just alone the property tax for my simple and small house here costs $18000 a year… Plus local taxes, state, federal, plus software maintenance for several packages, plus health insurance, plus unemployment, social security, saving for retirement and so on…
It’s easy to say it’s a lot of money when one lives in mom’s basement using pirated copies while living of ramen noodles and looking forward to the 9mm Smith&Wesson retirement plan once the fingers can’t grab the Wacom tablet pen any longer.
Lemo
Theres not a 3d guy in my country earning that much. In my currency it adds up too R88 600.00 per month! I don’t care where you live. Thats a lot of cash. The normal rate is roughly around R 15 000 per month local. So yea. Its a lot.
Oh and thats calculated at $60 an hour!
Oops miscalculated. Its R70 880.00 a month. Rock on too those earning that. But then again I suppose converting the amount isn’t a true reflection on salary, as property and cost of living is different in every country.
My other career pays better then this, I just do this as a hobby now, but I get by fine and im free of debt, so I dont mind. I think it depends on where you live.
That’s the point! Even in the US there are different areas and different prices.
Lemo
true ok so supposed lets just say i was a potential client that wanted the works for my 3d model and I needed it to be optimized for animating in max and everything. How about this how much would you charge for a highly detailed version of the same warrior for a close up in a movie. What would you charge for just video game detail. So ok…
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Quote for a highly detailed warrior for a movie.
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Quote for a detailed warrior for a video game.
How much extra does one charge when its not just vide games but rather something big whats the difference 200, 300? how much more can you make off of a movie. How much can you make for the video game.
well, the guy asking the question is from new york, and my comments were based on a very general U.S perspective. Obviously somebody working from a sweatshop in china is going to make less than somebody freelancing in upstate new york. Let’s not be pedantic here.
Any professional freelancer I’ve ever met has always talked about downtime between projects. You don’t work non-stop on a project all year long, it’s touch and go- so the wage you earn has to carry you through down turns in business. The cost of freelancing is extremely high, but the payoff is relative freedom. Nobody is getting rich off of freelancing, I can guarantee you that.
true ok so supposed lets just say i was a potential client that wanted the works for my 3d model and I needed it to be optimized for animating in max and everything. How about this how much would you charge for a highly detailed version of the same warrior for a close up in a movie. What would you charge for just video game detail. So ok…
Quote for a highly detailed warrior for a movie.
Quote for a detailed warrior for a video game.
How much extra does one charge when its not just vide games but rather something big whats the difference 200, 300? how much more can you make off of a movie. How much can you make for the video game.
Long story short- if you have to ask, you’re not ready. Simple as that. Keep practicing, and when you are good enough to accurately gauge your own abilities, you will be able to quote a freelance project like that with relative ease.
Interesting thread and it’s got me thinking … I’m not a freelancer yet, but I’d love to become one, so I’m dabbling in a feasibility study to satisfy my flirtations of starting a small sole trader freelance studio.
Please excuse my amateur attempt but it has sparked my interest to do this more indepth.
I ran some figures through an online calculator at FreelanceSwitch.com, that I found here … http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/
Remember your hourly rate should always take into account factors like market demand, industry standards, skill level and experience - things that unfortunately can’t be put into a calculator!
I’ve done some rather lame “guessdimates” on lots of things. I’ve also tried to base it on the US dollar. Can any Freelancers give feedback and offer corrections including examples of taxes paid in your country.
My results are as follows… (I will be correcting these figures from your feedback and future research)
Step 1 Calculate Your business Costs Based on One Full Year
A. How much is your annual Office Rent?
$13,000 A small office at $250 a week for 52 weeks.
B. How much do you spend on travel annually?
$8400 :Petrol at $100 a week, Car depreciation, Car Maintenance, Plane flight (based on 1-return flight a year), Accommodation (for me or a client)
C. How much do you spend each year on Computers, Furniture & Equipment?
$2000 :Hard drives, DVDs, new chair,
D. How much do you spend on Software?
$1000 : Developments & Research, trials & itunes apps.
E. How much do you spend each year on Communications - Mobile Phones, Telephone, Faxline, Internet?
$2600 :Mobile Phone plan charges, internet ISP, phone line
F. How much does your annual Insurance cost?
$2000 (guessing)
G. How much do you need to spend on Legal Fees?
$1000 (guessing)
H. How much do you need to spend on Accountancy Fees?
$600 (guess)
I. How much will your Office Supplies cost annually?
$1000 (guessing)
J. How much will you be spending on Advertising and Promotions
$2000
:Printing, Postage, site hosting & Ongoing site maintenance
K. How much will you be spending on Anything Else
$1000 :Entertainment, Meals, maintenance,
Your Total Business Costs: $28,854.00
Step 2: Calculate your Personal Costs
A. How much is your annual Rent / Mortgage payments?
$10,000 (guess)
B. What is your annual budget for Daily Expenses?
$50 (guess)
C. How much do you intend to save for your Retirement Account?
$10,000 per year (guess)
D. How much do you spend each year on Occasional Expenses?
(servicing your car, holidays and so on)
$3000
E. How much will you be spending on Anything Else
$2000
Your Total Personal Costs: $25,050 p/year
Step 3. How Many hours can you actually bill?
A. How many days a week do you work on average?
5 Days
B. How many days of vacation do you need annually?
20
C. How many sick and personal days do you need annually?
5
D. How many public and religious holidays?
11 days
You Will Be Working: 224 days p/year
How many hours do you work a day on average?
10 hours a day
Approximately what percentage of hours can you actually bill?
80 %
You Have a Total of: 1792 billable hours per year
Step 4 How much Profit/Savings Do You Want?
Enter a Dollar amount of Savings/Profit you’d like to make each year
$50,000
YOUR IDEAL HOURLY RATE IS $57.98 p/hour
YOUR BREAK EVEN-HOURLY RATE IS: $30.08 p/hr
This does not include capital costs:
Example of Capital Costs:
Computer, Software (ZBrush US$599, Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 US$680, Accountacy software US$250, Photoshop or 3D software US$5000),
Wacom tablet, mobile phone, Desk phone, Stills Camera & tripod, printer/scanner, modem/router, stationary, Business cards, External Hard drives & mobile media, Car, Office furniture (Desk, chair, lights, vacuum, cleaning appliances, cupboards, filing cabinet, whiteboard, fridge) , Website, Logo, Letterhead, Legal setup fees.
Nobody is getting rich off of freelancing . Testure
Thanks in advance for your feedback and corrections.
UPHAM 
Freelancing is good for only 2 things.
1.) experience…(i.e resume and portfolio pieces)…unless you are binded by an NDA.
2.) Getting into debt. Projects come up…then get delayed, or cancelled. Feast or famine. Keep a day job unless you are a the best of the best…and even if you are that, make sure you have enough clients and that the market they are in is doing good.
Good luck.
Very good list of cost items. It’s the very low end of cost involved. And as a final comment… ZBrush skills alone do not yield a penny. You have to have highly educated artistic skills and you have to be familiar with at least two of the major packages. If you do not have those skills, the kids who have them will run circles around you while grabbing all those cool jobs. Top row and better grabs jobs. If you do not match the standards in the top row here, don’t even try to advertise yourself.
Lemo