What to cover in an illustration commission briefing call

A commission briefing call should leave you with everything you need to quote and sketch: what the illustration shows, which of your styles the client is drawn to, where and how it will be used, the final format, how many sketch rounds are included and the deadline. Ask the client to send references before the call, take notes on the subject and the mood, settle usage rights clearly, and end by telling them what happens next — a written quote, then a first sketch. Twenty to forty-five minutes are enough when the client has prepared.

Illustration requests arrive as a few lines in an email: "a drawing of our house", "a cover for my novel", "something fun for our packaging". Those lines hide the questions that decide the price and the time: how detailed, in what style, for which use. A short call clears them up faster than a long thread, and it lets you hear how the client talks about the project — whether they have a precise picture in mind or expect you to propose one.

Ask what the image must show and what it must make people feel. For a book cover, ask for the synopsis and the target readers; for a portrait of a house or a pet, ask for good photos from several angles; for editorial work, ask for the article or its key idea. Note the elements that are compulsory and the ones left to you.

Ask the client to point to pieces in your portfolio they like, and say why. If they send work by other artists, discuss what attracts them — colour, line, humour, level of detail — rather than copying a style that isn't yours. Be clear about which of your techniques fits: digital, ink, watercolour, gouache.

This is the part clients forget and illustrators must not. Ask where the image will appear (book, website, packaging, advertising, merchandise), in which countries and for how long. A personal gift and a product label are not priced the same way. Write down what you are licensing and what you keep, such as the right to show the piece in your portfolio.

Agree how many sketch rounds are included and what counts as a change after the colour stage. Ask for the real deadline, not the hoped-for one, and work back from it: sketch date, feedback date, final delivery. Ask whether the client has a budget; it tells you whether to propose a simpler composition or a fully detailed scene.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a "Commission briefing call" service and open short slots at the times you take calls; clients pick a free slot and book with their name, email and phone, and can write a few lines about the project in the optional note, which you read in your new-booking email. In the service description, say whether the call is by phone or video and list what to send beforehand. Add a second service for sketch reviews if you want clients to book those too.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. If a client needs to move the call, reschedule it from your bookings list and let them know yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.