Need to Register?

RoxyMustang · April 30th, 2006

Hello All,

I have 2 characters in my head that i want on my tshirts. The problem is that i was not blessed with drawing/design talent. I've tried and they are not coming out too great,lol. Do graphic artists charge alot? I want everything set before i file for everything for my line, or should i just go ahead and file my dba form and other license forms and then worry about the artwork?

Thank You,
Roxanne

Sac printer · April 30th, 2006

If you don't have money to hire a pro graphic designer you can try contacting local High Schools. Talk to their Art teachers and inquire about hiring art students. You will be surprized how many good computer graphic designers are all around your neighborhood. Just an idea..

Comin'OutSwingin · April 30th, 2006

I had my character done by an artist on www.ifreelance.com.

It was very involved, but the process went smoothly. I told the artist exactly what I wanted, down to the last detail. He would make different renditions and changes, then email them to me. We would discuss it, then he would make more changes. He wasn't done until I was completely satisfied.

There are other sites that also allow you to post a project, receive bids from individuals, look at their portfolio of work, and decide who you want to work with.

Also, I'm pretty sure that you can find someone this way that can produce what you want at a resonable price.

identityburn · April 30th, 2006

Being a graphic artist myself it really depends on the project at how much and how long it takes (revisions). If they are highly detailed characters or or a very stylized character the prices will most likely vary. Some designers like myself will charge you a flat fee, I don't believe in hourly fees for too many reasons to list here.

Finding someone at a highschool or--even better--a college/university will probably yeild good results as these types of people will do it more for the experience/portfolio than the pay as say a professional designer.

Rodney · May 1st, 2006

You definitely don't need the artwork in place before you get your business structure/DBA setup. I would say to go ahead and do things in steps.

Register yourself as a business. After that, you can find an artist to work on the design you have in your head.

I've used designoutpost.com, rentacoder.com, and elance.com to outsource projects. I think for what you're describing, any type of freelance artwork sourcing place will work.

As for if they "charge alot", that's sort of a relative question

If this character or design is the basis of your t-shirt line, then it seems like a pretty important piece of the puzzle. How much is that worth to the success of your business to get it done right? $5? $100 $500 $1000 for a lifetime of sales of that design.

Think of it as an investment in your business. I've seen artists charge anywhere from $10 to over $1000.

RoxyMustang · May 1st, 2006

thank you for your advice, everyone :-) i'm just trying to plan things out step by step so i won't have any problems down the road.

Solmu · May 1st, 2006

While there's no reason you can't start setting up a business before you have the design in place... am I the only one thinking that having a product to sell is a rather integral part of having a business?

z28melissa · May 2nd, 2006

You could also have a "character design contest." I fell into that trick a few times when I first started doing freelance design work... the "prize" was generally less than I would charge

but I guess it was kinda smart on their part.

Need to Register?

Resources

T-Shirt Sites

Can not draw or design my characters...