Whether you are looking to expand your business, sell t-shirts or get a portrait done. The fact of the matter is that you will be needing an artist for this job. Below we outline the 10 questions you should ask yourself before contacting an artist with your request. These 10 questions will help you narrow down your search for the perfect artist to bring your idea to live.

1- What do you want done?

This first question is critical, it will point you in the right way. There are many types of artists and each of them does something different. Some examples of projects and their specific artist are:
Children’s Books- Illustrator
Animated Videos- Animator
Logos- Designer

2- What is your budget?

I don’t want to be the one to say it but it must be said. Art has a price. Artist spend years of their lives mastering their tools, their minds, and their hands to be able to create the artwork that you require. This alone is enough to merit pay, but that does not mean that all art has to be expensive. Asking your self if you have a small budget, a reasonable budget or a large budget. Will determine how much you can get done and (sometimes) the level of quality.
A small budget: $5-$100
A reasonable budget: $100- $10,000
A big budget:$10,0000 +
Keep in mind these budgets are not there to give any indication of what pricing might be, but having this question clear in your mind will help you know if you should hire a freelance artist, a design agency or hire a whole team of artists.

3- What is your timeline?

I used to frequent a tattoo parlor that had the motto: “Good Art, isn’t Cheap and Cheap Art isn’t Good”. I believe that although this is very true for most cases, the issue with the quality of art relies on the amount of time an artist has in order to complete a piece. If you rush an artist (even with reasonable pay) they will have to cost corners, that’s just the way it is and this may be an issue in the long run with a ton of revisions. Have a reasonable amount of time in your head when you go to purchase art. Keep in mind that you are also not the only client. 1 week for a simple image, is reasonable and most often than not the artists delivers earlier which is wonderful for both parties.

4- Has the artist done any work similar to what I require?

This question is about the artist, and should be dealt with in one of two ways.
1- You can look at their portfolios and judge for yourself if what they have done in the past fits what you require.
2- You can ask them specifically and engage in a convesation regarding your project.

If the artist is the right for you, they will be proffesional and should be able to educate you in all the ways they can help you achieve what you require.

Hope you enjoy this blogpost. Give it a share if you found it useful.
Follow us on social media: facebook.com/mabsarts