Freelance illustrator
Looking for a freelance illustrator usually starts with a folder of references and ends with a harder question: who will understand the brief, hit the date and hand over a file the printer or the developer can actually use. That is the job. Custom illustration for brands, publishing and packaging, run as a closed process from the first sketch to final artwork.
- More than 10 years of experience
- More than 200 clients
- Barcelona, Miami and London
A freelance illustrator inside a design studio
Most freelance illustrators work alone and deliver a picture. Here the illustration is made inside a graphic design studio, and that changes the brief from day one. An illustration almost never stands on its own. It sits on a label, a cover, a website or a poster, next to a logo, a typeface and a print size that were decided by someone else.
So before anything gets drawn we ask what it is for. An illustration printed in two inks on a wine label is not the same job as one that animates at the top of a homepage. The style, the level of detail and even the file format come out of that answer, not out of a catalogue.
If the project needs more than the illustration, the brand or the whole pack, it gets solved in the same place with the same judgement.
What we illustrate
We take on illustration for commercial use. These are the usual briefs.
- Brand illustration. Illustration systems, icons and characters that sit alongside an identity and keep working after the studio has moved on.
- Editorial illustration. Covers, interiors, magazines and corporate publications.
- Packaging illustration. Wine and drinks labels, spirits bottles and food packaging, drawn on the real dieline.
- Digital illustration for websites and social media, prepared for screen with versions by size.
- Posters, roll-up banners and graphics for exhibition stands and events.
How a commission runs
Illustration jobs almost always go wrong for the same reason: drawing starts before anyone has agreed what is being drawn. The process exists to stop that.
- Brief. What the illustration is for, where it will be seen, at what size and what it has to say. Style is decided here too, with references on the table.
- Sketches. Composition and fit in greyscale, no colour, no finish. This is when things move, because later it costs far more.
- Final illustration. Worked up from the approved sketch, with two rounds of adjustments included.
- Final artwork. Files in whatever format the medium needs: vector for print, bitmap at the right resolution, screen versions where required.
- Usage rights in writing, with scope and duration agreed before work starts.
The project sets the style
We do not run a single signature style. A freelance illustrator who can only do one thing forces the client to bend the project around them, and it should be the other way round. Line, flat colour, texture, digital brushwork or a mix: the choice follows the medium, the brand and the audience.
What stays constant is the judgement. The illustration has to read at the distance it will be seen from, survive reproduction and not fight the rest of the design.
Two examples in the portfolio: the illustrations for La Pública magazine and the illustrated characters on the Tomorrow packaging.
Usage rights and pricing
The price of an illustration depends on three things: how many pieces, how complex they are and what use the rights cover. An illustration for a label that will be printed for years does not cost the same as an image for one social post, even if the drawing looks similar.
That is why there is no rate card on this page. The first call pins down the scope, and from there you get a fixed quote with usage rights spelled out in writing. No surprises afterwards.
Where we work
The studio works from Barcelona, Miami and London. Projects run remotely and in-person meetings are arranged in advance. If you are looking to hire an illustrator in Miami or London, the process is the same whichever office is closest.
How we work
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Free consultation
We work out what you need, who it is for and what it has to achieve. You leave with a budget range and a proposal for where to start.
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Scope in writing
The exact pieces, versions, review rounds and dates. You know what you will pay before anything starts.
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Design in stages
Concept, development and final artwork, with an agreed review at the end of each stage and one person at the studio who answers.
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Delivery and follow-up
Production-ready files, the usage rules in writing, and follow-up with the printer whenever print is involved.
Frequent questions
How much does a freelance illustrator cost?
It depends on the number of illustrations, their complexity and the usage rights, which are part of the price. That is why we will not give a figure without seeing the brief. Tell us what you need and you will get a fixed quote.
Do you work in one particular style?
No. Style is decided at the brief stage, based on the medium, the brand and the audience. We can work in line, flat colour, texture or digital brushwork, and fit an identity that already exists.
Can you illustrate for a brand that already has an identity?
Yes, and it is a common brief. We start from the brand guidelines, the colours and the typeface so the illustration looks like it belongs rather than bolted on. If there are no guidelines, we say so and suggest a minimal version before drawing.
Who owns the rights to the illustration?
It is agreed before work starts and written into the quote: which use, which media and for how long. You receive the final files for that use. If you want to extend it later, the licence is extended.
How long does an illustration take?
A single piece can be turned around in a few weeks. An illustration system for a brand or a series for packaging takes longer, especially when print proofs are involved. The timeline is set by phase once the scope is agreed.
Do you illustrate labels and packaging?
Yes. It is one of the most frequent briefs in the studio, especially wine and spirits labels. We draw on the real dieline and prepare final artwork with the ink and the material the printer will use in mind.
Start with a free first call
Tell us what the illustration is for, where it will be seen and when you need it. The first call costs nothing and leads to a fixed quote. Reach us through the contact form.