HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire an illustrator in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to illustrators. Here is the difference between a licence and owning the artwork, what to ask, and what the terms should say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an illustrator in five steps

  1. Find a style you already likeCommission an illustrator whose existing work looks like what you want; asking for a different style rarely ends well.
  2. Say exactly how it will be usedA book cover, packaging, a website, prints for sale: the use sets the licence and the fee.
  3. Agree licence or assignment in writingWhere, for how long and in what media you may use the illustration, or a signed assignment if you need to own it.
  4. Approve the rough sketchComposition is agreed at sketch stage. Big changes after the final artwork has started cost extra.
  5. Pay in two partsA deposit when the sketches start, the balance when the final artwork is delivered.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses illustrators in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and no qualification is required. The protection for both sides is the written commission: the brief, the fee, the stages and the rights.

Ask for a portfolio in the style you want and the commission terms before paying a deposit.

Licence or assignment of copyright

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 makes the illustrator the first owner of the artwork. They can license it to you for a stated use, or assign the copyright outright, but an assignment only takes effect in writing signed by the illustrator (section 90).

Write down the use: the product, the territory, the period and whether it is exclusive; if you need to own it, get a signed assignment. legislation.gov.uk →

Credit and moral rights

Authors of artistic works have moral rights, including the right to be named as the author. Those rights can be waived, but only in a document signed by the illustrator, as section 87 of the Act sets out.

Agree in the contract whether the illustrator is credited, and where; ask for a signed waiver only if you genuinely cannot credit them. legislation.gov.uk →

Original work, not traced or generated from others

Copyright protects illustrations automatically, with no register to search. An illustrator who copies another artist's work, or supplies an image whose origin they cannot explain, passes the risk to you.

Ask the illustrator to confirm in writing that the work is original and to say how it was made. gov.uk →

VAT

Illustration and its licences are standard-rated, so a registered illustrator adds 20% to the commission and to the licence or assignment price. Registration becomes compulsory once an illustrator has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the illustrator for the VAT number with the licence terms and for VAT on the deposit and the balance. gov.uk →

“What use of the illustration does your fee cover?”

A good answer: A precise answer: the product, print run or online use, the countries and the period. Wider use, such as advertising, costs more and should be priced up front.

“Will you license the artwork to me, or assign the copyright?”

A good answer: Many illustrators license by default; if you need ownership, they will name a price and sign an assignment.

“How many sketch rounds and changes to the final illustration are included?”

A good answer: Usually one or two sketch rounds and minor changes to the final, with the cost of more set out.

“How would you like to be credited?”

A good answer: A name and where it appears. An illustrator asking for credit is normal; a waiver of the right to be identified must be signed.

“What illustration file will I get, and at what size?”

A good answer: A high-resolution file at the print size, in the format and colour mode your printer needs, and a web version.

“What is your payment schedule?”

A good answer: A deposit on starting sketches and the balance on delivery of the illustration is common. Full payment up front for a first commission is not.

“Is the illustration entirely your own work?”

A good answer: A plain yes, with an explanation of their process, and agreement to put that promise in the terms.

Getting the quote right

  • The pieces, sizes and format, with the sketch and final deadlines
  • Who actually attends to the pieces: the illustrator whose style you chose, or a subcontracted artist
  • The licence: product, media, territory, period, exclusive or not; or the assignment price
  • Sketch rounds and changes included, and the charge for more
  • The credit line and where it appears
  • Deposit and balance, with dates
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the commission and the licence

Walk away if

  • No written terms on how you may use the illustration
  • A style very different from anything in their portfolio
  • They cannot explain how the artwork was made
  • Full payment demanded before any sketch is shown
  • "All rights" promised in a message but refused in the contract
  • Delivery only as a low-resolution image
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£175
HIGH
£1,000

What an illustrator costs: £50–£1,000 per project

Illustrators quote per piece or per project, and the licence is part of the price: wider, longer or exclusive use costs more. Illustrator price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

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Illustrators near you, with the badges that matter shown

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Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefSubject, style, size, deadline and, most importantly, how the illustration will be used.
  2. Quote and termsThe illustrator sets the fee, the licence or assignment, the stages and the deposit.
  3. SketchesRough sketches to agree the composition before the time-consuming final work begins.
  4. Final artworkThe illustration painted, drawn or built digitally to the approved sketch.
  5. DeliveryHigh-resolution files, the agreed credit, and the signed licence or assignment once you have paid.

Commission
Work made to order for a client, under agreed terms.
Licence
Permission to use the illustration in stated ways while the illustrator keeps copyright.
Exclusive licence
A licence the illustrator will not grant to anyone else for the same use.
Buyout
An informal term for buying wide rights or the copyright; ask what it means in writing.
Moral rights
The author's personal rights in the work, including the right to be identified as its author.
Rough
An early sketch used to agree composition before the final artwork.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the licence with the artworkThe commission terms define what you can do with the illustration. Save them next to the files; you will need them if you want a new use later.
Check the file before you printOpen it at full size, check the resolution and colours, and ask for corrections inside the agreed changes.
Credit the illustrator as agreedAdd the credit line where the contract says. Leaving it off breaks the terms you agreed with the illustrator.
Rate the workYour review helps the next person choose; Locufy only accepts reviews of booked work. If there is a problem with the illustrator, the make-it-right step gives them a chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Raise it with the illustratorSet out the problem, the date and what would put it right. Trading as a business, the illustrator owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and where that was missing you can require the work done again or a lower price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightUnder four stars, you are asked whether to send the problem to the illustrator before reviewing. We chase it with them, and your review follows.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineTrading Standards takes complaints through the national helplines: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland, which is its own helpline there.
STEP 4Small claims courtIf nothing else works, claim from the illustrator in the small claims court: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, up to £5,000 in Scotland by simple procedure, and up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an illustrator: questions people ask

Not automatically. The illustrator owns the copyright under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 unless they assign it in writing. Most commissions grant a licence for a stated use instead.

No. No licence, register or qualification applies to illustrators in any UK nation. The written commission is the protection.

Usually you should, as agreed in the contract. The right to be named as the author can only be waived in writing signed by the illustrator.

Usually £50–£1,000 per project, with £175 typical. The number of pieces, the detail and above all the licence (advertising and packaging cost most) set the fee. See the illustrator price guide for the detail, or enter your town above for illustrators near you.

Only if the licence covers it. A new use, such as merchandise or advertising, usually needs a further licence and fee.

A single piece usually takes days; a set for a book or a website can take weeks or months, mostly set by sketch approvals.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: Graphic DesignerHow to hire: AnimatorHow to hire: Brand DesignerHow to hire: Logo DesignerHow to hire: 3D ModellerHow to hire: Motion Graphics DesignerHow to hire: GhostwriterHow to hire: Content CreatorAll 701 hiring guides →

Illustrators near you

Illustrators in LondonIllustrators in ManchesterIllustrators in BirminghamIllustrators in GlasgowIllustrators in BelfastAll illustrators on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 11 — first ownership
  2. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 77 — right to be identified as author
  3. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 87 — consent and waiver of moral rights
  4. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  5. gov.uk — how copyright protects your work
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register