Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Today’s discussion… Freelance illustration can be a great additional source of income, but how to pursue it? What about creating or negotiating contracts? What are ethical practices for clients and creators? What is fair to expect from a large company verses a small indie publisher? Robin Childs (LeyLinesComic.com & MokoPress.com), Dawn Griffin (DawnGriffinStudios.com) and Chris Flick (CapesNBabes.com) are joined by much-missed Drezz Rodriguez (DrezzWorks.com) to talk about illustration work and how the time away has changed him. (The rumors were true…he wears pants now. We were shocked too.) Additional resources: Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market 2017 Finding a lawyer: If you are looking for help with a legal matter, check your local American Bar Association. There is free legal help for folks that qualify as low-income and unbiased referrals to affordable lawyers in your area. Contracts As an example of what kinds of things a layman’s language contract can have, here’s a list of headers from Robin’s 2-page contracts: Contact info and names of both parties Summary: One sentence summarizing project including, size, rate, and purpose. Agreement: Details what each party is responsible for Project information: Summarizes what the project is, the service the artist will provide, and how the content will be used. Price and Payment Terms: How much the artist will be paid. How to invoice the company. When they will be paid. Other things like Rush Rates or partial payments, etc. Schedule: When the work starts and when it is due. Ownership and Independence: Work for hire terms. Intellectual property. Establishing artist as independent contractor (ie: freelance) vs employee. Liability and Legal Issues: Warranty, Assignability, Severability, Indemnification, Limitation of Liability, and Governing Law. IE: The legalese portion of the document. Acceptance of Agreement: Where people sign. Not valid until signed by both parties, and both parties should get a copy of the mutually signed document. For other examples on writing simple, but binding, contracts: Freelance Graphic Design Contract from Your Freelance Career Designer Sample Contracts from Smashing Magazine “8 Contract Clauses You Should Never Freelance Without” Article Artist Plugs: Learn more about the work of Jonas McCluggage and Jackarais (the Great!) and his comic Bicycle Boy. Warning: Podcast may contain some language not suitable for all-ages