5 big contract mistakes | Contracts for freelancers | Contract basics for artists

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

Raise your hand if you find contracts confusing! 🖐

[@TheArtMentor]

Great advice Ness! It’s great to hear your professional advice on this topic

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

Thanks so much!

[@cathf6746]

Thank you for providing these informative videos :-)

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

Glad you like them!

[@littlepinkpebble]

finally listening now so so busy thanks for sharing!

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

My pleasure hun!

[@heatherboyd2825]

Really helpful! Knew somethings but learned a lot more. Working in commission work is a contract still necessary? Friend suggested an invoice. Thanks

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

For commissions under a certain amount, a contract really feels de trop. I like using my official quote document as a "contract" since it outlines all my terms :)

[@lainasketches6711]

Thank you for continuing to make these videos! 💜💜

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

Awwww I'm so glad you like them!

[@ryahx]

Thank you for this it helps a lot!

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

Thanks for stopping by Blue, I'm glad it helped!

[@minemutlu1361]

Thank you so much:)

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

You're welcome!

[@Sara-jg8od]

Good advises! Can you guide me how can I keep the copyrights of my illustration to me while the can use it to print the illustration on mugs or t-shirt? How can I write it in my contract

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

The copyrights remain with you unless and until the contract specifically states that you're giving them away. If there's no section called "assignment of rights" or "work for hire" or "all-rights terms", then you have not given away any of your copyrights :)

[@peskarrusznaktina4498]

Hi, Ness, thank you for this video. What about the case when they ask for a rough sketch with a "we don't want to take advantage of you and we will pay for it" text? (😒 Yeah, sure) I wrote them back my hourly fee for the sketch. I draw more that what they asked for, they liked it, I sent the contract...they came back with "this will not be good, we thought we will get copyrights." Ok, good bye. But, I was asking for the amount for the sketches. Never heard of them after it. I guess I can't send a contract to sign for sketches? What we can do with this in the future? Thanks a lot!

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

There are 2 things I recommend here: 1) Get the hourly fee for tests and samples paid in full before you start working on it, to avoid situations like this where they dishonestly try to back out of the deal. And 2) Discuss all terms of the deal in detail, not just payment but copyrights, deadline, etc. before going ahead with tests and such. This stuff should be discussed and negotiated in advance because if there is a discrepancy in expectations, then there is no point continuing forward with the test sketches. This is a disappointing situation indeed, but I think you did really well in requesting pay for the sketches and refusing to give away all you copyrights. It's sad that they decided to take advantage in the end, but you did a lot right and can be proud of it!

[@peskarrusznaktina4498]

Thank you very much Ness! I can easily say next time that due to bad expirence I want this and this in advance.

[@ArtBusinesswithNess]

@@peskarrusznaktina4498 Yes :) And you actually don't even have to explain it if you don't want to! It's a perfectly reasonable thing to request. Whenever I do paid tests I always ask for the money first and no one has ever questioned it :)