While jobhunting about a little over a month ago, I came across a job listing for digital artists. The job was to make minimal, faceless portraits from reference photos and incorporate a quote. To qualify, the artist will have to make a sample from a given reference. If they like the work, they will pay the artist and onboard them.
This is what I made in six hours:
There's a million things I haven't done, just you wait.
They liked it. I got accepted, and I waited for them to send the set of guidelines for artists.
One week later, I was going to make my first project. Another week had passed, I still had not received my pay for the Hamilton piece. :(
For that first project, I decided to use script as the picture was of a couple with a very serene background. Using a playful font felt like it would ruin the romantic scene. Well, the internal team did not like it. So I asked for the guidelines they were supposed to send, and carefully reviewed them.
Apparently, artists get paid $5 for a single-person portrait like the Hamilton piece, and $6 for a couple portrait. That is, if they submit the output in 12 hours. If done it within 24 hours, the artist receives one dollar less. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I wondered then if they knew and compared their rates with the ones in the market.
They said they trust the artist's vision, but restricts the artist from using a font they want, based on their own interpretation. All for the sake of uniformity and consistency. If they wanted such, where's the art?
Artists were not allowed to post their work on their social media pages. :(
Lastly, these are terms they did not mention earlier, and terms I definitely did not agree to. There was no contract nor a verbal agreement.
So, I quit. I won't stop learning and improving my craft. Thanks to family and friends for your encouragement, and to the nice and supportive internet people. ♥
Dear artists, employees, anyone: Don't settle for less.
And to clients, employers, the ones who pay for anything offered or rendered: Don't lowball.