How to use the Commission Contract Template Generator
- Fill in Parties and artwork. Add both names, the date, the type of piece and how it will be delivered, then describe what the artwork shows in a sentence or two, with its size and medium. Picking Digital files or Digital illustration adds a line for file formats; picking Mural swaps the shipping clause for site access and equipment.
- Set Price and payment. Enter the total and choose a schedule: deposit and balance, a three-part plan with a payment at sketch approval, or full payment upfront. The agreement works out each amount for you — on the $1,200 example, a 50% deposit is $600.
- Open the collapsed sections. Timeline and revisions sets the number of sketches, deadlines, included revision rounds and the fee for extra ones. Cancellation and delivery holds the kill fee. Rights, credit and AI decides what the client may do with the image.
- Read the agreement on the right. It updates as you type and shows how many sections and words it has. Edit any wording you like after copying it.
- Export it. Use Copy text to paste it into an email or e-signature service, Download .txt or Download .md to keep a file, or Print a clean copy for ink signatures. Reset to example brings back the sample if you want to start over.
Why a page of terms saves the commission
Almost every commission dispute comes down to four questions nobody answered at the start: how many changes are included, what happens to the deposit if the client walks away, when the work counts as late, and what the client may do with the image afterwards. A one-page agreement that both of you accept before any money moves answers all four while everyone is still friendly.
The last question matters most, and it is where informal deals go wrong. Under US law, a transfer of copyright is only valid if it is in writing and signed by the owner, so a client who “assumed they owned it” doesn’t, unless you signed something saying so. Clients sometimes ask for the work to be “made for hire” instead. For an independent artist that label only works for nine narrow categories set out in the Copyright Act — contributions to a collective work, parts of a film, translations and a few others — and only with a signed written agreement. A painted portrait or a logo drawn by a freelancer usually fits none of them, which is why the generator offers a plain copyright transfer rather than work-for-hire wording. The UK reaches a similar place by a different road: an assignment of copyright has to be in writing and signed by the person giving it up.
The same logic applies to the money. Spelling out that a 50% deposit reserves your time, that a kill fee applies after sketch approval and that the balance is due before shipping turns an awkward conversation later into a sentence the client already agreed to.
Usage rights compared
| Option in the tool | Who owns the copyright | What the client may do | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal display only | Artist | Hang it, gift it, resell the original, share photos on personal social media | Pet and family portraits, house portraits, gifts |
| Limited commercial use | Artist | The uses you list, for the years and territory you set | A café menu, one book cover edition, a band’s tour poster |
| Full commercial use | Artist | Any use, anywhere, for as long as copyright lasts | Packaging art, editorial work with long reuse |
| Copyright transfer | Client, after full payment | Anything, including registering it as part of a trademark | Logos, mascots, brand characters |
Each step down the table gives the client more value, so it should cost more. Put a separate figure on the rights rather than hiding it inside the artwork price; the Art Licensing Fee Calculator helps you estimate one.
Clauses artists most often forget
- A response window. “The client replies within 7 days, and delays extend the deadline” protects you from a project that stalls for months and then arrives back as an emergency.
- An abandonment date. After 60 days of silence, the example treats the job as canceled by the client, so you can release the slot and keep the deposit.
- Changes after approval are new work. Swapping the pose or adding a third dog after the sketch is approved is a new commission, not a revision.
- A kill fee that counts what was paid. In the example, canceling after sketch approval costs 50% of $1,200, or $600; the $600 deposit already covers it, so nobody owes anything more.
- AI terms. A growing number of clients ask whether a piece was made with generative AI, and many artists want their work kept out of training sets. Two checkboxes put both answers in writing.
Tips from practice
Get the agreement accepted before you sketch. Send the text, ask for a reply that says “I agree”, and only then invoice the deposit. An e-signature tool is neater, but a dated reply email is far better than nothing.
Attach the approved sketch to the paper trail. Reply to the approval message with the image and a line such as “Sketch B approved on March 4.” Section 3 of the agreement then has something specific to point to.
Describe the piece precisely. In the UK and EU, consumers who buy at a distance usually get 14 days to cancel, but goods made to the buyer’s own specifications are generally exempt. A clear description of a custom piece is what shows it was made to order.
Price extra revisions before anyone needs them. Quoting $60 per extra round in advance feels routine; quoting it halfway through feels like a penalty.
Bill exactly what the agreement says. Use the same deposit percentage, balance and due days on your Art Invoice Generator invoices, so the paperwork tells one consistent story.