How Much Do You Charge As A Coloring Assistant?

[fiddlyturtle]

Hey, fellas! I've been thinking about branching out as a comic coloring assistant since that's my favorite part of making comics. But I'm a little confused about how to price my work since I've only drawn for myself up until now.
So, if any of you currently have coloring assistants (flatting/shading/both) or if you're working as one, please, drop your best advice about what factors you take into consideration while setting a price.
What are your prices per panel/per page for each service? Also, how much do you think I should start with realistically given my artstyle?

PS: Attaching some panels from my own comics to give you an idea of my style and the amount of details in my work.

[RedLenai]

Well, some of the aspects to keep in mind are:

• Complexity (Type of rendering may vary depending on the scene, if its serious, goofy or if there are other indications to follow by the person hiring you)
• Experience and portfolio in general
• Amount of panels/pages per chapter
• Amount of hours working (I personally don't use this)

Usually, the average minimum that I see in most platforms is from $10 to $20 USD for a page, and average amount of panels per page is around 5-6.

[fiddlyturtle]

Thanks! Do you prefer charging hourly rates or flat rates? I personally find flat rates more comfortable since that way both parties know what they're agreeing to. Also, do you mean $10-$20 for shading prices only? Or for flatting and shading combined?

[RedLenai]

As I previously mentioned, I don't use charging for amounts of working hours (Hourly rate). I don't work as an assistant anymore (Sketching, Inking, coloring and/or lettering) but as solo lead artist, so I do everything myself.

The average minimum I mentioned is for a coloring assistant (Freelancer / Independent) who does all that, that means flat colors, gradients, shading, etc. Depending on the person hiring, some may charge the same amount for just flats, but its a matter of searching and finding. Most people making webcomics are either artists who do everything themselves, so most cannot afford an Editorial like type of payment for the extra help they manage to get.

[fiddlyturtle]

Thanks a lot! That cleared a lot of confusion!

[Lensing]

I did color flatting jobs and I charged 30€/hour.
It´s hard to compare that, because it depends on the customers, the country
you live in etc. I know there are people out there who pay 5$
and get someone they find on the internet who color flats 10 hours for that money.

[fiddlyturtle]

That's interesting. How many panels could you complete in an hour? I guess, hourly rates would be more suitable for those who can work really fast.

[Lensing]

I´m superfast when I do comics. Most flatting jobs that I did were for stuff like children´s
books, some of them had hundred characters on a 2 page spread. I showed them
what I can do in one hour and filmed a video of it

[fiddlyturtle]

That's super-fast! I've only done flats for myself up until now so I might just start with flat/panel rates and build speed with practice. Thank you for the insight!