Mark "Quick On the Draw" Simon. All images courtesy of Mark Simon.

Howdy friend. Welcome to the Wild West of working in Freelance, Texas. To make the most of your time here, you need to tame the bucking bronco of rates.

The first question we hear in the town of Freelance is, "How much should I charge for my services?"

Before you shoot yourself in the face and draw the first number that comes into your mind, do a little research. There are a few places here in town where you can find more information.

If you mosey on over to the local book tavern, you will find a great resource for artists, the Graphic Artist Guild Handbook of Pricing & Ethical Guidelines. This pricing bible outlines not only a range of rates for many fields of art and animation, but it also details trade practices and contains sample contracts.

So how do you know if you should lasso the top or the bottom of the range of rates? It's quite easy. If you are in a large city with lots of experience, you can charge near the top of the scale. If you are in a small city, rates tend to be lower. The less experience you have in your field, the lower your rate will start.

Another source of rates can be your competitors. Many artists are more than happy to help others with the going rates. While this may seem unusual, it actually makes sense. Artists want their competition to charge realistic rates and not undercharge for projects. People who undercharge give clients expectations of paying low rates. That affects everyone negatively.