Free Sample Freelance Artist Contract Templates

To help you grow your business, we've created a fairly simple yet reliable freelance artist contract template in Word and PDF versions so you can use it over and over.

What's in this model?

• Service details

• Payment details 

• revisions 

• Dispute settlement

What is a freelance artist contract?

If you are creating an artist contract for the first time, you will find this difficult. Each contract must specify the responsibilities and obligations of each party, the compensation and what the project entails. It can be worded simply (without using complex legalese) unless the project specifically requires it. Although a contract may be simple, make sure it is clear and avoid confusing or uncertain language. However, you can still get a free artist contract template to help you design one.

Whether you are good at creating art, specialize in one activity, or do freelance recording as an artist, you would need an artist agreement template because human relationships can be messy and imperfect memories. Although a contract does not relieve you of all the complexities and likely ambiguity of communications, it can bring clarity and consensus between you as a freelancer and your client.

What is an independent artist?

An independent artist is someone who creates and sells their own art, unless they are part of a commercial company. Freelance artists generally earn their income entirely through the sale of their art. They are therefore responsible for paying all taxes and filing declarations as independents.

What are the types of freelance artist contracts?

There are two types of freelance artist agreements: copyright agreements and license agreements. The copyright agreement allows you to sell your creation and sometimes guarantees you intellectual property. However, there may be limitations on how you can sell your work. The license agreement is a contract by which you have the authorization to publish a work, but not the right to sell this right. This is the most common contract for independent artists.

How to Write a Freelance Artist Contract

The simplest way to put it is that a contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties. Here's an even simpler description: it's a conditional promise. This comes after the initial proposal has been shared with the freelancer, but before the freelancer gets to a point where they send invoices. 

Here is the essential information you will need to draft a freelance artist contract:

• Customer and artist information: Names, addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, signatures

• Payment schedule: Type of payments, tariffs, payment term, invoices, deposit, additional costs

• Project information: De what the project is about, the timeline of the project, the purpose of the project 

• Licenses and Ownership: Who owns the work product, when the original artwork becomes the property of the client (when fully paid for by the client)

• Customer Approval: Customer's right to request revisions if not satisfied.

• Privacy : Parties' agreement to treat all information as confidential until the product is completed.

• Termination of the agreement: Terms under which the parties may terminate the contract if they deem it necessary, time limit for written notice

In addition to the actual information you will include in your freelance contract, you also need to consider how you will present all of this information.

Perhaps the best advice you can receive on this topic is to be as clear and concise as possible, because conciseness is key.

Taking the time to clarify your contract before doing any work will help you avoid any mess. Explain everything that needs to be explained.

Important Terms

What makes a good artist contract?

A free artist contract template doesn't have to be a large document with so much information. It can be a simple description of the terms and conditions of a project that you, as a consultant, and your client have agreed to work on. It can also be a complex document depending on the level of complexity of the project and the number of elements involved.

Here are the essential elements of a good artist contract that would protect an independent agent and their client:

• Customer information:

You should have relevant information about your client on your artist contract as well as data about yourself as a freelancer. The agreement should clearly detail or describe the parties. All information provided must be provided with the consent of the parties concerned.

Keep in mind that the agreement should protect the interests of both parties and therefore, before including any client information in the free artist contract template, ask the client for permission to know what he wants you to include in the contract.

• Detail your services in the artist contract template

Explain to the potential client the services you would render as an artist. You can also outline the goal, outlining the broad outlines of activities that will be visible in the final product.

The client hires you to provide specific services, and you must deliver if you want them to pay you. He won't want to spend on services that don't add value to his business. Be as clear and specific as possible when writing this section.

• Payment method and calendar section:

Your client's payment plan is an essential part of your artist contract. The payment schedule can be weekly, fortnightly or any agreed frequency. After the assigned task is completed, you want the customer to make the payment before moving on to the next task.

Don't set deadlines too tight for the client. Remember, sometimes they will delay payment for legitimate reasons. So plan a margin for such circumstances. 

• Intellectual property and copyright:

An agreement must be made to determine who owns the intellectual property you create. If you reserve the right to intellectual property, you must offer a license that allows its use to your customers, and the expiry date of the license must be indicated, if applicable.

• Dispute Resolution:

In the event of a breach of the agreement by either party, your artist contract must provide for the method of resolution, which may include arbitration, mediation, or judicial resolution.

• Revisions and changes:

You should leave room for project review and revisions in your proposal. However, you should beware of unlimited revisions by applying a clause that would prevent this from happening. As you do, answer questions about how changes should be made and when would you charge additional fees for the project. Either way, a good relationship with your client will allow you to easily make changes to your project.

Work's extent

This part of the contract includes the details of the project and the responsibilities expected of the subcontractor. It highlights things like the name of the project, the name of the project owner, and the tasks that the contractor is responsible for.