Now, I know that I am not a "professional" artist. I don't make a living off of the commissions I illustrate, nor do I make any money off of the stuff I create just "for fun." That's fine with me. I've come to terms with this, and realize I will always have a day job. Though I am highly critical of myself, and deem my work less worthy than other aspiring artists in similar situations, I know that I am skilled enough to balk at someone wanting to offer me less than minimum wage for a fully finished illustration. I've spent my entire life honing my craft, not to mention five years of (expensive) college that earned me a Bachelor's Degree in Art and Design. I would never dream of asking for some of the outrageous prices other, "real" artists ask for; I don't feel I have the same skill level and probably never will. But to offer an artist such a pittance is an offense and a slap in the face. Does this make me an elitist snob? My God, I sure hope not.
It's late and my thoughts aren't assembling themselves into coherent sentences. I just really, really needed to rant about this.
