Dear Sci-Art Group,
      Thanks for the suggestions about how experience should effect pricing
rates.  The longer I work at scientific illustration, the more I realize there
is to learn.  I guess I feel like a perpetual student, and that has definitely
affected how much I ask from clients.  Any suggestions about what is the
absolute lowest baseline rate a self-respecting illustrator should ask,
assuming that they are doing the dreaded work-for-hire?  The market where I'm
currently living isn't huge, but there is occassional work to be found from
professors.  There is also an undergraduate program here for scientific illus-
tration, ie students who need the experience and are often willing to work
for free.  That's hard to compete with.  I understand there are some pricing
guides on the market--can anyone suggest a good one for someone about to enter
the field full-time?  I think that a "client educating" video tape documenting
what goes into the creation of a scientific illustration would be very useful!
Many potential clients have bugged their eyes or shown other signs of
mortification when I've told them what I would like to earn for their
assignments, and I'm beginning to discover that my rates have been obscenely
low.  People see a line drawing and think that it must have taken about 45
minutes to ink in, and that's all.  That's like telling a researcher that his/
her thesis should have taken about three days to write up since it's only 70
pages long.  Maybe a video tape would be a good project for a future Guild
Conference....
                                                       Thanks for the help,
                                                       Alison Schroeer
                                                       Forest Ecology Lab
                                                       University of Georgia
                                                       Athens, GA