Any illustration project needs a clear understanding of the processes involved, from the perspective of both the client and the illustrator. This means mapping out a set of agreed steps to share discoveries or problems that may occur along the way.

The process may require a checklist or set of instructions that requires approvals at agreed intervals or milestones. It will need to take into account all the tasks that are required by client and illustrator to final delivery of the product, including:

• administration
  • agreed quote or costing
  • agreed timeframe and deadline
  • meetings
  • copyright, credits and acknowledgments
  • archiving original artwork (electronic and non-electronic)
• representation
  • supply of research material and information
  • exact or generalised representation
  • illustration conventions (eg mechanical, exploded view, medical, annotated)
  • structures or features that need to be shown
  • technique (eg line, continuous tone, colour)
  • size of drawing for publication (height × width in actual publication)
• drawing
  • preliminary sketches (including basic forms, views and proportions)
  • scaled rough drawing (accurate outline, including scale at appropriate size for publication)
  • detailed preliminary drawing (final outline showing all important details)
  • rendered drawing (including shading and final detailing)
  • drawing adjusted to correct image size and resolution for publication.