Shortly after I posted in the forums at Drunk Duck, this post appeared in which Drowemos makes the startling observation that if you want to attract an artist, something which they're known to be partial to is money. I'm not going to stoop to sarcasm. The purpose of Drowemos' post was to plug this contest aimed at webcomic writers and offering a prize of six professionally-drawn pages (cash value $150).
Drowemos' webcomic The World of Exiern is interesting in that it was started with -- erm -- basic art (possibly as an homage to Dinosaur Comics), which was later (partly) replaced by professionally drawn work once revenue permitted. So I guess that he should know page rates, but $25 per page seems a little on the low side to me.
I've considered going down the paid route but decided against it for a couple of reasons. For one it could get expensive quickly, especially if quality artwork still fails to drive page views. Sure, it's a chicken and egg thing. But what I think you'd really miss working in this kind of arrangement is real involvement from the artist. I'd like to work with someone who is committed to the project, who I can bounce ideas off and who will give honest feedback, rather than just whipping through commission after commission as quickly as possible.
Ah, well... here's hoping.
