Upwork is hiring a Graphic designer needed to produce images for science fiction short stories published on Substack - Contract to Hire

Seeking a longterm partner to provide original graphic artwork for my biweekly Substack newsletter—see link below. The newsletter is half Sci-fi, half science.

Link:

Https://Scifirl.substack.com

I have been dabbling with AI/Midjourney generated artwork but I would much prefer to be supporting and collaborating with an artist. I would prefer your deliverables to be your own and not AI-generated, though I am open to discussion on this topic.

Work Scope:

Most graphics projects will support a short story published in a biweekly serial, spanning a 10-week, 5-post project. Each post would need 2 images: so ~10 images per 10-week project. I would like each project to have a distinctive, consistent style. 1 image per post could be black and white, sketch grade, and 1 image I’d prefer to be a refined product.

Communication:

I envision working primarily over email or Discord or other shared virtual work platforms. I am open to your suggestions.

I envision sharing 2-4 paragraph excerpts from the story for each of the 10 images, with a description of the images I’m envisioning at the beginning of each project. File attached which references the current project being published on the Substack. Open to hearing this is much too ambitious…

Deliverables and Delivery cadence:

-10 images over 10 weeks

-preferred format PNG, JPG or other, 1024x1024

I publish every two weeks, starting first Friday of the month, so I will need the 2 images per post no later than the first and third Wednesdays of each month. If desired, you could complete all images in advance of first Friday post if it’s easier to keep the style consistent—I would be open to negotiating a higher pay rate for bulk work.

Budget:

My budget can be flexible and I’m open to ideas about package deals for multiple stories. My Substack is free for now, but as I grow and potentially shift to paid subscriptions or get a sponsor, I would be happy to renegotiate your pay rates.

Timing:

Work could start immediately

If you’re interested:

Please submit examples of your work and any suggestions or ideas you have based on your review of my Substack. Letting me know what you’d have done differently on a particular post’s photo would be a great way to start our discussion!

Thank you!