Illustration
I started Grae Salisbury Studios in 2021, and absolutely love my work as an artist! Over the years I have created works for editorials, branding, advertisements, packaging, events, plays, installations, & more.
If you enjoy my portfolio below & are interested in working with me just shoot me an email! I am currently available for both large and small scale projects.
Afraid your budget might be too small? You won’t know until you reach out! I am very happy to answer any questions you have about my practice!
For more information, visit my illustration FAQ at the bottom of this page.
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We will first email about your project. If our due dates, budgets, and vision line up, we can schedule a free voice or video consult to talk about any questions we might have and connect on your vision. After this conversation, I will await an email from you confirming that you would like to work with me.
At this point I will write up a letter of agreement. Our letter of agreement will include our quote, our due dates for drafts, edits, and finals, payment information, colour palettes, references/inspiration photos, legal info, etc. Once we both sign this letter, I can begin drawing!
Depending on the project, you will receive at least one idea sketch and/or a rough draft to approve and/or give me edits on. After I finish your edits, you will receive a final draft, at which point you have one more opportunity to make any changes before I send you the high quality PDF, PNG, or animated Mp4.
Rachel Aberle, Artistic Director –Green Thumb Theatre
“Grae created illustrations for Green Thumb Theatre’s elementary and high school school theatre tours for our 2022-24 seasons, and I could not be happier with the results. Grae integrated my vision for the marketing materials into their unique artistic point of view, and created work that is whimsical, eye-catching, and tells a story – absolutely what we were looking for as a company that creates theatre for young audiences. Grae produced their work in a timely manner and took notes quickly and thoroughly. I would happily work with Grae again and enthusiastically recommend them to anyone who asked.“
Frequently asked questions
Why hire an illustrator?
Clients working with illustrators have more control over their visual messaging than when choosing a stock photo. Therefore, illustrations give clients an edge in a visually competitive world.
Illustrations convey complex concepts simply and effectively, while helping an audience connect with and remember key messages.
Illustrations inform an audience of the mood, aesthetic, & attitude of an event, character, or story at a glance!
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Generally, I charge $47/hr and an illustration for a story or article typically costs $100-400+tax. Hourly rates apply to emails and meetings after our letter of agreement has been signed, as well as drawing time.
I also work with capped estimates. A capped estimate is a maximum total price that you will not pay more than, regardless of time spent creating the piece.
Usage also contributes to price. Branding and packaging can cost more than an illustration being used for a written work, because you, as the client, are not just paying for the illustration, but for how broadly that illustration will be used in the future. I always provide a detailed cost estimate in our letter of agreement so that you will never end up spending more money than you anticipated.
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Just send me an email! In your email, please include as much detail as possible, so that I can understand what you're looking for and get you a timely quote!
What is helpful to include:
1. Your vision for this piece (ex. "We would like a visual of a dog dish, in block-print style, with our brand name on it!")
2. Intended usage (ex. "This image will be used for packaging our healthy dog food for local farmers markets.")
3. Due dates (ex. "I would need this by May 2025, so that I have time to get it printed on our packaging for market season.")
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A letter of agreement is a legal document that outlines our project, including due dates, legal usage, and exactly what is being purchased. All parties will sign this document before I begin my work. You will have the chance to make edits to this document before we sign it.
A letter of agreement will include any mood boards or inspirations photos the client has provided so that before I begin drawing we know that we have a shared vision for the final piece!
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If a client falls in love with an illustration and would like to use it for more than was originally outlined in our letter of agreement, we will make an amendment to the original letter. You will be fairly charged for extra usage that was not included in our original letter of agreement.
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Branding and logos have extremely high usage and their prices reflect this accordingly. Branding can cost anywhere from $300+tax to over $1000, as it will be used on signs, packaging, social media platforms, advertisements, and more.
Recent Work
The Sick Times Summer Fundraiser
This July I create two stickers for The Sick Times summer fundraiser! One sticker featured their mascot, the caladrius, and the other round sticker showcased a jumble of different masked creatures.
Blue Sunday
I was delighted to create this year's graphics for Blue Sunday put on by Opera Mariposa and The ME/FM Society of BC.
Khorikos Gala Celebration
Khorikos turned 20 this year and I was honoured to do the graphics for their gala celebration!
Queer & Trans Farmers’ Market
I was thrilled to design the Oaklands Queer and Trans Farmers’ Market poster and social media templates for 2025!
DoNoHarm BC
It has been hugely rewarding to work with DoNoHarm BC. DoNoHarm BC is a non-partisan action group based in British Columbia, Canada. Their mission is to demand evidence-based safety measures in high-risk settings; to advocate for effective and equitable public health policies; and to help lead grassroots collective action promoting safety, equity, accessibility, and resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Client
Island COVID Conscious Creative Crips BC
Year
2025
Event: The Museum of Vancouver’s “Living with Long COVID” exhibition cover photo
Dates: October 4, 2025 - May 27, 2026
My partner and I worked together to create a portrait of her for ME/CFS awareness day in 2024. We later submitted this photo to the M.O.V.’s exhibition “Living with Long COVID” and were proud that it was used as the cover photo for this exhibit.
To learn more about Long COVID and related conditions checkout the LONG COVID ESSENTIALS series “What is Long COVID”.