Commission — invoices
Every invoice raised for that commission.
project & client finance records
Client and project finance records for illustrators
When income and costs for a client or project are spread across tools, it is impossible to see what a job actually involved without hunting through everything. For illustrators, the fix is a consistent place to keep the records rather than a smarter tool. Cash Workspace gives you one place to record each item, attach its file, and keep it where you can find it. It is free.
The problem
Why illustrators lose track
When income and costs for a client or project are spread across tools, it is impossible to see what a job actually involved without hunting through everything.
- Mixing personal art supplies with material costs bought for a specific commission in one bucket
- Not recording which sales channel a print sale came from, so convention and shop totals cannot be separated
- Filing shipping receipts loosely so mailing costs never get matched to the sale they belong to
The workflow
How illustrators keep it organized
A simple, repeatable way to project records records without special software.
- 1
Give each client or project its own folder
Create one place per client or project so everything about commissions lives together instead of being scattered.
- 2
File its invoices and its costs side by side
Keep the project's invoices and the expenses it ran up in the same folder, so income records and cost records sit next to each other for you to review.
- 3
Attach the agreement and key documents
Keep the client agreement, scope, and any change notes with the finance records so the full picture is in one place.
- 4
Close the folder at project end
When the work wraps, confirm the records are complete and archive the folder so it stays a clean reference.
Record structure
What each record holds
The fields that make a project records record complete and findable.
- Client / project
- The organizing tag everything is filed under.
- Record type
- Invoice, expense, or document — what the entry is.
- Amount
- The figure on the record.
- Date
- When it happened, for ordering within the project.
- Attachment
- The invoice, receipt, or agreement kept with the record.
- Commission / client
- The commission or client a cost belongs to, so per-piece spend stays separate.
- Usage rights
- The rights sold on a piece — editorial, commercial, or exclusive — kept with the record.
- Print run / edition
- The print run or edition size a print-production cost covers.
- Sales channel
- Where a sale came from — shop, convention, or direct commission — for per-channel totals.
Example setup
An example structure
One way illustrators can lay this out in Cash Workspace.
Commission — expenses
The costs that job ran up — Art supplies, Digital software & apps, and Drawing tablet & hardware — with receipts.
Commission — documents
The agreement, scope, and any change notes kept alongside the finance records.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing personal art supplies with material costs bought for a specific commission in one bucket
- Not recording which sales channel a print sale came from, so convention and shop totals cannot be separated
- Filing shipping receipts loosely so mailing costs never get matched to the sale they belong to
- Losing the licensing agreement that sets the usage rights and keeping only the invoice
- Logging a whole convention weekend as one expense instead of separating table fee, travel, and supplies
- Mixing one client’s costs into another’s folder.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Record it, don’t re-key it
Enter each item once — date, vendor, amount, category — and attach the file to that record. No bank sync, no receipt-reading; the record is deliberate and yours.
One consistent structure
The same categories and folders every month, so illustrators always know where a record goes and where to find it later.
Income and cost side by side
A project’s invoices and expenses in one folder for you to review. “Project” is an organizing tag, not a computed profit figure.
Related
Related guides
Expense & receipt organizer
The expense and receipt guide for illustrators.
Invoice & payment tracker
The invoice tracking guide for illustrators.
Client project finance tracker
A related organization guide.
Project expense tracker
A related organization guide.
Finance organization library
Browse organization guides across every workflow.
FAQ
Questions people ask
- Does it calculate project profit?
- No. Cash Workspace does not calculate profit, margin, or ROI. It keeps a project’s income and cost records side by side for you to review and draw your own conclusions.
- How does project tagging work?
- Each record is tagged with its client or project so everything about one job files together. The tag is an organizing convention, not a computed figure.
- How do I keep each client’s records separate?
- Give each client or project its own folder so invoices, expenses, and documents for that job stay together and never mix with another client’s records.
- What should I do when a project closes?
- Confirm the folder holds every invoice, expense, and document for the job, add any closing note, and archive it so it stays a clean reference you can return to.
Records side by side, not a calculator
Cash Workspace keeps a client or project’s income records and cost records side by side for you to review. It does not calculate profit, margin, or ROI, and “project” is an organizing tag rather than a computed figure. You see the records; the judgement stays with you.
Organize your project records records
Cash Workspace is a free place for illustrators to keep records and their files organized. Start a workspace and set it up your way.