I am keenly aware of the wish and need of illustrators to better understand the specifications of the business of illustration. Let's say you did the MOST marvelous 24 x 30 oil painting of your mother in a colonial kitchen. The quality of work was not in question, but the following of assignment specifications was. The grade did not reflect your talent or nice personality. It measured your ability to follow directions.
Most projects come with a set of guidelines.
Of course, there will be a suggested deadline for the thumbnails, one for the sketches, and a finish. Each and every line of these guidelines is specific. Miss any one of these specifications, and you jeopardize the client's satisfaction, project success, payment, and the chance that they'll ever call you again. I'd like to share a few tips on specifications. It's not unusual for some of the specs to change while you are working on the project for editorial or design reasons.