|
some of you might have read my previous blog where i posted a link to my deviantart gallery, which contains lots of warhammer 40000 as well as some starcraft related drawings.
now someone approached me concerning commissions for a personal fanfiction book (codex) hes making and wants me to draw between 10-15 images of the same stuff.
now im wondering how much i should charge for that as ive never been commissioned before.
im just wondering because i want to charge a fair price while at the same time make it worth my while. the drawings take me from 1-3 hours depending on the detail and work i put in them as well as the motif.
this also gives me a chance to post some of my more recent drawings :-)
http://wandelnderflohsack.deviantart.com/gallery/
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/J5f6r.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4OX8Y.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XrtW4.jpg)
*edit*
lol im wondering what if that guy is on tl and sees this blog. hell be like *putsonfakemustache* "i think you should do them for free!"
 
|
It depends on how desired you are as an artist. If you've got time, and already have an income, don't overcharge since it will leave you uncommissioned (obviously. You're already surviving too, so why lose a chance). I've seen people take from 2-10$ per sketch, and up to (average) 40$ for a painting. It usually depends on what they themselves think their time is worth, and if they just do it for fun. If you think you're worth 5-10 dollar a piece, black and white, suggest it to him, and maybe give him 20% off because he requested a larger collection of images.
Remember that you're not just spending the time on HIS pictures, you yourself are developing, and getting money for it, so large prices might scare away potential money for something you'd be doing anyway.
Start low, and if it's something you want to do, you'll get exposure over time, leading to maybe what you can see as a steady income.
Ofcourse this is pretty obvious and you've probably already given these points a thought. But, my point is, enjoy the position you're in. The money 'could' be seen as irrelevant, since you yourself already draw a lot and would be drawing anyway.
I'm not experienced in this matter (sorry, lol), but I'm browsing dA quite alot since I myself draw and paint digitally. And this is what I've 'observed'. I don't know how professionals work.
|
i agree with starting low... maybe $20-$40 a pop?
this is a fanfic too so the dude's budget is probably pretty low, and you don't want to be an asshole and overcharge.
|
Also take into consideration that some jobs are worth taking for the purpose of spreading your reputation.
My work just accepted a job last week, we'll lose money on it since the customer is already over their budget before hiring us, and a few of our people had to delay their vacation by a week to do the job. Customer knows this, and we hope that the customer will hire us again in a larger project later to compensate.
Also, wise words from a hotel manager I used to work for: "If a customer had a bad experience, he will tell EVERYONE about it. If the customer had a good experience, he probably won't say anything. If he had a GREAT experience, he might tell his 10 closest friends. So do your best to not lose any customers!"
|
In terms of USD, what would be reasonable to me is 3 dollars a sketch, at 15 sketches total bring it down to 40 to make it an even amount. You gain a bit out of it as well as you can add it to your portfolio and claim you're a commissioned artist as well as getting some practice and enjoyment.
|
In a case like this, it's really just about what he can afford. For commercial artwork, I'd probably end up usually billing a rate that would come to about $150 an hour, but this sounds like a vanity project that doesn't have any money behind it.
|
*putsonfakemustache* i think you should do them for free!
But seriously, I think 5-10 dollars seems like the right place. It's just some guy who wants to write a fanfic and he probably doesnt want to spend too much money.
|
Hmmm well...
I always wonder about how people manage to get buy charging $4 per commission, if it takes them a few hours to finish it. When you buy artwork you are paying for the artist's time and skill, but if you only have the skill to be charging $2 per hour, I don't know why people are buying your art anyway. Seems though that people are poor and/or stingy about paying for art though.
I would charge $8-10 an hour, which I suppose would come out to around $300. That is around a minimum starting wage in most places. Does it seem like a lot? Yeah. But you are putting in about 30 hours of work, or almost a WHOLE WORK WEEK to finish it. If that's too much for him, offer to do the drawings in less detail, hence less time, which will lower the cost.
|
On July 01 2011 22:16 RedJustice wrote:
Hmmm well...
I always wonder about how people manage to get buy charging $4 per commission, if it takes them a few hours to finish it. When you buy artwork you are paying for the artist's time and skill, but if you only have the skill to be charging $2 per hour, I don't know why people are buying your art anyway. Seems though that people are poor and/or stingy about paying for art though.
I would charge $8-10 an hour, which I suppose would come out to around $300. That is around a minimum starting wage in most places. Does it seem like a lot? Yeah. But you are putting in about 30 hours of work, or almost a WHOLE WORK WEEK to finish it. If that's too much for him, offer to do the drawings in less detail, hence less time, which will lower the cost.
Commissions often go around 5-10 dollars, and a sketch takes about an hour too, so it's not that horrific (well, kinda). Depends on the artist with time and price.
People often do these kind of things for fun, but they don't want to do it for free, because they will be SPAMMED. Hence they put up a price, and/or a list of slots people can place themselves in. People who pay these artists often do it just for fun themselves too. They usually pay other artists to draw their own characters, or whatever, to see how they cope with it.
I'm working, and I draw as a hobby. I already spend a working week on my hobby, with or without commissions. I don't think my skill nor my time is worth 'only' 2$ an hour. But it's something I could consider, just to filter out the infinite amount of request a well known artist may get (not saying I am one), and just do the commissions for fun. If people wanted to make a living out of it, it's way too low, yes.
EDIT: Just pointing out why there might be very low prices. It often depends on the artist interest, not their skill.
|
|
|
I'd start by asking for more money than you think you can get. If your client doesn't blink at the price, you've made more than you wanted to. If he balks, you can always make him feel good by lowering your price to a more "reasonable" range. I am a musician and private music teacher, and I know from experience that it can be hard, if not impossible, to raise your prices after you've offered to do a job at a certain price. You can always come down though (no one ever seems to mind that!).
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
