Pricing

[Anonymous No.6141878]

How much do you guys typically charge for your commissions? I'm brand new to them, and I'm feeling uncomfortable with my pricing. I just finished my first job doing a portrait for 500$, it took me one day, so I was pretty happy with the rate. But now I've got someone else interested, and they're asking for 5 custom illustrations and I'm not sure how to price them.

What do? And what're your average rates/how did you decide on them?

[Anonymous No.6141886]

i draw coom for 300$ per character

[Anonymous No.6141888]

>>6141886
how'd you come to that price? full color?

[Anonymous No.6141892]

>>6141888
i learned to draw, i sucked some cocks on social media and then i sold my soul to the coom devil.
i will get it back one day.

[Anonymous No.6141898]

>>6141892
did you just randomly choose 300$ per character?

[Anonymous No.6141907]

>>6141878
I charge about 1million shib that's like $11

[Anonymous No.6141911]

>>6141898
no i started with 120$

[Anonymous No.6141915]

>>6141878
>How much do you guys typically charge for your commissions?
$500, or $2500 for a basic animation.

[Anonymous No.6141923]

>>6141878
I do it for free. Just making people happy is enough payment

[Anonymous No.6141929]

>>6141915
how did you decide on those rates?

[Anonymous No.6142410]

>>6141929
By being a schizo, don't mind him

[Anonymous No.6142493]

>mfw I charge 45 USD per drawing, regardless of whether or not it includes a background or several characters
>mfw I've charged 45 USD for a six-panel comic page with six characters
>mfw PayPal even takes part of my money because I live in a shithole
I blame my low self-esteem and the fact that my drawings aren't that good, to be honest.

[Anonymous No.6142985]

>>6142493
you're way undercharging

[Anonymous No.6142994]

>>6142985
Art is subjective as fuck, in the sense that it's usually worst in the eyes of the artist who makes it. How does one even know how to price correctly?

[Anonymous No.6143002]

>>6141929
I've been drawing for 12 years, my art is well worth it.

[Anonymous No.6143016]

>>6142994
thats been the topic of this thread but no one has suggested a concrete solution on how they decide their prices
>>6143002
sure, but did you just pick the number out of thin air?

[Anonymous No.6143042]

4chan told me to charge 10$ because demand is low. Eventhough people like my art and give nice comments.

[Anonymous No.6143051]

>>6143042
do you actually charge that little?

[Anonymous No.6143107]

no one on this board makes any money

[Anonymous No.6143833]

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP AAAAAAAAAAA

[Anonymous No.6143835]

>>6141878
Charge based on what your time is worth, not your skill level. If you aren't getting any comms, get better at drawing. If your comm slots are filled, raise your prices.

[Anonymous No.6143837]

>>6141878
if people are willing to pay you $500 for a commish thats your market rate, try push for more each time and don't accept less

If you can't find anyone willing to pay you that much then its time to lower your prices

Simple supply and demand anon

[Anonymous No.6143856]

>>6143042
if you start getting too much work it means raise your prices to where you can manage it again

[Anonymous No.6143880]

>>6143837
what about for original work? i've got people interested in commissioning original artwork from me, but i've no idea how to price it. i got 500$ for a portrait that took a day, and so for an illustration that takes me probably a week, im thinking that charging a lot more would be reasonable but idk how to choose a price.

[Anonymous No.6143882]

>>6143837
what about for original work? i've got people interested in commissioning original artwork from me, but i've no idea how to price it. i got 500$ for a portrait that took a day, and so for an illustration that takes me probably a week, im thinking that charging a lot more would be reasonable but idk how to choose a price.

im thinking 1k+ would be reasonable?

[Anonymous No.6143935]

>>6143882
Well how many hours did you spend on the portrait? How many hours will the illust take? Simple maffs innit bruv

[Anonymous No.6143941]

>>6143935
so like 2500$+? maybe its justified from that perspective but it just seems so ridiculous that i almost cant tell someone that's my rate. i feel like i'll never get anyone to pay that much

[Anonymous No.6143949]

>>6143941
2500 for a week of skilled labor, gig work with no benefits, PTO, healthcare...

[Anonymous No.6143958]

>>6143949
thats true, i guess since im coming from being a neet, to actually trying to make money doing this, actually earning a decent wage is a bit jarring, i guess the best option is just test the waters and adjust accordingly

[Anonymous No.6143971]

>>6142994
>How does one even know how to price correctly?

Roughly estimate how long it'd take an average artist to do what you do, multiply by a reasonable hourly wage at least higher than what the local fast food joint is paying, round to closest multiple of 5 or 7 if you charge in GBP because the customers expect bongs to be quirky.

Basically in most of the first world, a full body, full color drawing should cost at least 30$, any less and you could just have flipped burgers for the same amount of time for more money, a meal, and slightly less annoying customers.

[Anonymous No.6143979]

Folks, all I want is 600$ a month. That's all I need.
I developed a new style but it's too simple I think..

[Anonymous No.6143997]

>>6143979
what the fuck is your problem? is it mere self-esteem issue? or is it because you spent too much on this shit board?
you could be making $600 in a week but you still choose to be retard and refuse to open commissions

[Anonymous No.6143999]

>>6143882
You charge whatever you think they're willing to pay and if its less than what you want/need then either raise your skills or find richer clients

[Anonymous No.6144004]

>>6143997
>refuse to open commissions
well they are not closed but just nobody is messaging me yet
I think I need to draw more
I did do a lot of commissions in the past but not as much as I would like
putting your comm info on twitter is such a bold move, I am kinda insecure...

[Anonymous No.6144012]

>>6144004
Same here, my friend. I don't know how people get so much visibility... I only got one commission after one year (20 bucks). Also just created a twitter, but am i supposed to follow people like crazy? Post about what i eat too?
I will continue to draw and get better, hoping for the best, just wished i could pay my bill with my work. Good luck to you!

[Anonymous No.6144017]

Pyw

[Anonymous No.6144036]

>>6144012
No no. The trick isn't visibility anon. It's finding a community. Literally go to another site that has specific communities and create some fan art of for that community. You will be surprised how receptive people are. Just don't be a basic bitch and pick a community everybody sees money in (like the furry community), if you're going into an oversaturated community pick a subcommunity. The point is, start small and as you continue to paint people WILL notice you. Some people with audiences I might add. It's a game of intelligence, perseverance and skill. Everyone wants to be an artist anon. It dilutes that marketshare, but it's no problem for the people who literally take a few steps on the right direction. You'll back and realize most people only like the idea of being an artist but not what it takes.

[Anonymous No.6144040]

>>6144004
i looked around your twitter and DA for one minute and haven't found price sheet or email contact or even "open for commission" message, of course you won't get any clients this way
i also suspect you undercharge a lot like starting price being $50 when it could be $$100-150
>putting your comm info on twitter is such a bold move, I am kinda insecure...
definitely spent too much on this board then
what's the point of making social media if you won't use it to find clients?

[Anonymous No.6144071]

>>6144036
I like drawing animals and i like drawing the human body, so i genuinely like to draw furry art. But i also like vintage style art and i'm pretty sure that there isn't a community with that interest. Also, i can't even make people see my art in those sites or even discord.
Also, i don't think i'm overcharging for my work, even if it's beg, this last work, for example, i would charge 113 USD (45 cell shaded character + 63 (31,5 usd for extra characters) + 5 bucks simple background.
I don't know, maybe i should produce more coom art.

[Anonymous No.6144075]

>>6144071
Furry art is quite popular, I don't think you should have issues getting people interested, regardless of the time period.
>5 bucks for a background
That's insanely low, I'd be weirded out by those prices, without even thinking about the complexity of a background would add an extra 0 next to that five, if they want to get fancy with details then you start multiplying by 2, for the time it takes is completely justified to ask way more.

[Anonymous No.6144092]

>>6144075
>I don't think you should have issues getting people interested
Lol, that's the point. I don't know what i'm doing wrong, even with these low prices people don't want my stuff in this big ass community.
Not to sound entitled and all, i just wanted to know what i should do differently to get in the market, and maybe even get the 600 bucks a month like the fellow anon wants too.

[Anonymous No.6144101]

>>6144092
Sub community. Pick a specific furry Fandom. General furry art requires unique style, clout or a niche fetish. I didn't mean furries were out the door, I meant get specific. Everybody and their mom wants to be a furry artist, so you have a sea of furry art. You'll get noticed by choosing a Fandom and sticking with it. Preferably one you like.

[Anonymous No.6144167]

>>6141915
Aahhahahahaha
AAAAHAHAHAHA

[Anonymous No.6144669]

>>6143971
30$???? i wouldnt even begin to do drawings like that for under 100-200

[Anonymous No.6145027]

>>6144036
Where do I find these artists? Do I go into the subreddits and just search “commission” or do the artists just post art and then leave?

[Anonymous No.6145058]

>>6143941
>i feel like i'll never get anyone to pay that much
friendly reminder

[Anonymous No.6145061]

>>6145058
what the fuck is that real?? artist name?

[Anonymous No.6145095]

>>6141892
>i sucked some cocks on social media and then i sold my soul to the coom devil.
How do I do this? I'm asking unironically. I just opened an instagram like 3 days ago, the high made me draw fast enough to post 3 days in a row but realistically I'll post once or twice weekly.

I will draw porn of the waifu of the month if that's what it takes, I don't care being a sellout and a shill but I have no idea how to do it.

[Anonymous No.6145117]

>>6145061
yes it's real
and people pay his prices

[Anonymous No.6145133]

>>6145117
>>6145061
basically he's an artist with professional art directing/storyboard experience, and that's what industries will pay artists for their work. Skilled labor isn't cheap in any field, or at least shouldn't be.
People are used to seeing what are essentially hobbyists on twitter charging $50 for a commission that they spend 10 hours on, and think this should be the normal thing, and that pricing higher is elitist gatekeeping that keeps poorfags from commissioning art.
In actuality it's a dogshit pricing model that only works when you also have supplemental income from you work, like patreon/kofi/whatever.

[Anonymous No.6145175]

>>6145058
just looked up his work and it makes sense to me. it’s solid and as consistently, marketably quality as it gets in this stylistic vein.
completely agree with this anon >>6145133,
and these are a random few of his illustrations >>6145117
it’s not just pro sketches, the work’s both pro and furry, and the art wouldn’t be at all strange seen commercially in a game or popular app, so if private dudes want, they need to compete with commercial budgets.
a few random illustrats i grabbed incoming:

[Anonymous No.6145176]

>>6145175

[Anonymous No.6145179]

>>6145176
single character

[Anonymous No.6145195]

>>6145175
kek

[Anonymous No.6145201]

>>6145175
>the work’s both pro and furry
it's pro
it's furry
it's horny

the big money trifecta.

[Anonymous No.6145217]

anyone have any of his process videos?

[Anonymous No.6145323]

>>6144669
PYW. I'm not doubting you but I want to see if my skill level is worth going for that price

[Anonymous No.6145376]

I'm completely demoralized and will sell my full color drawings for $30 in a couple days because I don't give a damn anymore. I made a mistake choosing art as a career when I'm too retarded to socialize.

[Anonymous No.6145405]

>>6145376
>too retarded
It shows. Unless you're a permabeg, charge more. You think artists are social animals or what? Don't let e-celebs fool you, most artists and all mangaka are socially inept

[Anonymous No.6145418]

>>6145405
I've been drawing for almost a decade and don't have any followers because I never used social media. if I don't get clients before bills are due I'm toast.

[Anonymous No.6145427]

>>6145418
And how're you going to pay your bills drawing for pennies? You don't use social media so you don't have followers, that's obvious. Start posting arts with the open to commission tag. It's probably better to draw a couple for free or just post some random works and say those are commissioned drawings

[Anonymous No.6145462]

>>6145427
>And how're you going to pay your bills drawing for pennies?
I can at least pay the internet bill. I seriously feel like I'm ripping people off because I can't see the value in my work, makes it hard to justify raising prices. Even if the client says they like it I don't feel satisfied and disappear to grind more, this has been going on for years now.

[Anonymous No.6145569]

>>6145376
>>6145418
But socializing is how you get clients and work.

[Anonymous No.6145571]

>>6145569
How to socialize?
Draw fanart and spam 800 hashtags per drawing?

[Anonymous No.6145582]

>>6145571
You seriously asking that?

[Anonymous No.6145591]

>>6145582
Yes
I'm autistic and occasionally post art on Twitter or Instagram, but get like 10-15 likes at the most.
I made fanart for a bigger name artist once, they retweeted, and I got over 700, but only like 3 followers out of it.

[Anonymous No.6145592]

>>6145571
Anon just b urself. Seriously if you can form a coherent conversation on 4chan then you will do just fine on twitter. Just don't use the n word and call everyone who doesn't like your art a retard and you're good. You can always just draw fanart of an anime you like and tag that show, that's already a conversation starter with a defined subject if you want to engage in the comment section

[Anonymous No.6145615]

>>6145569
Precisely, I've been relying on a specific way to get work without having to socialize but now that method is gone and I'm fucked because I don't have a way to source clients anymore.

[Anonymous No.6146113]

price check threads should consist of a couple randomly generated prompts and people drawing any of them to post and get their piece valued. That way there's no reason to not post your work if you don't want to be traced.

[Anonymous No.6146310]

how much more would you guys charge if the client wants full rights to the piece, and they dont want me to be able to post it to social media, or be able to use it in my portfolio?

[Anonymous No.6146335]

>>6146310
Depends on what they want the full rights for, is it supposed to be for a commercial purpose or are they just being some weird possessive fuck? Hint one of these will be inclined to pay more, the other thinks you should be paying them for allowing you to create their great idea.

[Anonymous No.6146347]

>>6146310
x1.5-x2 of final price if it's for personal use, x3-x5 if they want commercial rights

[Anonymous No.6146350]

>>6146310
>full rights to the piece
commercial artwork is substantially more expensive typically than private commission work.
https://www.deviantart.com/kamakru/journal/Artist-Info-How-to-Price-Commissions-421141144

This is from 2013, so adjust accordingly.

[Anonymous No.6146353]

>>6146335
he said he would be using them for "private purposes" which is weird. makes me think he wants it for coom, but i dont draw coom art.

[Anonymous No.6146434]

>>6146350
ty for this

[Anonymous No.6146448]

>>6145592
> You can always just draw fanart of an anime you like and tag that show
And get next to none views and 10 likes at most. How is this supposed to help in socializing?

[Anonymous No.6146484]

>>6146448
do fanart of popular artist OCs and tag them in hopes they retweet it
follow every dumb drawing trend (the sooner to its start the better)

[Anonymous No.6146493]

resources i found for other people trying to figure out pricing

https://medium.com/@xavierck/a-short-guide-to-freelance-rates-79de309658ac

https://litebox.info/2019/08/02/wage-surveys/

[Anonymous No.6146517]

>>6146310
follow up on this, the commissioner is also looking for 5 commissions from me, none of which I would be able to share on social media, or use in my portfolio, and he'd own 100% of the rights. hes suggesting i get 100% creative freedom. what do you guys think i should charge? if i take this potential job, then it'll be a pretty significant amount of time dedicated for work that I cant use to my future benefit.

would you discount him any amount considering hes looking for a bundle of work? i was thinking of doing at least a 2x mark up based on the account that i keep 0 rights and cannot share the work anywhere.

[Anonymous No.6146803]

>>6146517
10k (not joking)

[Anonymous No.6146820]

>>6146803
i unironically came to similar numbers, 9k being my lowest, 12k being my highest.

[Anonymous No.6146854]

>>6146517
Skill level?

[Anonymous No.6146858]

well folks, i drew some SFW pics, now it's time to draw some NSFW pics to be able to make a new comm sheet
I'm gonna be anxious to ask for anything more than 60$ now

[Anonymous No.6147030]

>>6146854
probably /adv/ maybe pro on a good day

[Anonymous No.6147042]

I'm asking for 60, but I'm waaay under-pricing myself because I don't have a big enough audience and I'm focusing on quantity for now while I build a following. Once I have enough to get a solid amount of commissions peer week I probably will double that and if I get famous go for something higher, but that's like in long future.

I normally price myself from the people around me, so even with 60 I would say my prices are on the okay side if you want to compare with the sort of desperate fuck that needs to advertise his work everywhere.

[Anonymous No.6147056]

>>6141878
Depends what's being commissioned
A digital portrait from photo? Maybe 100$, maybe even 50$
A traditional portrait based off of multiple photos with a specific style? Minimum 500$ if you're mailing me the art supplies to use lmfao, depending if you're nice and don't have money to pay 5000$, I'll take pity and charge whatever the art supplies cost me (canvas, pencils, erasers, paints, and a security of 20$ in case any of my brushes decide to fuck off)

>Average rates
5$ (16 x 16 static pixel art sprite) to $5000 (traditional multiple characters with full background fully rendered oil painting, no references or descriptors provided, on 4ft by 4ft canvas with frame)

>How did you decide on them
I sat down one sleepless night after drinking 4 coffees and 2 red bulls with dark bags under my eyes and exhaustion creeping up and said "damn, I need money, I should do commissions" and then wrote every possible commission I could do and someone could ask for into a notepad and then wrote prices next to then

[Anonymous No.6147062]

>>6141915
Lol anon is larping as me
I charge a minimum of 5$ for pixel art, a basic uncolored animation (8-16 frames) is 50$, a $500 animation would be something like fully colored and rendered 8-16 frame animation of one character with background, a $2500 animation would be a 3 or so minute long animation with multiple scenes or multiple characters
>>6141929
Here >>6147056

[Anonymous No.6147122]

Money isnt important. Value and worth is. I will draw and paint for a life time supply of wild caught sardine. Think like me and you will know how to price your art.

[Anonymous No.6147138]

>>6147122
If everyone thinks like you no art would have ever been made since the beginning of history. I'm so fucking glad all the masters aren't arthoes chasing after stupid feels good ideals but instead do art so they can do more and better art.

[Anonymous No.6147152]

>>6147056
>no references or descriptors provided
what, do they just say
>gimme something bro, here's 5k. thanks.

[Anonymous No.6148385]

Is pic related worth reading? I never hear anyone talk about it. I think it was a kickstarter book.

[Anonymous No.6148397]

>>6141878
I turn down commission offers and draw it for free and give out my full res pics for people to print on their own for non commissioned pics when people ask for prints :)

[Anonymous No.6148582]

>>6147152
If they did, I would charge them 5k
Recently got a commission (digital) where the guy literally said "idk, surprise me bro"

[Anonymous No.6149277]

God damn it I need money
I need money so desperately
Mom keeps nagging about job
I just can't take it anymore

[Anonymous No.6149285]

does anyone have any of the latest editions of the book "Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines"? It is already on the 16th edition but I have only found the 10th edition from 2001.

[Anonymous No.6149302]

>>6141878
I let my clients pay how much they want. They mostly pay around 40-60 USD. I let them charge because I'm still a beg and not yet famous enough.
This one, however, is my most expensive yet where my client paid me around 120 USD.

[Anonymous No.6149396]

>>6141878
stop doing "comissions" I dont even know what that word means and get real clients, listen to what they want, give them a time estimate for each milestone Sketch/Blockout/Camera angle based on a 30 USD per hour rate and when they accept charge for the time you spend working like a real adult. if they ask for changels after the milestone for example "can you change the camera angle" you let them know what you will have to charge extra time.
At the end you send them whats called an INVOICE with the tasks listed and time spent.

look at Plumbers or car mechanics dont do "Comissions" They do business.

The bottom of the barrel for digital art is 30 USD/hr, if you go below that you have no self respect and you are not hurting yourself you are hurting all of us trying to make a living drawing.

All these amateur comission faggots need to go kill themselves.

>>But anon Nobody wants to pay me 30USD per hour for my work

then you work is good enough.

>>Where can I find art jobs that pay 30USD/hour

here: https://www.artstation.com/jobs/all

[Anonymous No.6149412]

>>6149396
You don't draw

[Anonymous No.6149418]

>>6149396
kill yourself

[Anonymous No.6149437]

>>6149396
>why yes i will actively discuss sketch with my client, improving on his idea, make an additional ass shot for free because i felt like it and i will get paid pennies and won't get a tip, how did you know?

[Anonymous No.6149521]

>>6143979
>>6145376
I'm not telling you what to do with your life, but here's some good advice: move to a place where the dollar is worth more and keep doing the exact same thing. I live in Brazil and here my currency is worth five times less. Yes, if I compare 1x1 our financial power is much lower, but in the case of 1x5 it is better.

If you can make $2000 a month that's 10000 reais, which allows for a comfortable (not luxurious, but stable and peaceful) life in Gramado, a beautiful and safe city founded by Germans and Italians. If you prefer the beach, there are dozens of wonderful options (forget the shithole Rio de Janeiro), like Floripa or my city, Vitória. Whoever earns 10000 (not me) lives in the middle image and is still just an hour's drive from the mountain region (last image).

[Anonymous No.6149526]

>>6149521
I'm from venezuela, I need like $100 a month to live decently.

[Anonymous No.6149527]

>>6149521
I'm from Poland, I just need 600 dollars

[Anonymous No.6149583]

On Patreon I charge 35 euros for a small monthly ink cat drawing. But I only take prompts from the commissioner, similar to Inktober's. For the finished drawing I take all artistic liberties.

[Anonymous No.6152238]

>>6141878
~¢2 a page for my kdp comic book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4M98NTH

[Anonymous No.6152513]

>asking price are $25-30
>slots are open
>none taker
One day I'll get out of /beg/

[Anonymous No.6152527]

>>6149527
You probably can do the same here, basically 2 minimum ages. $2000 is more if you want to have a more comfortable high-middle class life in a pretty good place.

I myself aiming to something close to $500 a month that is somewhat 10 commissions a month and were I live I would live a pretty comfortable life. If I take 4 to 5 hours to each commission I would be able to work 40 hours a month and still be able to sustain myself. Since my main goal is to be a weirdo hermit saving money to big art projects and I REALLY don't care about any sort of vanity is more than enough.

[Anonymous No.6152555]

>>6152513
I believe in you

[Anonymous No.6152673]

>>6152513
Show your work.

[Anonymous No.6152911]

How the fuck do I receive payment hnder a pseudonym? Paypal shows real name and region/city.

[Anonymous No.6152942]

>>6152911
dba

[Anonymous No.6153041]

>>6141878
$2000 a character pin up. 30% minimal down payment. negotiable.

[Anonymous No.6153043]

>>6147122
You're not in the 16th century. They have patrons to pay the art goblin to paint.

[Anonymous No.6153267]

For me the problem is not making invoices and budgets in the form of a contract. I usually get jobs but I've realized that I'm wasting my time by not making invoices of the budget with their conditions, the hours spent, revisions, etc. The problem is that I want to have a generic template (I usually do illustrations and motion graphics) but I don't know how to start writing it or what parts I need for these cases. Do any of you have examples that can help me to write one of my own?

[Anonymous No.6153297]

Question: do you think anyone would pay for a slightly erotic oil painting, like this one, but in the furry style? I mean, if I made a good oil copy and turned the girl into a sexy looking wolf, would that sell for at least $500?

[Anonymous No.6153746]

>>6153297
If it was the client’s OC then furrys would pay in the 1000s

[Anonymous No.6154475]

>>6152911
I think a business account fixes that.

[Anonymous No.6154489]

>>6154475
You can still reverse search the owner from government database

[Anonymous No.6154491]

>>6154489
>government database
nigger what, my third world country can't even check if I'm in the country or not there's no gov database

[Anonymous No.6154528]

>>6141886
>>6141892
pyw fgt or it didnt habbent

[Anonymous No.6154532]

Where do you get your commissions from Op? Asking for a friend (no irony)