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Posted: February 9

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~TamalasGhost Feb 9, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I just finished doing a picture for somebody who said they would like to pay me for my work. I've never been paid for my art before, and he's never commissioned an artist before, so I have no idea what a fair price would be.
Here's the picture in question - [link]
Any suggestions?

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~kafine Feb 14, 2013 General Artist

You don't have to pay yourself by the hour but it's a decent way of working out what the minimum should be. Time spent is an expense you need to cover like any other so you don't want to work at a loss.

Cover your matierial expenses too. With digital art this is hard to figure because you don't "use up" materials like you do with a real media painting. However you tools will eventually need updating, so the best way to cover your expenses is just to pad out your profit margin a bit, by whatever you think is reasonable. That way with each commission you can save a bit to your fund for replacing digital tools.

If he wants prints, don't forget to charge him the cost of the print and the p&p.

I'm a bit confused as to why you seem to have already done the painting without discussing a price?

~TamalasGhost Feb 14, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

So I need to figure out the average time I spend on different types of drawings and use the hourly rate to figure out a base price, and then add a little extra to cover expenses?

I've never charged for my work before, because I figured it wasn't good enough, but then I see other people that aren't much better getting paid commissions, so I thought I would start, but didn't really know how to. I did this picture for my cousin, and then he said he wanted to pay me, so I figured having somebody offer to pay was as good a time to start as any.

*Starlit-Sorceress Feb 13, 2013 Professional Artisan Crafter

Use minimum wage to mean the absolute minimum you should charge. Selling art won't feel worthwhile if you could be making more money working at a fast food restaurant.

Two things that can raise that price are artistic skill and experience/professionalism selling your work.

~TamalasGhost Feb 13, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Well, the skill and experience will come with time, but I have to start somewhere, or I'll never get a chance to develop professionalism. Kind of a vicious cycle sometimes, but I guess all professionals were beginners at one point. Granted, a lot of professionals actually went to art school. I wonder if they cover classes on the business side of art.

*Art-In-Bloom Feb 9, 2013 Student Traditional Artist

I don't want to give an exact number, but you could consider setting a price based on either
1. Price per hour of work
2. Price relative to the difficulty

~TamalasGhost Feb 10, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

So, if I decided to use an hourly rate, as an unknown artist starting out, should I consider minimum wage a fair price? I spent three hours on it, and the local minimum wage is $10 Canadian, so that would put it at around $30.

*Art-In-Bloom Feb 10, 2013 Student Traditional Artist

That's one way of doing it, yes.

~TamalasGhost Feb 10, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Well, the time spent on it is a more measurable indication of the difficulty. I mean, if it's a more challenging piece, it will take longer, right?
It's just difficult to put a monetary value on the quality of your own work, or to compare it to other artists. Also, if you are a more experienced artist, you will be able to draw more quickly. I figure my time is at least worth that of a burger flipper, though. Maybe I should start offering fries with my art.

*Art-In-Bloom Feb 10, 2013 Student Traditional Artist

You're last statement totally made me laugh.
I wish I could offer you more constructive advice in regards to pricing, but I think that the price you stated is a good starting point.

~TamalasGhost Feb 10, 2013 Hobbyist Digital Artist

Well, thanks for trying. I think deciding where to start is the hardest part. As you get more experience and see how people react to your work and your prices, I think it will make it a lot easier to adjust accordingly.

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