How much should I charge for commission art? How much would you pay?
Added 2024-10-04 21:06:54 +0000 UTCI'm thinking about halfbody/most body full render commissions with NSFW versions with or without background like on examples (it takes around 2-5 days to draw an artwork and I always put commission works on first priority and share stages of drawing through it)
How much should I charge, and how much would you pay, for example? I'll most likely make a discount 10-20% for Patreon members. I'll ask on Twitter too tomorrow maybe about prices to have full picture!
I've been getting a lot of questions about commissions and I really want to replace my 4 years old PC and graphic tablet, but I want to earn them ⸜(ˊᗜˋ)⸝
Comments
So excited!! I would love to commission you!! Genuinely i would pay $250 for a simple/no background full body and $300 for one with background! You could always take a couple of commissions and then see how long it makes you for 1 commission and then you will get a better feel of how much you want to price your work!
luvenstyr
2024-10-06 23:26:31 +0000 UTC300 or 350 imo, your art is amazing
2ΞZ Eternal
2024-10-06 21:22:06 +0000 UTCFor Mitsu_art and Liang Xing I pay 3 euros/month. I only pay for SFW content .
Sebby Kwak
2024-10-05 16:40:49 +0000 UTCYou can definitely charge A LOT Qiandai, because you are very popular, if you charge 500€ there will be a lot of people commissioning you and you won't be able to draw them all anyway, so raising prices will cull your customers lil bit and you will be able to meet the end line of your customers, well in any case you have to try to see how it goes
Eraghar
2024-10-05 16:36:13 +0000 UTCgenerally agree with the sentiment here in the comments already. Considering your skill level and the time it takes, especially with backgrounds and variations, 300$ would be extremely cheap
Toreole
2024-10-05 10:14:33 +0000 UTCI would say since you're on the higher end skill wise (IMO at least) maybe $180 for half body and then $350 (no background) and $500 for full body with background? Since you're adding in NSFW versions as well. It also depends on how many commissions you want/think you can handle in your given time frame as well since you would potentially be pricing some people out going on the higher end. For me the most I've spent on a commission was $750 before tipping but, I also used the art as a tattoo design.
Ryhan Imam
2024-10-05 03:13:26 +0000 UTCI would suggest finding some fellow artists that handle commissions and building off of their guidelines/rules. But off the top of my head looking at how other artists structure their system you should have a minimum deposit and a refund policy in case people decide to bail in the middle clearly outlined to protect yourself so you do not feel guilty and refund the full amount despite commiting your time. I would separate it into phases like sketch concept, 1st draft to final with number of edits and variations. I've seen a lot of people try too hard to please their patreons and then end up falling behind or committing too much time with vague terms that don't favor them and trying to please people because they don't want to get a bad reputation. I've also seen commissioners and creators bail because life happen and accountability is in question and communication falls apart. It doesn't need to be ironclad but there should be some structure. It can be flexibile but say there is a window for feedback/input for edits and it is a negotiation before anything is commited. You should also look into commercial rights. You should charge way more for these kinds of commisions/transactions as they see the value you present with your fantastic clothing design and quality art will being in their use of your art. I've seen some be able to charge 5k to 10k for commercial rights. They also often require far more of your time and effort. You may have to start lower at first around 1.5k to 2k depending on demand, but I see you shooting up very quickly. Do not be afraid of pushing people away if it protects you. They can accept or reject after reading your terms and agreeing to them. You need to be realistic with your time and manage expectations Communication is key and sometimes you will have to shift priorities. As long as you communicate when it happens and is needed, it should be fine. This is where your terms and conditions of service can aid/protect you. And also please remember that if you are injured you need time to rest. Working through an injury may sound heroic but the damage you will sustain is not worth it. Your body and mind are your tools. You have to maintain and protect them.
Hung nguyen
2024-10-05 02:32:56 +0000 UTCI would pay $150-300 depending on how complicated the drawing is.
Nemo
2024-10-05 02:16:06 +0000 UTCI would be careful with this shipping costs can be very high and unstable and lost or damaged in transit. I've seen so many kickstarters for digital products get bogged down by physical goods. You have a pixiv you should look into their BOOTH branch for physical goods.
Hung nguyen
2024-10-05 02:11:53 +0000 UTCAgreed
NewGirlA
2024-10-04 23:14:29 +0000 UTCone piece of advice I would give you is to also evaluate the hours you put in (without breaks) it helps a lot to understand the value
Felyx263
2024-10-04 22:37:14 +0000 UTCan average would be: face 80-110 mid body 130-180 full body 220-260 without color +0 colored +30-60 considering everything in €
Felyx263
2024-10-04 22:36:04 +0000 UTCwith a serious eye, even if you have a fantastic drawing you need to consider doing various things such as: sketch, face only, half body, full body, without color and with color. on average a sketch costs under €60-70, the price of the other parts also varies according to the complexity (sorry for the long message, I find myself talking about certain things too often even for work lol)
Felyx263
2024-10-04 22:32:28 +0000 UTCAs someone who has done commissions for other artists in the past my suggestion would be $90 for a single character from the waist up with a simple background and increase the price if: it is a full body illustration, more than one character, background details, etc. with two revisions included in the maximum and each additional revision is an extra charge up front. Also if you are interested in accepting commissions for more complex jobs for example designing complete characters beyond just drawing with reference images or illustrations of existing characters you can accept commissions with custom prices according to what the client wants and can afford. Also of course be willing to negotiate the price but always with caution, I suggest this because depending on the country of some people the difference in value between currencies can make a specific price in dollars is much cheaper or more expensive for some users. The price of your Art is only decided by you and you are free to charge whatever you want because your talent backs you up, just keep in mind how much time and effort you invest in each illustration when charging and make sure you don't accept more work than you can handle to avoid problems in the future.
Sam samsara
2024-10-04 22:31:11 +0000 UTCA good way to think about this is in two parts: (1) how you would like the process to go, and (2) what happens after the work is finished. For (1), when and how much is the client able to request edits or changes (sketch, line art, base color, render) (3 rounds of changes or just 1 round) and to what degree (Is the client able to request changes to the line art when we go into final rendering or is the client able to request changes after the commission is completed and with what timeframe). Having a good idea of your process will help you plan and explain your expectations to the client. For (2), it usually concerns the completed work. Who owns the rights to the art and what can it be used for? Can it be used for commercial preposes? Who is allowed to post the art publicly? Can the client modify the art after its completed? This depends on what you are comfortable with and some of these factors can affect pricing as well.
Evan Li
2024-10-04 22:11:42 +0000 UTCAt least 3 pesos ◕‿↼). On a more serious note, you can definitely charge at least $200 minimum. I personally would pay upwards of $300 for your work, considering the inclusion of variations and whatnot. Pricing commissions as an artist that normally doesn't have them can be tricky when you typically don't open them, so it can be dependent on how many slots you open per batch and how often. Some other artists who rarely open commissions usually open in batches of 4-5 slots every six months, if not only once a year, and thus charge closer to $500 from what I've seen.
Rein_TB
2024-10-04 22:05:48 +0000 UTCAh, I see. That's very generous of you, I'm really happy you help other artists value their work more!
Qiandai以宇
2024-10-04 22:02:59 +0000 UTCI don't know if you can cold contact different artists and discuss with them how they do it. But if you can, I would contact Blushy & Spicy at @BlushySpicy on Twitter, I spend around at least $80 a month on their prints, stickers, and magnets. Maybe they could explain how they do it.
ImRamboInHere
2024-10-04 21:53:37 +0000 UTCThe price range is quite big here... Once an artist only wanted ~120$ (20k JPY) which I couldn't even believe myself and I just put in more on pixiv. Another one for ~240$ (40k JPY), which again wasn't really my idea, I just based it on the recommended amount on skeb and rounded up. Since I am not an artist I of course can't judge how long something takes, but some are really underselling themselves... (I even added another 50% or 100% of the price at the end to show my satisfaction, because I couldn't live with myself paying so little for what I wanted...) On the flip side I also commissioned once an artist for 1000$ (multiple versions with complicated background), which I felt was an accurate amount of money from my perspective at least. If I would be you, I would just base it on the average time you think you need and your wage that you want to earn this way per month and done. <3
Yumina Nirvalen
2024-10-04 21:49:58 +0000 UTCThat's a good idea, although I don't know how to sell prints
Qiandai以宇
2024-10-04 21:45:41 +0000 UTCYour artworks are super hq. With bgs. And alts. Thats easily 350-500. Depending on complexity I'd say.
renkash
2024-10-04 21:44:58 +0000 UTCNot really, I don't usually take commissions, so I only used Twitter
Qiandai以宇
2024-10-04 21:41:45 +0000 UTCTo be honest, I'm not a big commission guy, so I don't have a clue about what commission prices should be. I much prefer buying prints of artist's work, of which I buy a lot of. It's mostly because I like the entirety of an artist's work, and like being able to purchase all of an artist's past, present, and future works instead of simply commissioning one work of a character I like for a high price.
ImRamboInHere
2024-10-04 21:41:38 +0000 UTCI'm European, but I took currencies mostly in USD before
Qiandai以宇
2024-10-04 21:41:27 +0000 UTCAh, you're right, I'll probably substract for my Patrons! What examples of terms of service are?
Qiandai以宇
2024-10-04 21:40:39 +0000 UTCDefinitely depends how many hours you need to put into it. I would say *minimum* would be like $500 USD--that's assuming 5 hours a day over 5 days, at $20 USD per hour. (Half body, maybe most body) Not that you actually need to work those hours, but I think it's useful to think about the price as a calculation. Your time is worth a lot! So if it takes more time or your hour is worth more, increase accordingly. 🤑
XanavIII
2024-10-04 21:40:01 +0000 UTCThe price would depend on how many commissions you would like to get. I would say $500 as an average and adjusting from there based on whay you are describing would be on the very high side, but would still get a good amount of commissions. Have you tried looking at skeb or other similar sites?
Evan Li
2024-10-04 21:32:20 +0000 UTCOooh curious what would your country currency be? Knowing that could possibly help you gauge different markets and see the conversions rates and get better ideas. From there you could break it down into categories and decide if you wanna break it down into categories or a time and work ratio.
ZaakuBox
2024-10-04 21:29:44 +0000 UTCIt's hard to say but you should base it on how much time you spend on it and pay yourself a livable wage. You may have to raise it to reduce demand. There are ways around it. I think rather than a % discount you should subtract the patreon tier price from your rate for the tier of commission instead. I think the patreon bonus could just be a number of slots allocated. You should also create terms of service that people read and agree to to not have endless edits. It's not fun but it's necessary for accountability and managing expectations. As others have stated your art and clothing design are amazing. It's beyond me but you could easily charge $500+ depending on the complexity. Maybe have some smaller project items like some black and white or sketch tiers?
Hung nguyen
2024-10-04 21:28:04 +0000 UTCDefinitely would pay $500 for your level.
KR_Zero
2024-10-04 21:27:40 +0000 UTCFrom 600 to 1000 easy for full artwork
Chada9
2024-10-04 21:25:37 +0000 UTCAh, thank you! I know it's complicated. I should probably create a poll for such a thing
Qiandai以宇
2024-10-04 21:24:58 +0000 UTCI've been following your work for a while especially for your clothing/outfit design. From past commission experience and with the quality of your art I think 700-900 USD for a full body/most body drawing would be reasonable.
美雨
2024-10-04 21:16:08 +0000 UTCUh! I’m excited about it and interested! It is a complicated question. I think you are on a level that could charge for work done for how talented you are (instead of hours worked). It will also depend if you can use the work for your social media or it has to remain secret (normally if the work has to remain a secret it has a higher mark up in price). Demand will also be an important factor but that would need to be seen with time. I think anything under $200 USD might be a steal, definitely under $150 I would feel wrong about the price. Maybe between 200-250$ USD might be a good starting price for a 2-5 day piece. Specially if it is not taking you the whole time and you can do other things. Like probably being able to do 2 comms weekly for $500 USD but it depends also on your weekly/monthly needs and if you have other channels of revenue. (As you can see, it can be really complicated question but I am really interested in commissioning heh)
Omni, Nature’s Smore
2024-10-04 21:15:59 +0000 UTCI don't drink alcohol. Make it 1 million protein pistachio shakes ( ` ∇ ´ )ψ
Qiandai以宇
2024-10-04 21:13:36 +0000 UTC5 days is a week of labor for a regular old job. I'd agree with 500 USD or so for something at that scale.
Peg
2024-10-04 21:11:55 +0000 UTCIt is depending on the amount of commissions you want to do and how long you want to do them. I personally would pay between 500-1000 for a half body commission without or simple background. 1000+ for more detailed work with full body. It really depends on how much time you want to invest and how "exclusive" you want to treat it. I would not go much lower though.
SupremeVoid
2024-10-04 21:10:29 +0000 UTCYou can easily ask 400€ to 600€ for your lvl of art
Lux
2024-10-04 21:09:54 +0000 UTC1 million beers
Kuron Denvoir
2024-10-04 21:09:35 +0000 UTCI'd say around 500$ or more
MeesterYellow
2024-10-04 21:09:13 +0000 UTC
