Her Loyal Highness, Princess Rainbow Dash I know, no one is to blame in this situation. Both artist and and buyers make their own choices. It is not to push the blame on anyone. Situations like this could always happen and it is for both sides to respect each other’s choices :)
@@Monie71793 if you want to have it but can't afford it... yeah it's totally your fault (luxury things obv, not primary stuff) just make more money or give it up
Okay for starters that's terrible, and you have no idea how strong that small heart attack was when I saw the comment and realized I was the one who wrote it because I forgot the context
@@TotalleeLee hey umm I have a question do you give the piece of paper to them I mean the art work if they buy it I don't get what commissions is sorry I'm 12 I drew I guess and I wanna know what commissions
@@michilee6406 Commissions are pretty much like art requests except they pay for it. As an artist I'd definitely prefer commissions because; 1; Art costs time, supplies, etc. Why would you give it to them for free when those supplies are expensive to begin with? (Traditional/Digital) 2; Profit and you can save from it as well. Btw, I'm a 13 year old doing these, I'm planning to start commissions to get an upgrade on materials and such, and include the pandemic to the cost.
Holy shit, I literally had a customer berate me that the price I was charging her was two months' salary where she lived. I explained that the price I was charging her ($35 USD initially, which she agreed to, but she wanted significantly more work done so I told her that extra work would be $50) was about one to *two weeks* worth of groceries where I live. She proceeded to be even more offended when I tried to explain that I will have about 2 million PKR (she was Pakistani) in student loan debt ($13 K USD (I live in Europe but I tend to charge USD for my commissions because it's easier)) to pay off in a couple years. She *literally* could not grasp the concept that I need a lot "more" (currency-conversion-wise) money to *just survive* and that the exchange rate wasn't my fault.
Ans also that in these countries computers cost the double or triple sometimes... that only in taxes and importations fees. You just became the Trump of internet art for me.
Hmmm, I took the liberty to check up on your art and it's generally ok, some if it is really excellent, but something happens at the end when you do digital coloring where the art stiles don't match up and different parts of the drawing seem disconnected, like they have been taken from different images made by different artists and glued together. I recognized it right away as I have the same problem myself when I do digital coloring. I'm guessing you really like accessories as it looks like you end up spending too much time on them making them way too clean and detailed with over saturated colors. Actually over working your images a bit seems too be a reoccurring theme, honestly the image you have as your TH-cam profile pic and your water color paintings are amazing so lift and push those for your portfolio right now. By all means keep practicing on your digital painting but for advertising commissions and making money right now you should do some more like Serpents or the painting you tore up (oh and real faces are almost never actually perfectly symmetrical so don't worry that much about it, she looked just fine). Oh and fyi I have youtube notifications turned off to spare my own sanity so I probably won't see any replies, but good luck.
Bruh same,is being like 5 years and people keep asking if I'm starting any commission and I just havent done any cause I just feel that I'm not that responsible y e t
As much as I understand, minimal wage per hour in my country (Russia) is like $2... so a full detailed rendered artwork that took around 10 hours to make, from me, an artist with 7 years of experience, would cost $20. And that's actually an average price for artists around here, which is just insane. Soo... yeah, no way I'm relying on that estimate.
Yeah. Differences in prices and income are about as frustrating as timezones. The $10/hour after taxes and everything mentioned in the video? A very respectable salary for Moscow, insanely high for most of the country. Even in Moscow it's perfectly possible to get by on half that money, and the rent here is "insane" by our standards. (That prices on imports don't care is another story.) Add the fact that taxes can be as low as 6% for a freelancer here (if I understand correctly), and you'll see how people from such countries can do quite some price dumping online even without realizing. Seriously, who in their right mind would think to price their work so high that they can kind-of get by on **two** working days a month? (Yes, that's what your "$100 before taxes for a 4-hour artwork" would feel like in some small-ish town in Russia. Almost reconsidering my life choices here.)
In Venezuela (on latin america) we got paid 4$ A MONTH. ONLY 4$ FOR A MONTH FULL OF WORK. It makes me really sad, you can't do a thing with 4 dollars, not even buy enough food... but that's how it is here, only the "smart ones" can look for a way to earn more money than that and survive :/
Wow, really good advice! My main takeaways for this: 1) “Art is a luxury. Not everyone can afford it and it’s not the artist’s fault.” 2) "Price accordingly - time spent, value of your time, value of your work (skillz) If I may add, another great advice from a different TH-camr ... price according to value TO the client. So, if your work is for more commercial purposes (book covers, company logos, game art etc), then the price should be higher, as it is of a high value to the client (book covers helps the book to be more visually appealing, company logos help the company brand and image, game art helps the game aesthetic etc). For more "personal" ones (a letter cover or illustration for a special someone, a personal gift, for home deco), then prices should be more reasonably suited for the end use. That being said, great guide! Thank you for taking the time to make this :)
I opened commissions recently but nobody buys them, I know that very soon people will give me the opportunity and so I will soon be able to support all those artists who recently started their long journey and nobody gives them the opportunity.
OMG you are so sweet and your intentions are seriously the purest 💓 I hope you get some orders soon and meanwhile keep at it and become even more awesome ✨
I hope more people can understand charging a lot for an artwork is perfectly fine. It’s a luxury product, you don’t NEED it to survive. It’s annoying when people belittle INCREDIBLE artists by saying “y ChArGe So MuCh I cAn DrAw ToO.” Then honey, enjoy your stick figures because you’re not getting high quality professional illustrations without paying a lot because that’s how much they’re worth.
@@viharsarok well, yeah. Most art commissioners that charge a lot are very good at what they do. Unless you’re thinking of high-end abstract museum art that costs millions for having a white strip on a blue canvas or a bunch of paint thrown at it or something.
I recently started doing commissions, and a potential client told me that $25 is too much for a full body, full color + shading + background commission and that he will commission me if I go down to $5, it hurt a bit that someone thought my art Is worth that little
@@charanovaarts5$ for a fully rendered drawing??!? They have impossible expectations lmao if your pfp is your art then I'd say it's easily worth 25$. They know nothing about art
Definitely agree with the bit that you can always raise your prices later. I remember commissioning an artist who charged $15 for fullbody, full color. This was a STEAL since it was really good art. I kept coming back to that artist because I liked their art... and as they gained more experience and confidence, they raised to $25 then $35, etc... Now that artist does art professionally for indie video games. Don't ever think that the price you charge starting out is set in stone or you'll be somehow bound to that forever and won't be able to do better. Just get your foot in the door, get people interested in you and build some happy customers that will return and/or recommend you to friends.
This happened to me haha, I started commissioning this year, and my full body was a $30- commissioner liked it so much that the tip was 3 times the original price. I’m more confident with my pricing after that! So thank you to all the commissioners who commissioned a broke person like me ✌️
@@muraxity8820 ahat does adversing mean. Sorry im not good with new words. Do you mean selling? Im not selling right now im thinking about selling in the future.
@@sarah8638 advertising is not selling. Advertising is basically giving an announcement, or to promote something with the intent to draw people in (I.e announcing the new apple, sharing that you do $10 for a drawing, ads on TH-cam, etc etc)
I spent 3 hours on a $4 commission and the customer did not like it, but they wanted me to “finish it” and spend lots of time on it. They said it was subpar and doesn’t compare to their other commissions. I told them what did they expect for $4? I am very proud of it and I think I put lots of detail into it. Turns out, they didn’t even look at my art before ordering , they just looked at the price. They told me I should “find another hobby”! That is so rude. The commissioner is a novice voice actor, so it’s the same as if she got a really low amount of money, was generous and spent lots of time on it, and then got trashed. And I am very fortunate to live where there is $15 minimum wage (CAD) /$11 USD.
Yes, if someone can’t respect my work, I don’t want them to buy anything from me. They can think what they like, and there are always people who appreciate my work at least as much as I do, these are the people worth working with. ❤️
Something I think a lot of artist over look is the value of art as a whole. Granted the time spent on a picture can justify a high price. But you gotta remember, it's still just a picture. (talking for digital and some traditional art, not sculptures and stuff). Like you said, "Art is a luxury. Not everyone can afford it and it’s not the artist’s fault" Same goes back around to the artists. Don't complain no one's buying your work or it's the same 3 people because you alienated 90% of your followers. Not everyone has a spare $500 dollars laying around. Now of course if you become widely successful, like, every time you open commissions you get 20+ people asking for a slot, then yeah, you might wanna raise your prices or else you'll overload yourself. All I'm saying for the bulk of artists is. Stay humble. Try to price based on your demand. (fun fact, this is backed from an artist i used to follow that basically exclusively drew this person's OC's because only that person could afford their work. They had a bad fight, and the artist basically had to lower his rates (from like $700 a slot to $250) because that was the only rich person that followed him. Was honestly the saddest thing cause he was really good but he basically repeatably told his followers "rich folks only", and it came back to bite him. )
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I'm slowly learning to price my art properly. It's mostly thanks to the clients that understand that $150 for a canvas painting is normal. Otherwise I might still be only charging $50 for a 20x24 in painting. I'm working on a piece that's gunna net me $250 right now ahhh-
I price my art however I want cuz I value my ENERGY(and time). It's all about energy. You put your own energy into your art. Everyone has a unique aura
this video makes me feel better about starting comissions in a couple months. i think my art is pretty ok and some people may want to buy it. im only 14 and im still learning a lot so the prices will probably be kind of low. before i do comissions i plan on like growing an audience on youtube even if its like 100 subscribers since without a following i might not get anywhere.
This helped me so much I calculated what I “would have” charge for a drawing I did based off my old commission prices and it came out to be $1.90 an hour. So I quickly took the “average” of how many hours I spend on art and now that drawing costs $480 instead of just $65. Game changer.
I’m 13 and i’ve been doing commissions on Amino for about 2 years now. The adopt/commission communities are very good places to start and get familiar with the process! There aren’t any algorithms or anything to worry about, most people just sort by newest posts. Its also a very easy place to get familiar with, as most communities are rather small and staff and members are down-to-earth and friendly. I wouldn’t recommend to keep using it if you’re trying to make serious money though. A lot of people will only buy with the apps currency, amino coins, a currency which is pretty much broken at this point due to coin bots, inflation and the restrictions on sending large sums. You can sell for real money, but its a lot harder, definitely so if you’re selling for what your art is actually worth. But all that aside, i’m very familiar with the commission process now and i feel much more comfortable communicating with clients. Plus i’ve made plenty of artist friends, which is always an added benefit XD I’d definitely recommend it to beginners that are a bit unsure and just want to try it out first!
Well bro, the videogames are another kind of art and ... for example, Black Mesa (the Half-Life remake) take 15 years to finish and it was made by a small and indie team.
TH-cam randomly directed me here. Anyways, commisioner here. Was more curious about how artists get their prices. Do agree with artists should value their work, and not give in to negative comments. And it is certainly a luxury, but artists should get the amount of money they put into working their art. I actually have to tip 100% regularly because an artist doesn't value their work despite working 16+ hours on my piece on stream. (Granted, they do take breaks and etc. but still, 50 dollars for 16 hours of work is way too cheap.) This is some good advice.
I haven't sold many commissions and the 2 big ones i've managed to do were for the same person. They never complained about my pricing and respected me, one was $100 and the other $150. I'm sad that I haven't gotten more, but i'm so grateful to this person for respecting my pricing and commissioning me. : ) it honestly is such a confidence booster. I'm pretty confident in my art while knowing i still need to improve. And I feel like i've set reasonable prices. I'm venturing into the world of sticker making now as well. : D
Yeah, sounds familiar. The buyer pays your price, doesn't complain but then disappears. Well, guess what. It's because they weren't satisfied with the quality.
@@viharsarok you seem to be making a lot of negative comments criticizing people who you don’t know here. Did an artist you commissioned personally offend you or something? Or are you just bitter at people wanting a fair amount of money in exchange for the work they do?
Thank you so much. I needed this video. I recently got a commission. The person literally asked me how much it was. And at the time and still now I had no confidence in my art. So I did it for free😅
I used to just ask my followers what they want me to draw, then sent it to them for free. Which means I even paid shipping and did portraits for free for about a year 😅
I reacently open commissions to help suport my family and your videos have been very helpful, i think the best part of the video was when you said about self-value since since most of these people who say to us to charge lower are most likely never gonna buy your art since they can´t even respect your prices, well done video! (ps: sorry if english is bad a an from Brazil).
Thank you for making this video, I did commissions for over a year and had fun with it, however due to life crashing down it was hard getting back up, I lost my most frequent clients due to others coming in with lower rates, I was happy they were able to find what they need, but getting back into the market has been hard especially when I get d.ms or close friends telling me it cost too much and it should be free. I used to give art as gifts to people I cared about but soon it got me into trouble. I couldn't pick up my pen for awhile but now, I'm doing fine and this video is amazing! Thank you for taking the time to make this!
The 2 problems with "minimum wage" are that depending on the artstyle it can take waaay too long to be reasonable to ask that of non-business customers. I need around 20 hours for a fully painted character (I'm doing rendered digital paintings). This means that I'd have to charge 240 Euros (german minimum wage is 12 Euros). The other problem is that I feel like as someone who worked many years in developing my artskills, it feels weird to be paid minimum wage. Ideally I'd want to be paid at least as much as a professional of another field (around 20 Euro) which would mean I'd charge a whopping 400 Euros! And that as someone who isnt big on social media yet.
This series was so helpful. I stopped doing freelance and commissioned work because I kept running into people trying to pressure me into lowering my prices or berating me for what I charged. It was really demoralizing. Watching this helped me have more confidence and understand what is going on the community. And I realize after some math I was undercharging. So thank you!
I have watched this yet, but the video was uploaded at the perfect time for me! I am working on a commission sheet to help support my family. This video will be super helpful for me, thanks for making this!
The biggest struggle for me is figuring out WHEN I can raise my prices. I've gained some confidence in my art, and I do feel like I've improved in a lot of aspects of my work. But since I'm not rapidly growing due to infrequent posts, even a $5 raise feels really risky since my audience hasn't changed. I'm scared that even my previous repeat buyers won't want to pay a higher fee
Thank you for this video. Four people said that my daughter is not charging enough. Most artists take hours/days to create a masterpiece. So it is important they make a living from it. And don't undervalue themselves. Great video. :)
The amount of systemic devaluing of art is a juggernaut that will take a long time to correct. These videos are very clear and go a long way toward making it right. Thank you for taking the time to do them.
I’m here because I already undercharge, and potential clients are asking me to discount art I’ve already made for my shop so I’m working on feeling genuine pride in my work and actually charging for my time. I don’t need that jack!😂 I’ve been in my hobby for almost 4 years now and it takes a lot of time for me to make what I make. So, I’m here.🤞🏻
I agree that art should be the price that it should be, considering the amount of work, time, skill, etc.! But I price my art lower, yeah I get more commissions that way, but I do it mainly because I love drawing. And as someone who loves commissioning, I know there’s a lot of people with a budget out there but wants their dreams to come true and I don’t think money should restrict that!
Thank you for existing, really! I don't know you, but I appreciate so much what you do. I do the same thing with computers: I assemble low-cost computers for people who cannot spend much! So really, thank you. It is thanks to artists like you that I, too, can afford some drawings now and then. ❤️
Thank you so much ♥️ I'm usually not so good at drawing clothes I think, but once I get more confident at it, it would be an amazing topic. Thanks for suggesting it ✨ I added it to my list of ideas ^^
I had somebody ask me for a headshot and background. I planned on charging only $8 USD because I'm new to commissions and don't feel confident enough in my work to charge more. So before I gave my response/price quote, I decided to work on a drawing of my own just to see how much time and effort it takes (I typically don't draw much anymore), and dude...it took me HOURS to do one 5.5 in × 8.5 in portrait...AND I use prismacolors. For the supplies alone, I can't charge cheap prices... I'm glad I took time to think about it.
I think with this I am ready to open comissions to help my family and starting getting experience on my art journey! Thank you so much for all of your tutorials, they are so helpful and you and your art are wonderful! ♥️
Thank you! This is very helpful. Thanks for mentioning the problem about artists undervaluing themselves. Besides lowering their own self worth it also can make thr customers value the art less... because really, if even the artist doesn't appreciate their own art, doesn't believe it's good (even when it's actually good) how are other people supposed to value the art?
Nadia: I'm working under the minimum wage, which is $16 an hour Me, working at a job that pays $9 an hour; $2 over the minimum wage: How much is a plane ticket to Denmark?
Minimum wage is the same amount here but living costs are really high so it's the same thing as your $9 an hour, or I'd even say you're better off than people where I live, bc everything costs twice or three times as much here
Very good advice! EXCEPT FOR PAYPAL!! While Paypal can be a convenient way to start out, it is NOT secure and if you suddenly start getting an influx of commission your account might just get limited out of the blue, and you won't be able to access your money without providing all sorts of info and battling with bots and customer service. For some it can get resolved in a matter of days or weeks, for others it can take up to 9 months.
I have been watching quite a few videos on skillshare and they are very good! I am glad you are getting some support from them! The video is so good! You presented all the information someone needs to know to get started! I would also like to say that some artists have high price points for their work because they do NOT want to encourage commissions! It is also a way to discourage sales, super high prices can mean a reluctant seller. You have done a wonderful job on this video! I am so glad you are finding time to continue to share content on TH-cam! I hope your new day job is going well too!
This has always been a struggle to me, but thank you, thank you for this video. Made me think more about the value and worth of my work. I have to get more comfortable charging "the right" price, which is funny when you think about it, how we tend to undervalue our work, time and energy spent... But yeah, thanks again :)
This might sound very werid, but popularity is also a very very big factor influencing the pricing. Because the demand and what you can bring for the person who is commissioning you is way better than artists who have no social media whatsoever. For example, more popular artists can bring the work a lot more popularity, for companies that are commissioning them. Also, the price should naturally go up each year a bit even if the quality does, because everything does, everything gets pricier each year. For reference I usually have my commission prices go up around 5-8% each year.
ah lord thank you ! i was so glad i found this video . ever since i watched this , i got a good confidence boost in doing my commissions the correct way 💕
Oh my goshshhs this is helping so much, someone today asked for a custom they could pay me for! They said the average is 150 but I don't want to pay that much, I don't feel experienced enough but I'm honored to know someone likes my designs enough to willingly pay 100+ for it, TToTT//
Do you find there's more pressure with a higher price? I understand your value and worth is important, and maybe your confidence doesn't give room for pressure, but I'd be curious if sometimes pressure gets on top of you? With commissions you never know how you will cope creatively with getting a likeness or turning your style in to the person you are doing commission for (if that makes sense) so once you have accepted the commission and later discover its a lot harder than anticipated, and the price is waving over you giving pressure that it has to be perfect, how do you handle this? Or is this not a case? Nice video, thank you for sharing some advice on this. It's always going to be a hot topic for artists on how to price their work but I guess it's just about being confident in your abilities.
Yes, I definitely feel the pressure! And if I'm commissioned to draw something I'm not 100% confortable with, but the client really, really want me to try, I tell them beforehand that its not in my area of strength but that I will do my best. And then I do my best to listen carefully to their feedback. But the problem about being me (a goddamn hard perfectionist) is that I can never hand over anything I'm 100% satisfied with - not even if everyone says its my best work to date. I will NEVER be satisfied, especially considering someone paid me to draw it for them. Acknowledging and accepting that I will never feel satisfied has given me much more confidence in taking commissions. And if you REALLY feel like you did not live up to the commission at all, you can always send a SMALL portion of the money back or offer them a discount on their next commission. Or a free sketch! But my first point is probably my best advice ^^ I hope it makes sense.
@@Nadiaxel Aww amazing! Thank you for the quick reply :) It makes perfect sense! I'm totally with you on the perfectionist part as well, the challenges of being your own critique! And you nailed it! It is exactly that, someone has paid you to do it, you're in a different ball game when other people's money is involved haha. Plus you have a big following for the work you make, I can imagine that gives an added pressure of trying to repeat your style for whatever the brief? But I like how you handle it, really appreciate the tips, thank you again for sharing.
Thank you thank you thank you! with both of these videos as a guide I've been able to successfully find commission prices that I'm willing to charge. I've fallen on tough times in the past year and forced to consider art as a means of feeding myself. I've been looking for advice like this for months now.
@@wild_fl0wersss honestly i would be thankful even if i got that I've done only two commissions i spent money and so much time on and the clients just ignored me after i was done
Thank you for this video, its a huge help for me to go back to commissions again. I had some in the past that where kinda meh, and not paid well, so I stopped because it wasnt really worth the effort. But now I feel like I can take it again. You are so cool ^^
@@Nadiaxel of course you know I took part at your recent dtiys-challenge and I actually did that without having watched a bunch of your videos. So I did that afterwards and its so refreshing to see how you handle stuff. You are such a generall nice person at least from what I saw. Thx for sharing so much with us.
@@Nadiaxel Aww nothing to thank for you know what the funny thing is? You are in denmark and I am from germany and I just love denmark danes are so funny. So I needed to become German Fan number 1 ^^ Count on me on all of your community challenges!
@@Nadiaxel... Heck yeah, they are adorable. OH and thanks for all of the awesome guides and tutorials. I'm new to digital art, and have been getting a lot of great inspiration and knowledge from your channel.
@@Nadiaxel... Heck yeah, this 40ish year old Mechanic has been having a blast so far. Thanks again for all of the help, I look forward to your next video :)
OMG this helps me a lot as a beginner, since I don't know how much I should charge for my commission. This is supper HELPFUL!!!! Thank you so much for doing this
Thank you so much for the always so heartwarming comments 😊✨ There is SO much to talk about on this subject so I'm happy you think I covered some helpful areas. And my new job is going wonderfully btw! Thanks for asking 💓 I managed to get part-time like I had hoped for so I can still enjoy some days off as well and have time for this kind of content 😊 I don't have any classes on Skillshare. I am considering it but I suspect it will be quite a while before I can find time and patience to do a whole class xd
Thank you so much for this video. I'm planning on starting commissions once I get a drawing tablet in order to help save up for my dream college, and one of my biggest questions was how much I should charge for each commission. This video is truly helpful and I can't thank you enough! 🥰
thanks so much for this information! It is helping start my new art venture, which I am very nervous about! But this has made me feel confident and excited on how I need to structure my pricing :D
Im glad to have found this video because im working on doing commissions in the next year or 2. Currently working on getting a tablet before that so i can do more detail and better commissions
I had always been pricing based on what I personally felt my art is worth. And something I learned from another artist is "if you're not feeling at least a little bit like you're overpricing it, you're probably underpricing it" Your guide here feels much better organized and I feel like I should follow it. I need to pay rent, I have a job at a grocery store with art as mostly a hobby except for occasional commissions. This is very taxing on my energy cause it's like working 2 jobs and making almost half the pay. I don't have any patrons on Patreon yet but I hope to have some soon.
My method when it comes to payment is I make a rough sketch of the commission, once my client approves that it's going the direction they're looking for (pose, composition, design etc) I will ask for payment. That way the customer won't have to worry that I won't be able to actually make the artwork live up to their expectations. Once payment is received I continue with the rest of the steps to finish the commission! (This obviously doesn't apply to sketch-commissions, those I charge upfront but ye)
i have a question: What if i sell my art to someone and after getting paid client asks if he can use it for selling merchandise. Should i charge extra amount of money and should it be the % of the money client gets from selling or just extra money? How much % i should charge?
I think it depends on how big the client's brand is. If its a small brand I would consider charging 200-300% extra. If its a big brand I would go higher BUT it also depends on how much you charged in the first place. I would look into subjects like "selling rights to artwork". Also consider if you are selling the rights for the client to do a limited quantity of merch of if you sre selling the rights for then to use forever. That should affect the price too I think :3 But try looking some of this stuff with rights up ^^
Your video was good and super helpful! But that last minute of this video, was even better and it was something I needed to hear. I have so many people asking me to draw something for them for free even though I ask them to pay way below what I should. And its okay if someone can't afford it. But its not okay to pressure the artist. "Art is a luxury"
Aw, I'm actually unsure how the YT algorithm works. I think its about getting a lot of likes and shares on a video in the beginning so YT thinks its popular and it will start suggesting it to more people! I think my videos' problems are often thay my own subscribers aren't watching them so I loose a lot of that early engagement thay can be pretty critical to a video's performance c: I hope one day people will start watching again 😊 Thanks for being so nice 💓
Yah I require 100% up front based on the overall price. Like for my $50 commissions I require 100% up front. But for more expensive freelance (like for a logo which is $500) I'm willing to take 50% up front and 50% when I'm finished. Very good video!
Thanks so much for these two videos on breaking down how to do commissions! I have made several pieces of art for others in the past without charging them anything, but now it is time I get paid! I've wanted to begin commissioned work for some time now and did not know where to start or who to ask about it! I'll definitely be using this video and the first part heavily when putting together my page and how I'll commission my work! 😁❤️
![How to Create a Commission Form! [Timestamps Included]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UH2-VcOyvAs/mqdefault.jpg)
“Art is a luxury. Not everyone can afford it and it’s not the artist’s fault.”
THANK YOU
It's not the buyer's fault either. The artist is asking for others' money, not the other way around. We owe nothing to these strangers. 🙄
Her Loyal Highness, Princess Rainbow Dash I know, no one is to blame in this situation. Both artist and and buyers make their own choices. It is not to push the blame on anyone. Situations like this could always happen and it is for both sides to respect each other’s choices :)
@@Monie71793 u owe nothing until u buy the art, ur additude makes me think that u r a beggar for free commissions and act cocky it u dont get the deal
@@Monie71793 If they have a price, and you don't want to pay it, then don't ask for the artwork.
@@Monie71793 if you want to have it but can't afford it... yeah it's totally your fault (luxury things obv, not primary stuff) just make more money or give it up
My favorite is when clients think compliments are enough to discount the prices
"OH GOSH HEY!! IM SO SO SO HAPPY YOU OPENED COMMISSIONS, I LOVE YOUR ART! CAN WE BE FRIENDS? CAN YOU DRAW ME SOMETHING BESTIE???!!!"
Life Sucks happened to me when I was younger. When I was drawing them they unfriended me and harassed me to send them the piece.
Okay for starters that's terrible, and you have no idea how strong that small heart attack was when I saw the comment and realized I was the one who wrote it because I forgot the context
@@TotalleeLee hey umm I have a question do you give the piece of paper to them I mean the art work if they buy it I don't get what commissions is sorry I'm 12 I drew I guess and I wanna know what commissions
@@michilee6406
Commissions are pretty much like art requests except they pay for it.
As an artist I'd definitely prefer commissions because;
1; Art costs time, supplies, etc. Why would you give it to them for free when those supplies are expensive to begin with? (Traditional/Digital)
2; Profit and you can save from it as well.
Btw, I'm a 13 year old doing these, I'm planning to start commissions to get an upgrade on materials and such, and include the pandemic to the cost.
People dont understand that prices depends on life and location
Like 20$ might be a lot for some countries but its low for me
20$ is basically MYR96 in my country... but then again, things are getting expensive lately👀
Holy shit, I literally had a customer berate me that the price I was charging her was two months' salary where she lived. I explained that the price I was charging her ($35 USD initially, which she agreed to, but she wanted significantly more work done so I told her that extra work would be $50) was about one to *two weeks* worth of groceries where I live. She proceeded to be even more offended when I tried to explain that I will have about 2 million PKR (she was Pakistani) in student loan debt ($13 K USD (I live in Europe but I tend to charge USD for my commissions because it's easier)) to pay off in a couple years. She *literally* could not grasp the concept that I need a lot "more" (currency-conversion-wise) money to *just survive* and that the exchange rate wasn't my fault.
That name though.
1 dollar is 15 bucks so its a lot and you can buy drinks just by it ^-^
Ans also that in these countries computers cost the double or triple sometimes... that only in taxes and importations fees. You just became the Trump of internet art for me.
*when you've been following every advice for years and still don't get commissionned* feels bad man
I know your pain. Let's just keep trying and forget not to HAVE FUN making art. :) Don't let demotivation take over. It's hard, but it's worth it.
Hmmm, I took the liberty to check up on your art and it's generally ok, some if it is really excellent, but something happens at the end when you do digital coloring where the art stiles don't match up and different parts of the drawing seem disconnected, like they have been taken from different images made by different artists and glued together. I recognized it right away as I have the same problem myself when I do digital coloring.
I'm guessing you really like accessories as it looks like you end up spending too much time on them making them way too clean and detailed with over saturated colors. Actually over working your images a bit seems too be a reoccurring theme, honestly the image you have as your TH-cam profile pic and your water color paintings are amazing so lift and push those for your portfolio right now. By all means keep practicing on your digital painting but for advertising commissions and making money right now you should do some more like Serpents or the painting you tore up (oh and real faces are almost never actually perfectly symmetrical so don't worry that much about it, she looked just fine).
Oh and fyi I have youtube notifications turned off to spare my own sanity so I probably won't see any replies, but good luck.
Where are you selling? Don’t have money for commissions right now but I might think about it in the future or at least give you criticism
Bruh same,is being like 5 years and people keep asking if I'm starting any commission and I just havent done any cause I just feel that I'm not that responsible y e t
man, i take requests for free and i dont get any still
As much as I understand, minimal wage per hour in my country (Russia) is like $2... so a full detailed rendered artwork that took around 10 hours to make, from me, an artist with 7 years of experience, would cost $20. And that's actually an average price for artists around here, which is just insane. Soo... yeah, no way I'm relying on that estimate.
That is such an incredibly low rate - its insane!!! Definitely go over - especially your experience considered :)
Yeah. Differences in prices and income are about as frustrating as timezones.
The $10/hour after taxes and everything mentioned in the video? A very respectable salary for Moscow, insanely high for most of the country. Even in Moscow it's perfectly possible to get by on half that money, and the rent here is "insane" by our standards. (That prices on imports don't care is another story.)
Add the fact that taxes can be as low as 6% for a freelancer here (if I understand correctly), and you'll see how people from such countries can do quite some price dumping online even without realizing. Seriously, who in their right mind would think to price their work so high that they can kind-of get by on **two** working days a month? (Yes, that's what your "$100 before taxes for a 4-hour artwork" would feel like in some small-ish town in Russia. Almost reconsidering my life choices here.)
that's why I'm having commissions on Tumblr
in Serbia it's $1.5 so uh-
i feel your pain
In Venezuela (on latin america) we got paid 4$ A MONTH. ONLY 4$ FOR A MONTH FULL OF WORK. It makes me really sad, you can't do a thing with 4 dollars, not even buy enough food... but that's how it is here, only the "smart ones" can look for a way to earn more money than that and survive :/
I’m in between jobs and Raising my commission prices really helped a lot. Getting 2 $60 commissions is so much better than 6 $20 commissions
u changed my mindset really fast
Srsly thank you
Wow, really good advice! My main takeaways for this:
1) “Art is a luxury. Not everyone can afford it and it’s not the artist’s fault.”
2) "Price accordingly - time spent, value of your time, value of your work (skillz)
If I may add, another great advice from a different TH-camr ... price according to value TO the client. So, if your work is for more commercial purposes (book covers, company logos, game art etc), then the price should be higher, as it is of a high value to the client (book covers helps the book to be more visually appealing, company logos help the company brand and image, game art helps the game aesthetic etc). For more "personal" ones (a letter cover or illustration for a special someone, a personal gift, for home deco), then prices should be more reasonably suited for the end use.
That being said, great guide! Thank you for taking the time to make this :)
Yes!!! That is an excellent advice and I do that myself too!! ❤️ Thanks for sharing 🌞
I opened commissions recently but nobody buys them, I know that very soon people will give me the opportunity and so I will soon be able to support all those artists who recently started their long journey and nobody gives them the opportunity.
OMG you are so sweet and your intentions are seriously the purest 💓 I hope you get some orders soon and meanwhile keep at it and become even more awesome ✨
Was going to look at ur work Evelyn but it's not attached to your TH-cam profile or not that I can see when I clicked on your user name
@@merlin22light11 ohh you can visit my DA profile is AmeIzumi
Lmao mood, my account is dead but also that’s very sweet of u!
@@m0rgif3r sorry to hear about that I'd be very curious about your art to. I love seeing other artist works.
Me: *works on fullbody for 3 days* “tHat’Ll bE 5$”
In my country currently, 5$ is a lot
Same here bro.. rip
@@ametislady2 what's your country?
@@soundsfruity7443 Brazil
5$?! Thats overpriced. I'll pay you with *eXpOsUrE*
I hope more people can understand charging a lot for an artwork is perfectly fine. It’s a luxury product, you don’t NEED it to survive. It’s annoying when people belittle INCREDIBLE artists by saying “y ChArGe So MuCh I cAn DrAw ToO.” Then honey, enjoy your stick figures because you’re not getting high quality professional illustrations without paying a lot because that’s how much they’re worth.
If it's a luxury prouct it should have luxury quality, don't you think?
@@viharsarok well, yeah. Most art commissioners that charge a lot are very good at what they do. Unless you’re thinking of high-end abstract museum art that costs millions for having a white strip on a blue canvas or a bunch of paint thrown at it or something.
Right! If people don't want to pay the full price, then they *shouldn't ask in the first place*
I recently started doing commissions, and a potential client told me that $25 is too much for a full body, full color + shading + background commission and that he will commission me if I go down to $5, it hurt a bit that someone thought my art Is worth that little
@@charanovaarts5$ for a fully rendered drawing??!? They have impossible expectations lmao if your pfp is your art then I'd say it's easily worth 25$. They know nothing about art
Definitely agree with the bit that you can always raise your prices later. I remember commissioning an artist who charged $15 for fullbody, full color. This was a STEAL since it was really good art. I kept coming back to that artist because I liked their art... and as they gained more experience and confidence, they raised to $25 then $35, etc...
Now that artist does art professionally for indie video games. Don't ever think that the price you charge starting out is set in stone or you'll be somehow bound to that forever and won't be able to do better. Just get your foot in the door, get people interested in you and build some happy customers that will return and/or recommend you to friends.
This happened to me haha, I started commissioning this year, and my full body was a $30- commissioner liked it so much that the tip was 3 times the original price. I’m more confident with my pricing after that!
So thank you to all the commissioners who commissioned a broke person like me ✌️
I have a question what if no one buys your art what do you do what if you put it on a cheap price and people still don't buy it?
@@sarah8638 maybe you’re advertising on the wrong place
@@muraxity8820 ahat does adversing mean. Sorry im not good with new words. Do you mean selling? Im not selling right now im thinking about selling in the future.
@@sarah8638 advertising is not selling. Advertising is basically giving an announcement, or to promote something with the intent to draw people in (I.e announcing the new apple, sharing that you do $10 for a drawing, ads on TH-cam, etc etc)
I spent 3 hours on a $4 commission and the customer did not like it, but they wanted me to “finish it” and spend lots of time on it. They said it was subpar and doesn’t compare to their other commissions. I told them what did they expect for $4? I am very proud of it and I think I put lots of detail into it. Turns out, they didn’t even look at my art before ordering , they just looked at the price. They told me I should “find another hobby”! That is so rude. The commissioner is a novice voice actor, so it’s the same as if she got a really low amount of money, was generous and spent lots of time on it, and then got trashed.
And I am very fortunate to live where there is $15 minimum wage (CAD) /$11 USD.
I’m very sorry to hear that. makes me wanna punch them in the face
Yes, if someone can’t respect my work, I don’t want them to buy anything from me. They can think what they like, and there are always people who appreciate my work at least as much as I do, these are the people worth working with. ❤️
Something I think a lot of artist over look is the value of art as a whole. Granted the time spent on a picture can justify a high price. But you gotta remember, it's still just a picture. (talking for digital and some traditional art, not sculptures and stuff).
Like you said, "Art is a luxury. Not everyone can afford it and it’s not the artist’s fault"
Same goes back around to the artists. Don't complain no one's buying your work or it's the same 3 people because you alienated 90% of your followers. Not everyone has a spare $500 dollars laying around.
Now of course if you become widely successful, like, every time you open commissions you get 20+ people asking for a slot, then yeah, you might wanna raise your prices or else you'll overload yourself. All I'm saying for the bulk of artists is. Stay humble. Try to price based on your demand.
(fun fact, this is backed from an artist i used to follow that basically exclusively drew this person's OC's because only that person could afford their work. They had a bad fight, and the artist basically had to lower his rates (from like $700 a slot to $250) because that was the only rich person that followed him. Was honestly the saddest thing cause he was really good but he basically repeatably told his followers "rich folks only", and it came back to bite him. )
REMEMBER TO CLAIM THOSE FREE MONTHS OF SKILLSHARE! ♥
🌟 The first 500 people to sign up via my link will get two FREE months of Skillshare Premium: skl.sh/nadiaxel3
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I'm slowly learning to price my art properly. It's mostly thanks to the clients that understand that $150 for a canvas painting is normal. Otherwise I might still be only charging $50 for a 20x24 in painting.
I'm working on a piece that's gunna net me $250 right now ahhh-
I price my art however I want cuz I value my ENERGY(and time). It's all about energy. You put your own energy into your art. Everyone has a unique aura
"I'll pay you with *EXPOSURE* "
Ahh... a classic one :P
I absolutely love your fluffy flamingos! You should make some stickers or pins with them, that would be so cute :3
Omg I'm actually already making some xD ♥️ Thank you for suggesting it aaaaaaa ✨
Nadiaxel aaaaa I can’t wait than 😍 I want to buy all your fluffy flamingos 💕
I’m still a child so these videos really helped me a lot to understand commissions as I hope to do drawing in the future as an illustrator!
this video makes me feel better about starting comissions in a couple months. i think my art is pretty ok and some people may want to buy it. im only 14 and im still learning a lot so the prices will probably be kind of low. before i do comissions i plan on like growing an audience on youtube even if its like 100 subscribers since without a following i might not get anywhere.
how is it going currently?
Yeah update time!
@@chickencake5134 update: i tried doing comissions once like a few months ago and it failed lol. but soon i might try again.
Good luck! :))
"Art is a luxury" I'm keeping that in mind
This helped me so much I calculated what I “would have” charge for a drawing I did based off my old commission prices and it came out to be $1.90 an hour. So I quickly took the “average” of how many hours I spend on art and now that drawing costs $480 instead of just $65. Game changer.
I’m 13 and i’ve been doing commissions on Amino for about 2 years now. The adopt/commission communities are very good places to start and get familiar with the process!
There aren’t any algorithms or anything to worry about, most people just sort by newest posts. Its also a very easy place to get familiar with, as most communities are rather small and staff and members are down-to-earth and friendly.
I wouldn’t recommend to keep using it if you’re trying to make serious money though.
A lot of people will only buy with the apps currency, amino coins, a currency which is pretty much broken at this point due to coin bots, inflation and the restrictions on sending large sums.
You can sell for real money, but its a lot harder, definitely so if you’re selling for what your art is actually worth.
But all that aside, i’m very familiar with the commission process now and i feel much more comfortable communicating with clients. Plus i’ve made plenty of artist friends, which is always an added benefit XD
I’d definitely recommend it to beginners that are a bit unsure and just want to try it out first!
Art takes a lot of energy that ppl don’t understand. It’s a great creativity.
Well bro, the videogames are another kind of art and ... for example, Black Mesa (the Half-Life remake) take 15 years to finish and it was made by a small and indie team.
TH-cam randomly directed me here.
Anyways, commisioner here. Was more curious about how artists get their prices. Do agree with artists should value their work, and not give in to negative comments. And it is certainly a luxury, but artists should get the amount of money they put into working their art. I actually have to tip 100% regularly because an artist doesn't value their work despite working 16+ hours on my piece on stream. (Granted, they do take breaks and etc. but still, 50 dollars for 16 hours of work is way too cheap.) This is some good advice.
I L O V E how supportive all of the comments are! They make me think that I could actually be able to do commissions and get clients!🤩
the sims music caught me by surprise! so nostalgic.
thank you so much for this series!
The only comment I was looking for 😍😂So nostalgic
The fact that you use those little pink birds for everything is my new favorite thing.
I haven't sold many commissions and the 2 big ones i've managed to do were for the same person. They never complained about my pricing and respected me, one was $100 and the other $150. I'm sad that I haven't gotten more, but i'm so grateful to this person for respecting my pricing and commissioning me. : ) it honestly is such a confidence booster. I'm pretty confident in my art while knowing i still need to improve. And I feel like i've set reasonable prices. I'm venturing into the world of sticker making now as well. : D
Yeah, sounds familiar. The buyer pays your price, doesn't complain but then disappears. Well, guess what. It's because they weren't satisfied with the quality.
@@viharsarok you seem to be making a lot of negative comments criticizing people who you don’t know here. Did an artist you commissioned personally offend you or something? Or are you just bitter at people wanting a fair amount of money in exchange for the work they do?
@@viharsarok my guy why tf would they commission twice if they were not satisfied?
Thank you so much. I needed this video. I recently got a commission. The person literally asked me how much it was. And at the time and still now I had no confidence in my art. So I did it for free😅
we all being there
I used to just ask my followers what they want me to draw, then sent it to them for free. Which means I even paid shipping and did portraits for free for about a year 😅
I am thinking about doing commissions in between my semesters at university in order to save up some money for travelling, so thank you for the video!
I wish you the best of luck with your commissions ;W; 💓
@@Nadiaxel Thank you
that end credit flamingo was SO cute i can not
also thanks for the helpful video!
Thank you for appreciating Diu 😭♥️
OMG I adore that silly flamingo!!!! XD
Thank you for appreciating Diu 😭♥️
That Sims music in the background made me feel so nostalgic.... ah my heart...
I reacently open commissions to help suport my family and your videos have been very helpful, i think the best part of the video was when you said about self-value since since most of these people who say to us to charge lower are most likely never gonna buy your art since they can´t even respect your prices, well done video! (ps: sorry if english is bad a an from Brazil).
Thank you for making this video, I did commissions for over a year and had fun with it, however due to life crashing down it was hard getting back up, I lost my most frequent clients due to others coming in with lower rates, I was happy they were able to find what they need, but getting back into the market has been hard especially when I get d.ms or close friends telling me it cost too much and it should be free. I used to give art as gifts to people I cared about but soon it got me into trouble. I couldn't pick up my pen for awhile but now, I'm doing fine and this video is amazing! Thank you for taking the time to make this!
The 2 problems with "minimum wage" are that depending on the artstyle it can take waaay too long to be reasonable to ask that of non-business customers. I need around 20 hours for a fully painted character (I'm doing rendered digital paintings). This means that I'd have to charge 240 Euros (german minimum wage is 12 Euros).
The other problem is that I feel like as someone who worked many years in developing my artskills, it feels weird to be paid minimum wage. Ideally I'd want to be paid at least as much as a professional of another field (around 20 Euro) which would mean I'd charge a whopping 400 Euros! And that as someone who isnt big on social media yet.
Dear lord your accent is so freakin adorable, I just-I can’t
Wahahaha I'm glad you like it XD
This series was so helpful. I stopped doing freelance and commissioned work because I kept running into people trying to pressure me into lowering my prices or berating me for what I charged. It was really demoralizing. Watching this helped me have more confidence and understand what is going on the community. And I realize after some math I was undercharging. So thank you!
I have watched this yet, but the video was uploaded at the perfect time for me! I am working on a commission sheet to help support my family. This video will be super helpful for me, thanks for making this!
So happy yoy found my video helpful 😊 Thank you so much for watching ♥️
I really appreciate the Sims 1 buy mode music in the background at the beginning 😅♥️
The biggest struggle for me is figuring out WHEN I can raise my prices. I've gained some confidence in my art, and I do feel like I've improved in a lot of aspects of my work. But since I'm not rapidly growing due to infrequent posts, even a $5 raise feels really risky since my audience hasn't changed. I'm scared that even my previous repeat buyers won't want to pay a higher fee
Thank you for this video. Four people said that my daughter is not charging enough. Most artists take hours/days to create a masterpiece. So it is important they make a living from it. And don't undervalue themselves. Great video. :)
That’s is nice.
The amount of systemic devaluing of art is a juggernaut that will take a long time to correct. These videos are very clear and go a long way toward making it right. Thank you for taking the time to do them.
I like how the “it’s my main income guy!” Looks like he’s ready to die
O M G that has to be throwback Sims ost
Didnt know how much I needed to hear it again
0:35 😁
I've been planning on doing commissions so I can save up for TH-cam equipment and this video was super helpful!! Thank you!! ❤️
Omg you're so welcome ♥️ thank you for watching my video 🤗 Best of luck with your commissions!
I’m here because I already undercharge, and potential clients are asking me to discount art I’ve already made for my shop so I’m working on feeling genuine pride in my work and actually charging for my time. I don’t need that jack!😂 I’ve been in my hobby for almost 4 years now and it takes a lot of time for me to make what I make. So, I’m here.🤞🏻
with your magical voice you said the truth : ART IS LUXURY !!!
thank you so much for your advices !!!
I agree that art should be the price that it should be, considering the amount of work, time, skill, etc.! But I price my art lower, yeah I get more commissions that way, but I do it mainly because I love drawing. And as someone who loves commissioning, I know there’s a lot of people with a budget out there but wants their dreams to come true and I don’t think money should restrict that!
Thank you for existing, really! I don't know you, but I appreciate so much what you do. I do the same thing with computers: I assemble low-cost computers for people who cannot spend much! So really, thank you. It is thanks to artists like you that I, too, can afford some drawings now and then. ❤️
Hey Nadia
Can you please make a video about clothing , folds and fabrics? I suck at those.
Loved the video BTW, very educational and entertaining.
Thank you so much ♥️ I'm usually not so good at drawing clothes I think, but once I get more confident at it, it would be an amazing topic. Thanks for suggesting it ✨ I added it to my list of ideas ^^
I had somebody ask me for a headshot and background. I planned on charging only $8 USD because I'm new to commissions and don't feel confident enough in my work to charge more. So before I gave my response/price quote, I decided to work on a drawing of my own just to see how much time and effort it takes (I typically don't draw much anymore), and dude...it took me HOURS to do one 5.5 in × 8.5 in portrait...AND I use prismacolors. For the supplies alone, I can't charge cheap prices... I'm glad I took time to think about it.
I think with this I am ready to open comissions to help my family and starting getting experience on my art journey! Thank you so much for all of your tutorials, they are so helpful and you and your art are wonderful! ♥️
So happy my videos were useful to you 🤗 Thank you so much for watching and GOOD LUCK 💕✨🤟
I just love the sound track from The Sims
Thank you! This is very helpful. Thanks for mentioning the problem about artists undervaluing themselves. Besides lowering their own self worth it also can make thr customers value the art less... because really, if even the artist doesn't appreciate their own art, doesn't believe it's good (even when it's actually good) how are other people supposed to value the art?
I just got commissioned for the first time!!! That makes me feel so good about my art, that someone is willing to pay for it :)))
some random guy commissioned me on discord and now we're really good friends lol :D
Nadia: I'm working under the minimum wage, which is $16 an hour
Me, working at a job that pays $9 an hour; $2 over the minimum wage: How much is a plane ticket to Denmark?
it could be that money is worth different there /gen
Minimum wage is the same amount here but living costs are really high so it's the same thing as your $9 an hour, or I'd even say you're better off than people where I live, bc everything costs twice or three times as much here
Very good advice! EXCEPT FOR PAYPAL!! While Paypal can be a convenient way to start out, it is NOT secure and if you suddenly start getting an influx of commission your account might just get limited out of the blue, and you won't be able to access your money without providing all sorts of info and battling with bots and customer service. For some it can get resolved in a matter of days or weeks, for others it can take up to 9 months.
It's been 3 years and I've only had like 2 or 3 commissions :(
Try advertisings your art on different forums, for example league of legends forum etc or even reddit etc.
@@serenanocte4769 it's what I've been doing
Hard to see why, ur art is awesome!
@@weemann4155 Thank you! I guess I just haven't advertised properly.
I beleave in you
I wanna start doing commissions and after watching this video I am more confident✨...... thankyouu so much your content is amazing as always
I have been watching quite a few videos on skillshare and they are very good! I am glad you are getting some support from them! The video is so good! You presented all the information someone needs to know to get started! I would also like to say that some artists have high price points for their work because they do NOT want to encourage commissions! It is also a way to discourage sales, super high prices can mean a reluctant seller. You have done a wonderful job on this video! I am so glad you are finding time to continue to share content on TH-cam! I hope your new day job is going well too!
So I'm trying to make art commissions to help my aunt who has stage 3 cancer. This really helps. I'll start making commissions soon.
I like your opinion on self value I also think that's how it should work
Glad to meet a fella with some shared opinions ^^ 💓
This has always been a struggle to me, but thank you, thank you for this video. Made me think more about the value and worth of my work. I have to get more comfortable charging "the right" price, which is funny when you think about it, how we tend to undervalue our work, time and energy spent... But yeah, thanks again :)
This might sound very werid, but popularity is also a very very big factor influencing the pricing. Because the demand and what you can bring for the person who is commissioning you is way better than artists who have no social media whatsoever. For example, more popular artists can bring the work a lot more popularity, for companies that are commissioning them. Also, the price should naturally go up each year a bit even if the quality does, because everything does, everything gets pricier each year. For reference I usually have my commission prices go up around 5-8% each year.
ah lord thank you ! i was so glad i found this video . ever since i watched this , i got a good confidence boost in doing my commissions the correct way 💕
Why do I only now find danish artists on TH-cam that I like but idk what country people are from we all are humans and you can’t always get your way
Oh my goshshhs this is helping so much, someone today asked for a custom they could pay me for! They said the average is 150 but I don't want to pay that much, I don't feel experienced enough but I'm honored to know someone likes my designs enough to willingly pay 100+ for it, TToTT//
Do you find there's more pressure with a higher price? I understand your value and worth is important, and maybe your confidence doesn't give room for pressure, but I'd be curious if sometimes pressure gets on top of you? With commissions you never know how you will cope creatively with getting a likeness or turning your style in to the person you are doing commission for (if that makes sense) so once you have accepted the commission and later discover its a lot harder than anticipated, and the price is waving over you giving pressure that it has to be perfect, how do you handle this? Or is this not a case?
Nice video, thank you for sharing some advice on this. It's always going to be a hot topic for artists on how to price their work but I guess it's just about being confident in your abilities.
Yes, I definitely feel the pressure! And if I'm commissioned to draw something I'm not 100% confortable with, but the client really, really want me to try, I tell them beforehand that its not in my area of strength but that I will do my best. And then I do my best to listen carefully to their feedback.
But the problem about being me (a goddamn hard perfectionist) is that I can never hand over anything I'm 100% satisfied with - not even if everyone says its my best work to date. I will NEVER be satisfied, especially considering someone paid me to draw it for them. Acknowledging and accepting that I will never feel satisfied has given me much more confidence in taking commissions.
And if you REALLY feel like you did not live up to the commission at all, you can always send a SMALL portion of the money back or offer them a discount on their next commission. Or a free sketch!
But my first point is probably my best advice ^^ I hope it makes sense.
@@Nadiaxel Aww amazing! Thank you for the quick reply :) It makes perfect sense! I'm totally with you on the perfectionist part as well, the challenges of being your own critique! And you nailed it! It is exactly that, someone has paid you to do it, you're in a different ball game when other people's money is involved haha. Plus you have a big following for the work you make, I can imagine that gives an added pressure of trying to repeat your style for whatever the brief? But I like how you handle it, really appreciate the tips, thank you again for sharing.
Thank you thank you thank you! with both of these videos as a guide I've been able to successfully find commission prices that I'm willing to charge. I've fallen on tough times in the past year and forced to consider art as a means of feeding myself. I've been looking for advice like this for months now.
the minimum wage in my country is $0.5/hour..
Ryan Oh my god I hope you aren’t working minimum wage and if you are you get out of it soon
@@wild_fl0wersss honestly i would be thankful even if i got that
I've done only two commissions i spent money and so much time on and the clients just ignored me after i was done
@Dark Unicat Thank you so much! I'm actually doing better!! I wish you luck! 🖤
5cents of a USD?
I feel ya
Which country??
Thank you for this video, its a huge help for me to go back to commissions again. I had some in the past that where kinda meh, and not paid well, so I stopped because it wasnt really worth the effort. But now I feel like I can take it again. You are so cool ^^
I'm really happy you found my video useful ^-^
@@Nadiaxel of course you know I took part at your recent dtiys-challenge and I actually did that without having watched a bunch of your videos. So I did that afterwards and its so refreshing to see how you handle stuff. You are such a generall nice person at least from what I saw. Thx for sharing so much with us.
@@ThedGrill omg you are so sweeeet >w< thank you so much aaaaaa!! It means a lot to me ♥️💕
@@Nadiaxel Aww nothing to thank for you know what the funny thing is? You are in denmark and I am from germany and I just love denmark danes are so funny. So I needed to become German Fan number 1 ^^ Count on me on all of your community challenges!
Yep love those fluffy Flamingos.
Great video by the way!
Thank you for appriciating my fluffy flamingo obsesseion xD
@@Nadiaxel... Heck yeah, they are adorable.
OH and thanks for all of the awesome guides and tutorials. I'm new to digital art, and have been getting a lot of great inspiration and knowledge from your channel.
@@JJ_ExMachina That means so much to me 💓 Thank you so much ;0; and good luck on your digital journey 😊
@@Nadiaxel... Heck yeah, this 40ish year old Mechanic has been having a blast so far. Thanks again for all of the help, I look forward to your next video :)
@@JJ_ExMachina Thank you 😊 I'll do my best!
OMG this helps me a lot as a beginner, since I don't know how much I should charge for my commission. This is supper HELPFUL!!!! Thank you so much for doing this
Oh I forgot to ask, Do you have a class on Skillshare? Do you plan on uploading one? Thank you for sharing your expertise with us!
Thank you so much for the always so heartwarming comments 😊✨ There is SO much to talk about on this subject so I'm happy you think I covered some helpful areas. And my new job is going wonderfully btw! Thanks for asking 💓 I managed to get part-time like I had hoped for so I can still enjoy some days off as well and have time for this kind of content 😊
I don't have any classes on Skillshare. I am considering it but I suspect it will be quite a while before I can find time and patience to do a whole class xd
I hope you understand, you saved a lot of people
Love the flamingos and the good advice :3!
Thank you for appreciating my flamingos 💓
Thank you so much for this video. I'm planning on starting commissions once I get a drawing tablet in order to help save up for my dream college, and one of my biggest questions was how much I should charge for each commission. This video is truly helpful and I can't thank you enough! 🥰
Thank you this is really helpful. I'm starting to take commission this quarantine.
im so thankful that i actually watch it till both are finished! VERY HELPFULL
thanks so much for this information! It is helping start my new art venture, which I am very nervous about! But this has made me feel confident and excited on how I need to structure my pricing :D
I am honestly so grateful for your videos, I'm learning so much 😭
Really needed this advice for starting commissions. Thank you!
Im glad to have found this video because im working on doing commissions in the next year or 2.
Currently working on getting a tablet before that so i can do more detail and better commissions
What I'm doing here, I can't even draw a straight line 🙄 still thanks.
I can draw lines and circles 🙌🙌
We are on the same boat buddy hang in there
You should check out Fine Art Tips
They have tutorials on lines and circles and all the basics
Curvy lines are much more interesting anyway :)
UsE RuLer
If I use the circle tool I end up with a square
I had always been pricing based on what I personally felt my art is worth. And something I learned from another artist is "if you're not feeling at least a little bit like you're overpricing it, you're probably underpricing it"
Your guide here feels much better organized and I feel like I should follow it.
I need to pay rent, I have a job at a grocery store with art as mostly a hobby except for occasional commissions. This is very taxing on my energy cause it's like working 2 jobs and making almost half the pay.
I don't have any patrons on Patreon yet but I hope to have some soon.
Ahh thank you for the advice! I'm really bad with pricing mine heh ;w;
My method when it comes to payment is I make a rough sketch of the commission, once my client approves that it's going the direction they're looking for (pose, composition, design etc) I will ask for payment. That way the customer won't have to worry that I won't be able to actually make the artwork live up to their expectations. Once payment is received I continue with the rest of the steps to finish the commission! (This obviously doesn't apply to sketch-commissions, those I charge upfront but ye)
16.65 usd of minimum wage in Denmark.
in my country is about 1 usd lol
Salamat po!
i have a question:
What if i sell my art to someone and after getting paid client asks if he can use it for selling merchandise. Should i charge extra amount of money and should it be the % of the money client gets from selling or just extra money? How much % i should charge?
I think it depends on how big the client's brand is. If its a small brand I would consider charging 200-300% extra. If its a big brand I would go higher BUT it also depends on how much you charged in the first place. I would look into subjects like "selling rights to artwork". Also consider if you are selling the rights for the client to do a limited quantity of merch of if you sre selling the rights for then to use forever. That should affect the price too I think :3 But try looking some of this stuff with rights up ^^
@@Nadiaxel Got it, thank you very much! :D
Both your videos on commissions are sooo helpful, i think the best I could find. Thank you so much for sharing this Information with us.
This is very helpful! Thanks^^
You are very welcome 💓 Thanks for watching 😊
Your video was good and super helpful! But that last minute of this video, was even better and it was something I needed to hear. I have so many people asking me to draw something for them for free even though I ask them to pay way below what I should. And its okay if someone can't afford it. But its not okay to pressure the artist. "Art is a luxury"
This is the second video of an artist video today that barly has views ...what is wrong with youtubes algorithm?
Aw, I'm actually unsure how the YT algorithm works. I think its about getting a lot of likes and shares on a video in the beginning so YT thinks its popular and it will start suggesting it to more people! I think my videos' problems are often thay my own subscribers aren't watching them so I loose a lot of that early engagement thay can be pretty critical to a video's performance c: I hope one day people will start watching again 😊 Thanks for being so nice 💓
Yah I require 100% up front based on the overall price. Like for my $50 commissions I require 100% up front. But for more expensive freelance (like for a logo which is $500) I'm willing to take 50% up front and 50% when I'm finished. Very good video!
Thank you, but skill share isn't processing my card. I can't believe I will lose this trial 😞
Nooooo that sucks ;_____; Did you try reaching out to their support? 💔
Thanks so much for these two videos on breaking down how to do commissions! I have made several pieces of art for others in the past without charging them anything, but now it is time I get paid! I've wanted to begin commissioned work for some time now and did not know where to start or who to ask about it! I'll definitely be using this video and the first part heavily when putting together my page and how I'll commission my work! 😁❤️