How to price portraits?

[Rowanart]

I was wondering if someone could offer some advice on pricing portraits. I have recently begun showing my work to friends and have agreed to do some portraits for them. I use graphite. Any advice will help, thanks.

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Rowanart

[wendee]

intresting question...i will be looking forward for some replies also http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Jimbo68]

I'll be wondering the same thing if I'm ever able to make my portraits look like anyone http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/smile.gif

[sandge]

IMHO pricing a portrait should be no different to pricing any other sort of work.

The main factors are 1) the complexity of the project, and 2) where you are at in your artistic career.

1) You might want to consider a scale of charges depending on whether you're doing a head and shoulders only portrait, full figure or several figures. Also, a buyer would expect to pay more for an oil painting than a pencil drawing, and more for a larger picture than a smaller one.

2) As you establish yourself in your artistic career, you generate demand for your work and can charge more. If you show in exclusive galleries or prestigious exhibitions and your work sells, you can charge more.

The best advice is to try to find someone who is showing work similar to what you're doing and who is at a similar place career-wise and charge what they're charging (ie the market rate).

It doesn't hurt to err on the side of caution because if you charge too much too soon, you won't sell. And you can't go backwards - once you've set a price range you must stick to it. If you sell at a high price one day and a low price the next, you'll damage your reputation.

best wishes http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/smile.gif
sandra

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http://www.fletcherfineart.com

[Rowanart]

Thanks all for the advice. It is much appreciated.

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Rowanart

[Gary B]

I have to get in here...I've been doing this all my life.

You charge what the market will bear. As time goes on, you'll get a feel for what you can charge. How much they are willing to negotiate depends on how good your portfolio is.

I do work for friends...$FREE (if I they're good friends) to $200, or more if they can afford it.

I do the same work for a corporation...$200 to $5000 or more if I can get away with it.

You feel your way. Ask them what they want to pay. What's their budget for the job. If they say "I have no idea" suggest $1,000,000 then, when they start to stammer, ask them again.

We would, of course do it for nothing if we could, But this is something they will value forever and we should get paid for our skills. They will value it more if they pay for it...rediculous, but human nature.

I recently e-mailed Joe's caricature to him in Ireland. I did it for the projects and had a lot fun with it, so I gave it to him. Joe, being Joe, is giving 20 pounds to charity in payment. The guy's a saint.

First and formost...don't do it for the money.Get that out of the way and forget it. Do art because you love it.

I hope I made sense here. I've been at the board for 18 hours with a boring commercial job with a rush deadline and I are tired. They're paying through the nose for this one.

Gary


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"First you get you a pen and a ink."

[sandge]

Gang, We've got a great start to a discussion on pricing here so I'm gonna move this thread to Art Business so we can all benefit from the wider expertise of folks in that forum.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/smile.gif
sandra

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http://www.fletcherfineart.com

[journey342]

Rowanart.. Gary and Sandra gave some great advice! The biggest thing I have found in pricing my portraits (and I am a graphite artist as well)is that if I don't charge enough.. it is equated with not respecting my own work as well as the buyer not valuing it as much... good thing I have a degree in psychology cuz I am sure needing it to figure out this business aspect to art!!!

The best thing I found to do is visit as MANY other artists websites as you can find... I have a directory of over 200 websites now that I visit and get a feel for pricing. I have been commissioning portraits for about 1 1/2 years now (still a beginner) and began charging 59 dollars for a single subject 8 X 10 (head/shoulder shot). That same portrait is now 100.00 dollars. The price increases based on the size of the print and how many subjects are in the portrait. It ALSO makes a difference on how mUCH of the subject you are drawing. Those are the 3 criteria to base pricing on. Size of paper, Number of Subjects and Amount of subject drawn.


Basically, I try to keep it as simple as possible, the more choices a client has to decide between, the more frustrating it can be. Fewer choices allows the focus to be on the portrait itself and what is desired.

When I am at art fairs etc. I also offer a 10% discount if they place an order that day at my booth. That way there is more of an incentive for them to order now rather than just walk away with my brochure and let time fade their desire to do it.

OH also, try and stay away from the " 99.95 rather than 100.00" advertising gimick. To me, it looks more professional to just post even dollar amounts for your prices. Much more straightforward.

Well, I could ramble on all day, I hope this helps!

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It is good to have an end to journey towards but in the end, all that matters is the Journey.

[This message has been edited by journey342 (edited April 27, 2001).]

[Rowanart]

Thanks so much for the advice. This helps so much. I have been doing portraiture all my life and have never really shown my work to anyone outside of family. It's such an ego boost for someone to want to pay for your work. Again thanks, it's nice to know I can get advice from other artists when I need it.

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Rowanart

[leesmith]

Journey,

Your ideas are so right! A few years back I did a HUGE painting for just $150. My 11 X 14's sell for that now. She got a real deal. She still has it and just paid $700 to have it custom framed! LOL

I feel that commissions are negotiable. I always ask the client their MAXIMUM budget for the project and their ideas; offering them the pros/cons on a variety of supports. I read in Artist's Magazine, if you are a gallery artist, don't undercut gallery prices, offer a 25% discount to family and friends. AM also said, on finished works, when approached by a potential buyer that asks " is that the best you can do on the price", tell them MY PRICES ARE FIRM HOWEVER MY TERMS ARE NEGOTIABLE. Then state a downpayment, and a couple of payments; be sure to retain the artwork in your possession until it is paid in full, which will encourage quicker payment. http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/wink.gif

[Verdaccio]

I recommend charging first by the size of the painting. Then, consider adding upcharges for additional figures, hands, complex backgrounds, jewelry, or fabrics. Each of these items is going to take you more time - addional studies, etc. and thereby, you should be compensated more for your work. I generally add an additional 30% for each item.

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Michael Georges
www.fineportraitsinoil.com (http://www.fineportraitsinoil.com)

[Dallen]

This is just mty opinion.
Never sell a Painting under $350.oo
Never sell a Drawing under $250.oo
Never sell a Portrait under $1,000.oo

Art is a funny thing, it is a field where you are worth what you decide you are worth.
Many fine painters sell their work far too cheaply, many rotten painters sell their work far too expensively. The reality is that Art is a luxury, and as such, selling it too inexpensively is a disservice to both you and the client.
Once you set your value at $200.oo a painting, it is very difficult to raise it appreciably.

Despite what many say, size should have absolutely NOTHING to do with price of your paintings. VanGogh painted very small paintings, 8x10,10x12, 16x20 was HUGE for him, only the repro posters are large. Are his paintings worth less because they are small? Of course not! You aren't selling broadloom carpet, you are selling Art.

You are creating and selling something that will last as lifetime, don't price it like a pair of running shoes, dinner for 2 in a good restaurant, or a fashion outfit. Selling cheaper NEVER leads to selling more, and it doesn't seed our spirit either.

Value your Artwork enough to price it respectfully. A Portrait should always cost more than a mortgage payment!

Dallen

[arlene]

This is just mty opinion.
Never sell a Painting under $350.oo
Never sell a Drawing under $250.oo
Never sell a Portrait under $1,000.oo

Art is a funny thing, it is a field where you are worth what you decide you are worth.
Many fine painters sell their work far too cheaply, many rotten painters sell their work far too expensively. The reality is that Art is a luxury, and as such, selling it too inexpensively is a disservice to both you and the client.
Once you set your value at $200.oo a painting, it is very difficult to raise it appreciably.

Despite what many say, size should have absolutely NOTHING to do with price of your paintings. VanGogh painted very small paintings, 8x10,10x12, 16x20 was HUGE for him, only the repro posters are large. Are his paintings worth less because they are small? Of course not! You aren't selling broadloom carpet, you are selling Art.

You are creating and selling something that will last as lifetime, don't price it like a pair of running shoes, dinner for 2 in a good restaurant, or a fashion outfit. Selling cheaper NEVER leads to selling more, and it doesn't seed our spirit either.

Value your Artwork enough to price it respectfully. A Portrait should always cost more than a mortgage payment!

Dallen

first of all van gogh has done plenty of larger paintings. if you don't believe me go look in any museum.

secondly, if you're a professional already then yes your advice holds but...he's said it's his first commissions and as such he has to and should start lower. Also with commission portraits it's what the market in his area will bear.

now having said that, look at the top of this forum and there's a sticky which gives interesting threads. One of the first ones is on pricing.

[CAULFIELD]

I am new to the art business world, but have some opinions on this discussion. Recently, friends have been asking me to do commissions for them and I just decided to say no, for several reasons. I work in colored pencil, which is a time consuming medium. To make it worth my time to do a commission I would have to charge alot and most friends and family, who usually don't buy art often, don't realize how much time goes into a cp drawing. Especially because it is a drawing and not a painting, people assume it takes less time. Also, my community market would not sustain the price I would like to get for a commissioned piece.

I have very limited time, I'm the mother of 2 young children, and if I start doing commissions at a lower price for friends and family, then that ends up taking all my time. Believe me, that is why I haven't tried to sell anything in the art market in the past, because I would spend alot of time drawing but I was practically giving the work away.

Plus, I think commission work deserves a higher price than your other work. Believe me, even friends and family are a real client - and you have to spend considerable time to understand what they want and please them. Plus it is taking you away from your primary work. Even if you don't mind getting lower prices now, believe me friends and family have friends and family and they will expect to get the same price.

Gosh, I sound greedy but I just realized, this year, that I don't have any artwork to show and sell in the 7 years after graduating from art school and this is the biggest reason.

Now, I just kindly tell them that I am not accepting commissions (which, believe me is hard). Maybe when I have more time, I will accept commissions but I will be weary to underprice them!

Just my 2 cents!!!

Nicole :)

Hey - how many of those paintings did VanGogh sell?

Edit: WOW - just realized this is a really old thread. Guess I rambled on for no purpose!

[RobinZ]

I do dog portraits in colored pencil. I like doing commissions, overall, but they sometimes ARE hard. I don't do them INSTEAD of my preferred work, it IS my preferred work. I need the money, too. If I didn't have a pretty steady stream of commissions, I'd have to go back to typing.

I priced by comparing my work with others at my skill level on the internet. At first I thought I was too high, but I've had a waiting list for a while now. All of my work comes from people who visit my website. My friends, family and former customers (my best salesmen!) all post flyers for me in their vets and any other bulletin board they come across. I have had about 20% of my commissions come from grocery stores and bookstore bulletin boards. I also have a few vets who contacted me and asked to link to my site.

There's a fellow in my area who has been doing dog portraits in pastel for years. He charges way more than I do. My friend saw him posting his flyer at her vets and asked him how his business was. He told her it was very, very slow, that nobody had money in this economy.

Really? I would rather do 3 portraits for his one. I like the steadier stream and yes, you can outprice yourself off the block. Like I said, I can't afford to wait for one big spender, I need the steadier money. And as I slowly raise my prices, I will have a bigger pool of satisfied customers to spread the word.

And I like the people side of this. Not everyone would. My customers call me, email me, keep in touch with me. I have gotten emails about upcoming weddings, bar exams, adopted foster dogs, etc. I have become one of their internet friends. I know that would drive other people crazy, but I enjoy it.

BTW, I have a 15% "friends and family" discount for friends of friends or family.

[Elankat]

Price them as you would price any other art. There is good advice for pricing found in this thread: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47337

The only thing different that I'd suggest between portrait (or commission work in general) pricing and regular art pricing is to set a minimum base fee or add enough of a charge to your regular pricing to cover any additional time or cost requirements.

Depending on how you do your commission work, it can involve more time & cost than regular artwork. For example, if you have to drive to meet with the client, conduct a photo shoot, have additional meetings for proof selection/sittings/progress showings, additional communication, etc. If you do these things, then they need to be taken into account when you price.

However, it just depends. Some artists have just as much prep work on their non-commission art. Some artists just use client photos for a commission and don't have additional costs associated with meetings or sittings (especially if the commission involve animals, surprise portraits, deceased loved ones, etc). So, you need to consider how you will be doing your commissions when you set up pricing.

If the portrait work is not commission work, then it should be priced the same as any other subject. Portrait commissions can get very involved. I turn away far more than I accept because I found that it just was not worth my time. I like to shoot all my refs and typically will meet 2-4 hours with the client just to get the basic ref and ideas. So, I found that unless the commission really interests me, I'd just rather refuse it. :) Then again, I'm not at a place where I'm trying to make a living at my art. The occasional commission just buys me new supplies for the year. :)