Commission pricing help

Posted 1 year, 26 days ago by Visceral_Bitez

Heyo! 

So I wanted to start doing commissions for different virtual currencies so I can get things on sites I like, but I kinda rlly struggle with knowing what my art is worth.

I tried following a guide and I felt like it was just too much. (it made a scene,, like,, $160 and I just wasn't comfy w/ that price)


anyways, here's my lil art example profile: https://toyhou.se/20078470.art-examples-

Currently, I planned $3 for icons/headshots, $5 for half bodies, $8 or maybe $10 for full bodies, and somewhere from $10-$15 for scenes?

(icons almost always take around 30 minutes, half and full bodies tend to take an hour to two hours, and scenes pretty consistently take 4-5 hours.)

But I'm still rlly unsure cause I have legit no concept of self-worth ;-;


Any help or advice is appreciated! ty! ^^

(all prices r in USD btw.)

Luscinioide

i look at other artists around my same skill level who are getting frequent commissions and base my pricing off what they're charging. i find that the minimum wage rule can be a bit misleading because several artists with the same skill will have varying speeds - one might take three hours to do a fullbody, while it might take another ten hours. if the one who requires ten hours to do a fullbody were to go by the minimum wage rule, they'd never get any orders because everyone would be going to the guy that only takes three hours. 

if you look at similarly skilled artists and find that what they're charging is way too low for the amount of time you're putting in, consider only offering commissions that you can put out quickly or wait until you're more efficient. for me, selling rendered pieces is a waste of time because similar artists can do them faster than i can and thus charge a lower price. in the time it takes me to finish one rendered portrait for $45, i could do 3-4 animated inked ones and make $100.

toyhouse also has a younger demographic with less money to spend. people prioritize faster, smaller, and cheaper pieces. the sweet spot for commissions here is 20-30$ max. anything more, and your profit drops off very fast. keep this in mind when deciding what commission styles you want to offer - just because you CAN do scenes doesn't mean you have to offer them! it might not make sense for you financially or effort wise.

Visceral_Bitez

Luscinioide Kazetatsu

Thank you both for your input! ^^

I'm gonna adjust my prices in a bit I think, trying to follow both of your advice.