How much to charge for a mural??

Question

A man wants me to paint a portrait of his daughter on the wall above her bed. Now, I know this may not necessarily constitute as a mural, but I'd like to use your suggestions for future reference. I don't think it will be too hard... probably around medium on a difficulty scale. And I'll probably charge based on size... but how much on that rate?
I don't have a lot of experience, (did two murals before) but I have done several paintings/drawings. I have a lot of talent, and people have always been VERY impressed with the results.

I want a good price for both parties involved; I don't want to overcharge the guy, but I don't want to shortchange myself, either.

Answer 1

I've done a couple or murals and I just charge for materials and then by the hour. (go buy some paint and hand them the receipt)
Sounds like you have some experience. Maybe charge $15- $20 an hour.

Answer 2

Want a little irony here? I've sold over half of the paintings I've done and couldn't even begin to suggest to you an asking price.

Why? Because I'm a lousy businessman when it comes to my own creations. I've sold paintings for $1,200 and similar ones for $40.00, barely covering the cost of the paint and the canvas. My problem is I always charge according to want I think the buyer can afford. If they're well off I ask more. If they're rather poor, but still love the painting, I let them decide what they can afford to spend for the art.

So, being the lousy businessman that I am, I would suggest you base your asking price of their ability to comfortably pay for your creative efforts.

Answer 3

If you can approximate the amount of time it will take you to do the work, simply multiply that by what you think is a fair price per hour for your labor. (Do you have another job? What do you make per hour there? Is the level of skill to produce the mural more than the skill level at your other job? If you are new at this, you might charge as little as $10.00 per hour, plus materials. As time goes on, you will be able to better estimate time involved and at that point charge by the square foot as you are suggesting in your question.) Also, I would get him to approve a sketch before doing any work on site. Ask for permission to photograph the final result to add to your portfolio. (In fact, if you are just starting out, you might make photos of yourself working and the work in progress to let potential clients see how you work and what they might expect.) As your expertise and speed increase, you can gradually raise your prices. Having good quality photos of completed works (a portfolio,) is the professional way to present yourself to potential clients. And if this man is pleased, he might also be willing to write you a letter of reference to also show potential clients. I don't know what part of the country in which you work, but the trick to making a living at this is to get repeat business. And you are most likely to get repeat business from people who order a lot of murals. I would approach interior designers, builders and remodeling contractors for work. You might offer to do a mural in a designer showhouse or in a model home for small fee in order to have lots of potential clients see your work. If you have a particular niche, you might offer to do a mural in a local retail business that caters to the same sort of clients. If you want to paint children, try to get your work displayed in an expensive children's clothing store or where they sell baby furniture. (You are trying to hook grandparents here--they will have more disposible money to decorate the nurseries.) Say you want to paint food/wine still lifes, you could put your sample mural in a wine shop or restaurant or a specialty food store, and so on. (Too, always legibly sign your public murals and add your phone number. Since you are giving the owner of the business a deal on price, part of the deal is that he or she keep a small tray with your business cards. Then you check periodically to be sure the tray is full.) Get professional business cards designed and printed--under no circumstance should you print them on a home computer. If you can afford it or have the expertise, you should also have a web site showing you working, your finished murals, and testimonials.

Answer 4

I would say $500 based on your description.

But as a businessman... I would suggest you take a rough guess at how many hours it will take and multiple that times a reasonable hourly rate (which I feel should be $50 per hour minimum if you are telented.)

Answer 5

Charge him $50 to start. Halfway through, ask for $150. Just before the end ask for another $150 to finish. That adds up to $350 and he's happy, you're happy.

Answer 6

figure $10/hr for some time, including layout, sketching and surely portray. Plus value of substances obviously. a lot less when you're eco-friendly and extra when you're extremely good at it.