How much do I charge for my art?

Question

I do portraits, but am unsure as to what are acceptable prices here in the UK. I have sketched two children, ie two separate portraits, on A4 - they took about 5 hours each. Any suggestions? I don't want to over-charge and at teh same time I don't want to sell myself short.

Answer 1

I am an artist and sell my work. What to charge is the worst nightmare of an artist work.

Five hours for a portrait, minimum wage in Britain is about £6.50 / hour. You are looking at £50.00. Very few people will pay that for an amateur portrait. Your problem is one of supply and demand. most competent artist can turn out a reasonable portrait to order, your talent is not unique and therefore not a valuable commodity.

Actors, singers and artist, there are thousands of very talented people out there and to make a living out of the arts you have to be exceptional and, most of all, be in the right place at the right time. I started selling my work to cover the cost of materials, got a few commissions by recommendation and went on from there. Local art shows are a good start, they are usually run by art clubs and societies and you would need to be a member to exhibit. Agents and scouts for agents are often there, looking for something different and you may pick up commissions from the public.

You'll earn more money stacking shelves in Tesco than with your art, do it for pleasure and put your heart into your work; you will be amazed how your talent will grow. £30.00 unframed, £40.00 framed is a start, you'll loose money at first but hopefully, like me you will be recomended and prosper. I wish you the very best, unfortunately you'll probably need it, however good you are.

Answer 2

Art has no intrisic value. It is worth what people will pay, that all there is to it.

It doesn't matter how long it takes either. I do a lot of wood turning, some products are worth the hourly rate they take, others are not. I cannot go with an hourly rate, it would make no sense to customers - they pay what they think the product is worth, not how long it took me.

If you charged an hourly rate that would mean the worse you are at art the more you'd get paid...doesn't make sense. It used to take me 4 hours to make a sald bowl, now it takes 1, do i now charge 25% ? No, I charge more because i have a better reputation.

I see a4 painting commissions for sale at £30-£60 in the North West UK. Maybe thats a guide for you.

Also, a "sense" of value helps raise the price, good presentation and customer surroundings. I sell stuff at craft shows and a couple of gallaries. The gallery prices are 2-3 times that of the craft show.

Answer 3

I am also an artist and sell my work. let me just add that five hours for a portrait, minimum wage in Britain is about £4.50 / hour. You are looking at £45.00.

However, you should double that, and add your material costs into the equation. thus you are looking at about £100 each... But the previous answer was very good, in that very few people will pay that for an amateur portrait.

The problem is cheap paintings from Taiwan, so your average punter can get an 'original' oil painting for £30, which is about as original as the bible. You also have an army of armatured enthusiasts who all sell their work at bargain bottom price to compete with.

I don't do portraits as a rule, even though I am a painter of figures and faces, as he sitter usually has a different inner image of themselves than you have. I too started selling my work to cover the cost of materials, and had little exhibitions in cafe's and restaurants. I got a few commissions by recommendation and am still going.

Local art shows - but you need to be a member to exhibit. the last chaps £30 unframed was a fair price, but to make money at the start, I painted four or five versions of an image at once on box canvases, which did not need a frame. It allowed me to experiment more, and i was more efficient in my use of paint and materials. Plus I had a selection of work, which would be sent to different places.

Answer 4

Ma amie, you will find that people will more often buy your product if it is perceived to be of a higher value. You will find that if you put too low of a price on your product that people will have the tendency not to buy it--even if it is exceptional. Your best bet is to place a higher price on your product---and then tell them you are giving it to them at a discount, after they have essencially committed to it (that way they will feel good about get a deal--but I would only do this for friends)...people sometimes have the intent of spending a certain amount of money for any particular gift.

Answer 5

I think it depends on how well draw the portraits are. If they're exceptional then you could charge as much as $10,000 a piece but if they look like chicken scratches then they're worthless. For mediocre portraits I would pay about $40-80 for one.

Answer 6

Work out a good hourly rate then thats fair for you - then add your costs, equipment, travel etc and go from there.

If you're new you might have to charge a bit less than what you think its worth but hopefully a bit later you will have more freedom to name your price.

Answer 7

Like any commodity, it is only worth what people are willing to pay.

Look at your local art galleries and see what similar work goes for. Deduct 20% (Gallery commision) and price accordingly.

Answer 8

Check out a-n website. They have loads of advice and opportunities - you have to pay to become a member but it's cheap as an artist and worth it!

Answer 9

Its only worth what people want to pay for it. Ask people and say what would you be willing to pay, then you can gauge how much they may be worth.

Answer 10

charge how muchit is worth, labour and material costing inclusive