How did you start commissioning?

[stephanielopez]

So I have been drawing for about 2 years and 1 month now and I feel like I have quality to make commissions. More traditional than digital, but I am getting there.

My question is how did you get started commissioning people? How did you start pricing?? How many people asked for commissions?? and so on. Please leave your knowledge for a person who wishes to begin Thank you

[joannekwan]

I didn't start considering doing commissions until I had a substantial following on tumblr. And when I started I got a positive response with about 10 customers the first month. Now they come and go in waves for some reason, for example I'll get like 4 within two weeks and then have a dead period for another 4 weeks. I'm sure if I want a steady stream of commissions I just have to keep reblogging my commission info post and do more illustrations to generate interest. But I'm fine with the off/on nature of it as it allows me time to work on my own stuff.

I usually price per character and then if it's a bust/waist-up/full body, most people I've seen do it that way. For a pricing example, I started it at $10 for a waist-up, and now I've raised it to $15, no one's complaining. I base the pricing on an hourly rate.

[Luie]

I was encouraged to do commissions by my family before I thought I was good enough. Through some connections I got some work drawing characters for some Paizo Pathfinder campaign books. I got paid for those. Done a few odd jobs since then. When I went to digital I started doing free commissions for my friends and the communities I hung with. They're still free for now because I'm still learning things, but when I feel my work has hit a certain quality and I have a portfolio of commissions I'll start asking for money more often. I'm doing one for my extended family which will hopefully get me more work with them, and I'm doing a few logos for people I know which will lead me into more freelance work for people in their industry.

I still have this problem of not thinking I'm good enough to get paid for my work. Even though i know I'm good enough now I always want to get better and not regret doing work that I can do better now. I think after I have better digital practice and get feedback from these few odd jobs I'll have a better attitude about selling my art. Almost all of the paid work I've gotten so far are through the connections I have.

If you're ready to start doing commissions I'd get a gallery together. Be sure to include a wide variety of drawings. Get a list of pricings. You can price by piece or by hourly work (I usually go by piece because it's easier for me). Don't undercut yourself. Don't feel like you should ask for less. You can sell just linework for $25 if you really wanted to. It's sort of like bartering. You will need a bank account and an online bank account. A lot of people use Paypal, which will add a few bucks to your commissions for transaction fees. You can also use Dwolla, which is free. I like to send WiP pics of commissions so I can edit any mistakes. Then I'll send a watermarked version, they approve it and transfer the money, and I send them an unmarked version. No matter how you go about your transactions or commissions, be sure to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING~ and save any emails, messages, or other history between you and your client.

As for getting work, advertise like crazy. Post on facebook, tumblr, imgur, dA, whatever and however often. I've started looking for local jobs for freelance work. A REALLY good way to make connections is to find local events for artists or to simply go drawing somewhere. I got a job doing some concept art for some college game makers because I randomly decided to draw at the subway they work at and they saw me : |

[AnnaLandin]

Don't underprice yourself. There's this weird thing where if you sell your work too cheaply, people start getting suspicious - if it's so cheap, how can it be any good? I've had instances at cons where when something I had was free, people wouldn't take it - but when I raised the price to a few dollars each, people bought bunches. The same holds true in commissions.

Also, if you sell things too cheaply, you're undercutting other people selling commissions, which is not very nice. I've heard the tip to use the minimum hourly wage as a base, and then factor in how much time it takes, material cost, etc., to arrive at a reasonable price. Since you're working traditionally, material-cost and shipping are going to need to be thought about.

After that... advertise. Ask your friends to spread the word, both IRL and on the internet. Use every channel available to you.

[stephanielopez]

Alright I will try. I do think $25 is a lot to start with though. :0 haha. Thank you

[stephanielopez]

Oh. I have a Tumblr, but not a lot of followers. I have a lot on Instagram though I was thinking of $8 for headshot, $12 or $15 for waist up, and $18 or $20 for full body. How does that sound?? and thank you

[stephanielopez]

really?? well there is something new haha I was thinking of $8 for headshot, $12 or $15 for waist up, and $18 or $20 for full body. does that seem good? and of course traditional will be a bit more, especially for shipping. thank you

[AnnaLandin]

@stephanielopez - I'd say $8 for a headshot is a little too low, honestly. Maybe start from 10$ and work your way up?

[mg78]

i started commissioning a decade ago or more, because lack of money
i opened a blog with the best work, then i surfed some forums and the commission threads...
btw i was like: 10€ for 1 chara, 15 with easy color (like anime). then could evolve with more chara, backgrounds and so on. a comic page pen was at 15 or 20 (very easy).
most of the buyer would spend few bucks so the quality was quite low (thats why none of those work are in my portfolio lol)
in some way, that experiance was good to train my skill but it was also a waste of time, because of all those work at a low quality that i would never show it anymor.

[getsuart]

I've heard the tip to use the minimum hourly wage as a base, and then factor in how much time it takes, material cost, etc., to arrive at a reasonable price

Though this is really true, individuals would just say "meh, you're too expensive. What do you take yourself for, Sakimichan? you don't even have the level for it". But underselling yourself isn't good either.

How much time to you spend on a unique piece? If you are a quick person, selling a headshot sketch for $10 (if you spend like 20 minutes on it) is good. But if you spend two or three hours on it... maybe you should change some things : )

[stephanielopez]

Alright I am still setting the price, since I haven't started spreading the word of me actually starting commissions. I guess I will slowly work my way up

[AnnaLandin]

Though this is really true, individuals would just say "meh, you're too expensive. What do you take yourself for, Sakimichan? you don't even have the level for it"

This is true, but do we really want to set our pricing by individuals who whine and insult us? Because I wouldn't.

In the end, it's about setting a price that you, as an artist, think is reasonable. If people want your artwork, they're willing to pay for it - and the ones who whine and complain probably aren't worth it.

[getsuart]

Baaaah wrote everything then closed accidently. jeez.

Anyway, shortly ; I agree with you, but those reactions may conduct to a self-doubt and depression, and it is why I talked about it! But I see I didn't finish my sentence, only thought about it =_=

(and now i don't remember what I wrote on the odl post. Sorry... :'D )

[joannekwan]

That sounds pretty reasonable, but I would bump it up a couple dollars since you're doing traditional! ^^

[stephanielopez]

alright. thank you for the advise ^^

[Caelestie]

can I ask how big was your following at the time?

[joannekwan]

I think I had about 1k to 1.5k, somewhere around there.

[Caelestie]

Ok thanks! I was always wondering how popular were people when they managed to get commission, now I know I am not going get commission anytime soon...

[joannekwan]

You might if your followers are dedicated enough to reblog or pay for one! Doesn't hurt to try!