Your art is too expensive!

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Hey guys, I want to talk about how artists price their commissions and clear up a few things. It's kind of difficult for me to word things in a non-offensive way, so I hope you get the right message <3




1. "You can't set a pricetag just by the working hours."
A year ago, it took me hours to finish a drawing that looks far worse than what I can do now within a fraction of that time. Speed comes with experience. Just because something gets done faster it should not be valued less. Of course, time is a huge factor for commission prices. But there is a lot more behind "just 2 hours of drawing".


2. " Artists are not meant to be poor people."
So don't expect them to be. If you feel like their art is too expensive, please explain yourself in a reasonable way. Simply making random suggestions will only irritate them.


3. For the artists: "Don't sell your stuff for dirt cheap."
It does harm to every freelancing artist AND yourself if you do that. Just don't.
There is not a single excuse for you to do it. And I believe that you are far more worth than those $2 per hour. Please have some self respect.
I actively don't commission artists that charge way too little. I value their time and think about people who try to make a living out of their art and so should you.

Why?
Just imagine a real life situation.
You spent at least an hour for someone, f.ex. you helped him sort his files, carried his suitcases, drove him around, etc. In the end they throw 15 cents into your hands, thank you and walk away. Would you be happy? Is it fair? You would not feel that way, would you? It is very disrespectful and you will feel like they were just using you and making fun of you in the end. With art, it's even worse. Because you had to learn how to draw, you used your creativity to come up with designs and you put lots of time into them.

Please respect yourself and the art community by charging at least minimum wage for what you do!! It would even be better to give the art out for free than for such a degrading value!!



4. "A 'fair' price does not exist."
Popular artists have more expensive prices, people love paying more for NSFW stuff because sex sells, some ask $2 for a drawing, others $150 and people will pay for both.
I feel like my prices are fine as they are right now. But I still get people telling me I am too CHEAP or too expensive. There will always be complaints, but you can try to ask around and get a general feeling for your prices.* And in the end, you should not accept commissions just for the money if they make you feel uncomfortable.


Conclusion:
Art is a luxury. You do not need a picture drawn for you to be alive and healthy.
It is purely for your own satisfaction and to help the artist with their rent. With that said, you don't need to complain about prices if you cannot afford it, because you simply. Don't. Need. It.
You don't go into a jewlery store and rant about how high the prices are and if you would, their answer would be "Then don't buy from here."
Maybe this helps you visualize how ridiculous it is to literally tell artists to starve when asking them to lower their prices.


This post was not directed to anyone in particular and I hope I won't make anyone feel offended. But maybe it helps you to get a new perspective when looking at commission prices.
All of this is only my OWN opinion on things. So let me know what you think of it, I can be open minded too!




- Added notes in 2017 & 2018 -


The Issue
Lots of you read the journal. And say it helped, awesome!
But then you don't actually change anything?

Don't take commisions if you don't think your art is worth $10 / hour or more! Instead of WASTING your time on commissions, draw for yourself, draw for your friends or just try to improve on your skills - all of that is much more valuable than drawing for CHEAP customers. It will be so much more rewarding, please trust me.

You don't have to do commissions right away. You'll make more money working at MC Donald's, if you are in need of money than charging 10 cents or even 5 dollars for a drawing you spent 2 hours on.
Please do yourself that favour and know what your time is worth, what your art is worth! Better yet, wait until people ask you to buy art from you. By that time, you will almost have guaranteed customers that will actually value your art. There is just no rush to start right away and be disheartened by the lack of interest.


One more thing!
I love to help people out in the comments, but my response to "how much should I charge" will always be the same: at least minimum wage or $10/h.
I mean the whole journal is pretty much saying, there is no fair price BUT to not charge too little, that's the point of the whole thing, so when you ask me that just means that you didn't understand it at all.

You can use this too as a reference point (it's set at $10/h): www.online-stopwatch.com/cash-…

So from now on questions like that will stay unanswered, but don't be scared to ask me about other things that aren't already in this journal! ♥


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