How Much Should I Charge To Draw A Graphite Portrait

Ane question I'm asked once again and again is, "How much should I charge for a portrait?"

I was asked this question twice in the concluding ii days, so I figure it would be skillful to reply this in an commodity.

Equally a professional portrait painter, I know that what I accuse for my portraits affects my lesser line. If I don't accuse enough, I don't make enough coin to keep painting. If I charge besides much, I might price myself out of the marketplace.

pricing your portrait tips

Practical tips on how to toll your acrylic portrait painting

You may exist asking the same matter? What should you do?

There are many factors in pricing.

It depends how long yous have been in business, the level of quality of your work, and how much item will be in your portrait. I charge by the foursquare inch. I have a pricing formula that I came up with where the cost increases exponentially as y'all increase the size of the painting and add more particular (subjects)

Here is what I charge (as of 2022). I tin't say that information technology will work for you. (Delight, Practise Non copy my prices. I am showing it just as an case. )

portrait from photo prices Eau Claire

Acrylic Portrait from photo, commissioned paintings by Eau Claire portrait creative person Matt Philleo, 2022 prices

A 16 x twenty with 1 person—I charge $850 for that. If there are 5 or more subjects (people, objects, detailed backgrounds, etc. ) in the portrait I charge $2,100. The reason I charge more is that information technology will take longer to pigment all the extra detail.

But I have been painting for many years and my prices were less than one-half this corporeality when I started out painting portraits full-fourth dimension, in 2022. Here is my cost nautical chart for that year.

portrait from photo acrylic portrait

Portraits from a photograph, acrylic portrait past Eau Claire portrait artist Matt Philleo, 2022 prices

You can come across my prices have almost doubled since 2022. And amazingly, at that time, I was struggling to get even one commission! I recollect praying every twenty-four hours for a month for a committee, afterwards doing all I knew to do to bring in some work. God did provide one eventually, but I demand to larn to trust in Him and be patient. That'southward a story for another day. 🙂

The bespeak I'm trying to make is that charging less for your piece of work does not equate to more sales. When I starting time started I idea I was going well to make minimum wage. That was foolish, because we aren't painting 100% of the fourth dimension and we have materials and marketing costs. My married woman encouraged me to heighten my prices. I was scared to, simply it didn't hurt my business at all. I have been raising them slowly, about 10-20% every yr.

So, then, should you lot accuse more at the onset and just watch the sales roll in?

No. Information technology doesn't work that way either. Accuse a fair toll for your work, be patient, keep doing portraits, don't give up when it'due south tough, and you lot will see the results. Raise your prices over time equally you build upwards your clientele.

I try to get paid $fifty an hour on my portraits. ( I don't charge by the hour. This is what I average on my projects.)

Figure out what you'd like to get paid per hr. Then charge approximately 50% more because, equally I mentioned earlier, you won't be painting all the time (yous've got other concern-y things to do) and you have paint and brushes to buy.

Here are some more than helpful tips in pricing your fine art.

1. First of all, create a toll nautical chart as I did. This is HUGE. Going to a client meeting to discuss a portrait without a price chart in hand is like going to a smorgasbord buffet line without a plate in mitt. It'southward going to exist messy.

With a price chart all you lot need to do is ask your customer what size they would like–roughly–and and then show them a couple of options. Yous should know how many people volition be in the portrait. You simply show them the chart and say, "an 16 x 20 with ii subjects volition be this much, and a 24 ten 30 will be this." You point to the prices and let the chart do the work.

Let them decide what they desire.

There are no negotiations on the cost. Because the customer sees you lot have a precise benchmark for what yous charge—it makes sense—they will not quibble with your price. I tin't recall a time that'southward e'er happened to me.

Interestingly, I practice remember a time when I negotiated my own price downwardly. I offered my client a price that was lower than what I originally quoted. She took the lower price but looked at me strangely and the whole situation was awkward. And I needlessly lost money on the job. Ouch.

Don't practise what I did in that situation.

Quote your price and hold to it. Let them reply.

pricing your portrait painting

How to successfully toll your portrait paintings

2. So, once y'all have the client locked in on a price, encourage them to pay a down deposit on the spot. If y'all just requite them a business card and let them walk abroad, chances are, you'll lose the commission. Of form, if they need to discuss it with another decision maker, that's fine. Only get their phone number or electronic mail address and then y'all can follow upward with them.

Virtually of the time, however, they'll exist fix to make a decision if they indeed want a portrait, and not just merely curious.

You tin can tell them y'all demand the deposit so that you'll accept them booked. That way y'all can become to their portrait faster.

A deposit is also very of import because, with it, the client has "skin in the game." They're not every bit likely to dorsum out of the project.

How much should you ask for a deposit? I inquire for 25% up front. Some do 50. Merely I like 25, because it's a little less take chances for the client to take on, and it besides gives me more than incentive to finish the projection. I become paid a larger amount at the end.

three. Never charge people more because you think they are rich, or less because you call up they are poor. Merely charge what y'all charge. Take a size for whatsoever budget. The toll chart is your best friend. And so you tin can always point people to your cost list and allow it do the selling for you.

4. Don't compete on price. It may be helpful to see what other artists are charging to guess what you might be able to charge, but don't make the error of thinking you have to beat other artists' prices. Y'all're not Walmart. You're an artist. People will purchase fine art from you lot, because they know, like and trust you. They capeesh your unique style, your feel, personality, your connexion to them, and that'due south a big part of why they will buy from you. And so every bit long as they can technically beget your prices, they will pay them, even if Joe Artist downward the street has prices 50% less than you.

five. Never deliver your painting without payment in hand. If you meet with the client personally to deliver the painting, let them know beforehand that you would like to commutation payment for the finished product on the spot. If you are shipping the painting, show them a proof image of the portrait. Once they approve information technology, enquire for the residue to paid in full (along with shipping charges.) When they brand payment, then promptly transport the artwork.

That's it! Of grade, in that location'due south more nuances than this to pricing your work, only this commodity should give yous some adept information on how to do information technology, if you're merely starting out in acrylic portrait painting.

Let me know how this helps.

If you are an artist who does commissioned portraits, do yous take whatever tips to share on how You lot price your work? Please share your thoughts in the comments beneath. 🙂

Yours for amend portraits,

P.S. Did you lot find this post helpful or encouraging? If and so, send information technology on alee! Permit others know with the share buttons below. I'd love to hear your comments. Cheers and then much! As well, do yous have a question on acrylic portrait painting you lot'd like answered? Permit me know, and I'd be happy to help!