The best price for your work?

Now.... I'm not here to tell you how to price your work. The price of your work depends on how valuable your time is to you, how much time you put into the work, and  your worth over  all. So lets talk about how much your time is worth to you.

Some questions to ask yourself:

1. How much are you getting paid at your current employment?
2. Based on your responsibilities, do you feel you should be getting paid more? 
3. If you answered "yes" to question 2, then how much more should you be getting paid?

Of course, everyone will most likely give the same answer to question number two - "yes!"  But exactly how much more should you be getting paid for your time is the big question.


The numbers you are about to read are for my commercial artwork.

I use commercial work for art shows and festivals, and when I need to make faster sales with less effort. 

I think of it as this: How much would I like to be getting in a 30 hour work week?
For me it would be:

• $1,000 a week

So I take that number and break it down by the hour:

• =/ > $34 an hour.  

Make sure you think about the cost of the supplies as well and add in additional costs to make up for the replacements.

I spend no more than two hours making 4 small paintings at one time. They are all priced the same
(around $60 to $90 apiece, depending on the quality) from an 8" x 10"up to an 11"x17".  These final numbers include the cost of supplies, and even though those numbers are typically guess work, the numbers will always be positive.  I will say this: I do not keep record of my hours, but I do try to keep my hours spent on a small painting within the time line I gave.

After I come up with the numbers above for the largest size available,  I simply take those numbers and apply them to the next set of sizes. For example:

•  up to $90 for an 11"x17," then double the smallest side of the dimensions and double the price.   So that's  up to 22"x17" in size for around $180.

These numbers become lower or higher depending on the time it took to create and the need to sell the work. At the start of sale, their prices are around these numbers.
   

I do not write down or keep on the website the numbers above as I do for my commission works. It is better to let the client go find out how much less they would be paying if they had asked for something out of what is being offered.

When making a professional or commission piece, I go about pricing a bit differently.  I instead charge by the square foot, the type of medium to be used, and whether or not I have full artistic control when creating the painting.

To me, it does not matter how much time I put into it. I would only work on one or two paintings at a time, and I would spend weeks creating it. I would set it up this way purposely,  with my clients giving me the opportunity to finish the work in a timely manner.  Check out this page on my site for information on my final commission pricing:

http://www.anucafe.com/comissionwork.php

The detail within the painting is the only thing that would change when time restrictions are in place.  For example, the painting would probably be more abstract if I was only given a few weeks to finish a 5'x7' painting as opposed to having a few months to finish.

This one took me less then a week:

4'x5' in size

Price started at $1,200

Since I have had this one for a while, the price is now as low as I am willing to allow.

This one took me a  less then a month:

5'x7' in size

Price started at $2,200

A few hours a day every other day to complete; took a few years to sell, hence a slowly dropping price and an additional discount as it was purchased by a good friend.

This one took less then three months off-site for a salon on the west side:

5'x7' in size

Sold for $3,000 (included cost of supplies)

Up to 4 hours a day, every other day (no weekends) and a two-week break. Since it was a commission piece, it is an abstract representation of the salon during its evening hours. 

 Of course, these prices are reflective of past paintings. The price for my professional work has increased over time.

A few tips when selling your work: 

• Always place your final pricing list in a area that can be viewed by others. Website, contract, forms etc. 
• If they see that you thought about your prices and you're not just throwing out a random number, they will feel less inclined to try to argue the price down.

• Always set a higher price that what you originally want for your work and offer deals and discounts when needed. However, never go below your set final pricing.
• If you set your work high, you can offer a discount when you think you're close to a sale and want to give the client that extra push to purchase without lowering the value of your time.

• Never, never let friends and family tell you otherwise!
• These people should know more than anyone how much time and effort you put into your work; don't let them convince you to lower your prices simply because you're family or close associates. That should be your choice whether or not your prices should be lower, not theirs.

• Try to stay consistent with your prices and rise them as you go. 

When people question your prices,  what should you do?

Occasionally I am sure people will ask you: why so high?  When this happens, you should first re-inform yourself that your prices are not too high.

When someone ask you this question, try to make them aware of what they are asking without insulting them in the process.

1. Ask them if what they are getting paid at their job is enough.
2. Remind them that it takes a lot of time to finish a painting and that's time you could have spent doing THEIR job.
3. Then, close by asking, "How much would you want to get paid if you spent 40 hours on this painting?"

Hopefully by that time they will come to an understanding and realize one thing:

The price of your painting is not high, they simply can't afford it!

Art Fairs in Chicago

Art festivals - not as big as you may think!!

I would like to talk about the art festivals in Chicago.  When describing a visit to such an art fair, many people say things like, "It was the biggest and best show of the year!"

People assume because of the size and scope of some of these art events, the showing artists must have made a lot of money...Unfortunately I am here to tell you from personal experience that 9 times out of 10, they are wrong.

Let's go over the cost of an average show:

1. Application fee for most shows: $15
2. Cost of a booth spot: $300 to $600 for at least two days.
3. Tent rental if needed: $200 ( I suggest you purchase your own. The average cost of one is...$200)
4. Cost of lights for two nights: $125 to $175 for two days ( most people only need lights at night, which is about 3 hours of festival time a day.)
5. One table and two chairs: $100

Obviously, artists who create their own artwork also have to pay for supplies, and must have time (time IS money, after all) to make the art in the first place.  Then factor in time and costs in for preparations, i.e. framing and packaging.  The prices will vary depending on the artist's needs.

So overall, for one show it could cost from around $740 to $1,090 to do a two-day show, plus cost of supplies and time.  You would have to make at least that much before you can see any kind of return on your investment.

Folks, the term "starving artist" is a title that is both funny AND true.  If you know any artists that would spend that much cash for a two-day event on their own, then know they might not be artist.

They are called merchants, and they sell other artist's artwork or creations.  Some are good merchants, such as those who deal in fair trade products, while others just buy wholesale from third world countries and sell the art here at compounded prices.

When looking for artists, event managements do not care where the items came from or how much work goes into making each piece. Their only concerns are to fill up the booth spots, and to consequently make money.


If you believe the show you saw was the biggest ever, look again.  Most of the booths are the same from one to the next, only offering deals and products.

If you are looking to get into the business of selling your work at art shows and festivals, here are a few tips to help get you started:

You can save money if you invest in the following:

• A canopy tent
• Try not to spend too much on this item as they will break either way, only lasting a few years at best if you use it often. Still, that's $200 every weekend vs. $200 every three years.

• A battery and charger with a converter for lights.
• a boat battery is best; they can light up your tent and most of the show if you want.  They can last up to 5 or more hours and can be charged for use again.
• A tent (and rent!) partner
• They can help cut the cost in half for most things.

For the best return on your investment, try to find the shows and festivals that feature and cater more to actual artists.  Most festivals will claim that there are artists selling at an event when in fact, they are not. Half of the time the only vendors are food and commercial companies with product and services, such as cellphone plans. Also, know who will be there besides you. It makes no sense to have three of the same type of thing at one event.

Here are some DON'TS:

• Stay away from shows that promote a lot of excess drinking. You will most likely lose your work due to some drunk spilling his/her drink on it!
• Do not apply for a show unless you know what is really going on with the show.
• Make sure they have the lineup and sponsors already in order and on display; if they don't, then it is most likely that the show will be a flop due to their disorganization.
• Never do a "first annual" event, since most of the time people don't know about it! The only time you should is if the lineup is posted and you know it to be a good one.  I have seen a "first annual" become very big due to the singers that were performing at it, so again make sure you know the lineup.
• If at all possible, pay fees by check; don't pay via PayPal or credit card.
• All too often event managers will take your credit card and assure you there are spaces available, only to be told later that there were in fact NONE.  By paying with a check,  you can cancel it and not have to wait two months for your refund that you received one month late to begin with.
• Never vend at a event that promotes a theme OTHER than art, or be sure that your artistic themes fit within the scope of said event
• For example, my art would not be a good fit for the country music festival unless I was selling something, well, country.
• Never pay too much, EVER.
• On average, no more than $300 for a two-day show...any more than that and you are being ripped off! Just make sure that they are big events.  For example, "Market Days" is one of the biggest art and music festivals in the mid west; however, it only cost $300 plus application fees for one booth space. On the other hand, I mistakenly paid the same amount for an event that was meant expressly for children. 

There is more to add,  and I will do so in a later posting.  I will go into more detail regarding other avenues in art festivals. However, starting off by following these basic guidelines will help make your time at each showing easier and more successful.