3 Best Ways to Price Your Digital Art Commissions
Pricing your digital art commission is a difficult task. The pricing of a digital art commission is based on the skills and experience of the artist, the complexity of the project, and the time required to complete it.
Introduction: The Essentials of Pricing Your Digital Art Commissions
The following article will provide you with some basic guidelines on how to price your digital art commission. It will also provide tips on how to avoid common pricing mistakes that many artists make when pricing their work.
I get commissions for purchases made through some of the links in this post. There is no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
How to Successfully Price Your Commission in 3 Easy Steps
The three steps to pricing your commission are:
1. Research the art market.
2. Consider your time and effort.
3. Calculate a price that is fair to you and your client.
How to Research the Art Market
The art market is a vast and complex landscape. It’s difficult to navigate without the right information. Look for mentors, groups, and guides that will provide you with research tips and resources to help you get started.
You can start by researching digital artists in your area or those that you follow online who have had success in the past.
Researching professional art associations and groups is another good way to find artists that are active in the field. There are lots of Facebook groups where artists give advice freely. You can also become a member of a digital artist group.
Many professional digital artists have groups to teach beginners how to get started in the field. They provide resources and are often present in the groups to answer questions. Fellow artists in the groups are also very helpful.
Some even provide live interaction with their students and group members. An example of this is in my Esty Ready Set SEO! course that I taught as a live session. This course explains how to list and reference your digital listings on the Etsy platform so that customers will find and buy them.
Reading books about pricing artwork can also be helpful, as well as understanding how much other artists are currently charging for their work.
How Much Should You Charge For Digital Art?
The worth of art is subjective, and it’s difficult to put a price on something that has no material value. But there are a few factors that can help you decide how much to charge for your work.
When you’re pricing your work, you should think about what your time is worth. Some artists price their work based on an hourly rate while similar artists price based on the project.
You could also consider the quality of the materials used in creating the artwork when setting the commission price.
For example, if you’re using high-quality brushes and a Wacom tablet, then you should charge more than if you’re just using Photoshop Elements on a laptop. But since the digital products available these days are getting more and more sophisticated, it’s possible to create a quality piece of art with basic materials.
I’ve used the Huion H610 tablet for years to make svg files and illustrations for clients.
Huion H610 graphic tablet: Great digital art tool
Summary
Whether you’re a beginner or have years of experience under your belt, you’ll love how easy it is to use this tablet. Some of the features like the hot keys need to reset once in awhile.
Passive Income
Painting commissions are a great way to make money as a self-employed artist but they are not the only way. In fact, if you ask any experienced artist that’s done traditional commissions, they’ll tell you that passive income is another good starting point.
The first thing I did to sell my art was to offer open commissions, but as soon as I found out about passive income and how much money I could make selling art online, I quickly pivoted.
You can continue to work as a freelance artist on high demand services and also make extra money by listing another type of work on digital art marketplaces.
How to Choose Your Target Client to Buy Your Digital Art
If you are a digital artist looking to sell your art, it is important to know who your target client is. This will help you understand the type of art they are looking for and the price point they are willing to spend. It will also help you find good clients who would be interested in purchasing your work.
The more specific your target client is, the easier it will be for you to find them and start selling your digital art.
Choosing Your Niche
I’m sure that you’ve probably heard the saying “the riches are in the niches”. This just means that you will find more success if you narrow down your style and your audience.
So, if you’re an artist specializing in watercolors, you might want to target someone like the Disney Company or a publisher who produces children’s books. In this case, it would be more beneficial for you to look into an online marketplace like Illustration Nation.
On the other hand, if your art specializes in creating counter-culture graphics and you’re looking for a wide range of potential clients, then you may want to target the market through Instagram, Tiktok or Facebook.
If it’s difficult to come up with a project that is specific enough, then try creating a proposal that talks about what kind of services you offer and how they benefit your customer. For example, instead of just saying “I create custom graphics,” you could say “In order to create an effective graphic illustration that targets your audience, I offer six different types of services including brainstorming and design. If you are interested in my services, please provide the following information:
-Target audience
-Length of campaign
-Illustration style
-Audience size
– Budget
Tips & Tricks on How To Price Your Digital Art Commissions
Pricing your work of art is not always easy. There are some general guidelines that artists can follow to help them set a fair price for their work of art.
There are many factors that go into pricing your artwork, such as
- the size and complexity of the piece
- the materials used
- and your experience in this field.
The quantity of the final artwork or deliverables will also affect how much you charge for your work. For instance, a multipage digital painting would be more expensive than one on only one page because it requires more time to make it.
Some artists charge for the materials needed, but others might include the material, especially if they are already fully equipped.
If you are a beginner artist and you don’t have a lot of experience, you might offer a discounted price that takes into account your skill level.
Consider offering a discount at the launch of your boutique.
Conclusion: The Benefits Of Pricing Your Work At A Premium Level And What It Can Do For You
Pricing your work correctly is an important step in order to be successful as a digital artist. In order to move from a fair starting price to higher rates, you need to promote your digital art work on social media.
Once you have customers that want to pay for commissioned art, you’ll need to prepare contracts or set up a shop or portfolio online and take other steps that can lead you to success.
