Pricing and question on commission work

[Darkproductions]

I am really new at the whole commission game and even more new at bidding out work to people that arent willing, or able, to drop 1.5 million dollars on a project. I spent a lot of time working for companies where money was a non-issue when it came to projects (DIsney and UO for instance)

One of the major issues I have come across is pricing. When I get a commission that involves molding and casting as well as, possibly, 80 hours of sculpting; how do begin to put a price on that that isnt 6000.00? In addition, how can i assure that I am turning enough profit to be able to continue molding and casting without charging an arm and a leg for materials?

 

[blkeclipse]

Thats the exact dilemma I'm facing. I've had offers for work and would never do them because most of the offers only covered the cost of materials. Sometimes barely that. I draw, paint, tattoo and recently discovered I can sculpt which is more time consuming and costly than the three. While I've always kept my prices fair enough to gain repeat customers, I cant rationalize selling sculpts at Rock bottom prices to make others happy.theres just simply no profit in that. Sculpting is a whole other ball game than paint on paper and ink on skin. One sculpt can cost me 5 other jobs depending on the size.

 

[DethBecomesYou]

I have this same problem. I was charging very little for my work and barely making enough to get by. I checked out what others were doing for similar work and changed my pricing to between the averages. Once I did that people started buying immediately. Selling out actually. There were still people demanding I reduce my price. Not my problem anymore if people understand the work that is involved, they'll pay. I know I should charge more but in this economy, that really can't happen. I'm sure it was a combination of things but raising my price helped.

 

[fettster]

What the problem boils down to is education.

It takes time to make stuff and if you are doing it as a business, that time needs to be paid for. It's really that simple.
What muddies the waters is if there are people that offer the same thing for a bit of pocket money as they at doing it as a hobbie and not relying on it for income and that's where you need to educate you client.

Set yourself an hourly rate based on where you think your skills are then multiply that by how long it's going to take. Add the cost of your materials, take you tax into account and any consumables and there is your price. It if comes to $6000 then that's what it costs.

If you are doing work and just breaking even then it's not work, it's charity.

 

[blkeclipse]

What the problem boils down to is education.

It takes time to make stuff and if you are doing it as a business, that time needs to be paid for. It's really that simple.
What muddies the waters is if there are people that offer the same thing for a bit of pocket money as they at doing it as a hobbie and not relying on it for income and that's where you need to educate you client.

Set yourself an hourly rate based on where you think your skills are then multiply that by how long it's going to take. Add the cost of your materials, take you tax into account and any consumables and there is your price. It if comes to $6000 then that's what it costs.

If you are doing work and just breaking even then it's not work, it's charity.

^^^^^^^^ this ^^^^^^^^

 

[berger]

and thats where skill comes into play, you either have the skills to warrant the 1000 dollar price tag, or you dont.

 

[Heman]

You get what you pay for, simple as that. People think that these artists who charge 3,4,5,6 grand for a silicone bust depending on existing mold or 1 off commision are rich and a rip off. This simply is not true, most work out of thier homes and if one was to realize the amount of time it takes to make a silicone bust, people would not be so quick to judge. Just the hair punching hours is enough to drive one insane! And as Fettster said there are certain levels of skill and realism. If you want the best you have to pay for the best. If your not picky and dont want as close to real as you can, buy resin or latex or even some cheap silicone busts for $1500 on ebay, But if your like me, and want perfection, be ready to pay for it. That simple

 

[TigerStoneFX]

Yep. Plus people dont realize that if you take away material cost, the amount youre paying for time barely breaks hourly minimum wage unless youre paying really high prices. Like Heman said, the sheer number of hours involved to get the piece youre paying for can run very long.

 

[chuckyAPP]

I agree with everything said but its really difficult when you start talking about an hourly rate being factored into price. Some guys are speed demons and some are very meticulous and take longer. That being said, some of the top artists here can charge those rates because of their quality and skill. I think someone just starting out really needs to keep their prices at rock bottom just to build up a portfolio of work. Once your established and have a good reputation for excellent work then you can start to see some better profits. Most clients think that 20 pounds of clay is all it takes to make a sculpt. Its difficult to educate people about how much work and time go into these things.