How do I price and handle commission work differently from regular sales?

Charge significantly more for commissions than for regular gallery work to account for the extra time, specific requirements, and working to someone else’s vision. For example, if you normally charge $3 per square inch for gallery pieces, charge $4 per square inch for commissions. A painting that would be $3,200 as a regular piece should be $4,800 as a commission. Even though commissions can be challenging and time-consuming, still get a professional scan of the finished work so you can sell reproductions of it indefinitely, turning that one-time commission into an ongoing revenue source.

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Asked by an artist taking commission requests · Answered by John Lowry · art-marketing-podcast · 2024-07-08