q & a: pricing your work

The following information is simply my opinion as an artist! Use it or disregard it in good health!

Q. Help! I really want to start making a living through my art, but everyone says that I under-price my work. Is there a formula I can use to make it easier?

A. If you want to make a living at your art, you must treat it like a business. Like anything else in business, there are rarely easy answers or realistic shortcuts. Pricing your work seems to be a real hot button for decorative painters. I think there are several reasons for that. One is that as artists we often don't like to deal with the left-brain aspects of our work. Another is that it can seem embarrassing to ask for the money we need to live - and what is a huge amount of money to one person may not be to another.

Q. Okay, no magic formula. Where do I begin?

A. You have to start by dealing with the realities of life. How many hours can you realistically work each month? Many artists have children or care for family members and can't work full time. How much do you need to earn to make a living? Are you at a skill level that you can charge more for your expertise, or are you still learning? What is the absolute minimum per hour that you would/could accept?

Once you know how much you have to bring in (and be sure to consider not only your living expenses, but the cost of your materials, self employment taxes, an accountant - if you are like me and need help figuring such things out - etc.), and how many hours a month you can work, you can figure out what you need to charge hourly assuming you will work full time.

Next you need to look at the kind of work you will do - if you are going to work as a faux finisher in homes, for example . . . you will only work when booked and you will have to charge more because you won't have a 9 - 5 job 5 days a week. If you will be painting pieces to sell, you need to determine how long it takes to paint individual pieces. In either case, you need to determine what the market will bear in your area. A faux finisher in Las Vegas or Los Angeles will be able to charge substantially more than one in a small town in the mid-west generally.

Q. So are you saying I price my work differently depending on the kind of work I do?

A. That depends on you. I personally base everything on an hourly rate. Some artists charge by the square foot if they are doing murals, for example. I don't find that to be practical. If I charge an hourly rate, I look at the time I spend before and after the job - for example purchasing supplies, doing sample boards, paperwork, loading and unloading the car, drive time, clean up, etc. Although you can't generally bill for that time, your hourly rate needs to reflect that that work will be done on every job.

Only once have I had someone say "You were only here for a couple of hours!" over a bill. I simply explained the time spent in preparation so that I was able to come in and out of her house so quickly. When she understood what went into the work in advance, she paid the bill without any problem.

Q. How do I figure out how much time it takes to do something?

A. Practice. For a long time, I kept a steno pad on my desk and tracked the time I spent painting. Eventually a pattern emerged as to how long it took me to do things. Now I am usually within about 20 minutes plus or minus on my estimates on painting time. I have learned to tell people that I work best alone. If I have someone in the room that distracts me or wants to talk, my painting is substantially slower.

Q. Should I quote an hourly rate and then just charge the client afterwards?

A. I have spoken to several artists about this and the general consensus is no. Your rate will be based upon time and expenses, but your hourly rate includes prep work, shopping, travel, etc. If you quote a job price (all inclusive price for finishing the job), and agree to it in advance, the customer will know the exact cost in advance and is more likely to hire you.

I have learned by experience that you should describe the job in detail in writing. You may wish to include a basic sketch and other description. I have found the customers often get excited by the work in progress and will say "What about adding . . . " without realizing that they will also be adding to your work time. My response is generally to say, "As soon as I finish this, I will happily give you an estimate for doing that additional work." That enables me to finish the work, as well as to give the customer what they want - the additional work - while making it clear that it will not be included in the original bid.

Q. Until I feel comfortable guesstimating time, are there other ways to price?

A. Assuming you are talking about painting murals or something where you don't know the actual time spent before you price a piece - you can charge by linear or square foot. In this case, you need to do some research as to the "going rate" in your area as this varies greatly. One artist recently told me that she charges $10.00 a square foot in South Dakota. A friend of mine in San Diego charges $75.00 a square foot.

The other option is to just tell them your hourly rate and charge actual out of pocket on materials. If you do this, and it is a big job where you will be working for more than a week, I suggest getting a deposit and then payment at the end of each week. Some clients will not work this way unless you give them a maximum cost so there is some risk to you if the job goes longer than you expected.

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