Hello, everybody! Firstly, I would like to introduce my account for posting commissions, gifts, requests, etc. that were made for me. Raptorfiend is that account. I will be posting the artwork I've accumulated soon.

Anyway, that's not the point of this. I'm considering changing the way I charge commissions soon.

To start, I've been thinking about doing per-hour commissions. When I was younger, I wanted to do $10/hour and then $15/hour. This was to take on what were the minimum wages at the time for my work. However, as my proficiency improved, I decided I was going to go for $20/hour instead. When my abilities improve further, I may go for $25-$50 per hour. However, $20/hour is a decent wage for now.

The dilemma arises from pricing my artwork properly by the hour. It takes approximately 2-6 hours for a fully colored headshot sketch without a scenic background. If I were to spend 6 hours on one, it would be $120 in total for one. I feel as though that would be ridiculously overpriced. Plus $40 for a fully colored headshot sketch without a scenic background (if going by 2 hours) could be considered similar.

For a fully colored and clean-lined one-character full-bodied illustration with a moderately complex scenic background, it would be at least 14 hours in total, costing $280. Perhaps that could be considered overpriced as well? However, I usually charge $105—which is significantly less than I should charge per hour.

I wish to charge a per-hour rate, but I don't want to seem too expensive for my quality, so I've devised an idea of how I could combat this: PWYW per-hour commissions.

Basically, it works in a few ways:
1.) You give me a budget and I'll do whatever I can in that amount of time (minimum: $5 in total for a 15-minute sketch/doodle). The more you have for a budget, the more time I'll spend on a drawing.

2.) You give a certain timeframe (e.g.: 3 hours ($60)) and a character or two + an idea and I'll do whatever I can within that timeframe. Lower timeframes might incur lower-quality but fully colored or higher-quality but potentially uncolored drawings since I tend to require at least 5 hours for more complex drawings (e.g.: fully colored 2-character drawings that are a thigh-up/knee-up/full body).
2.a.) You give me a certain timeframe + a character + a vague idea + a certain finish (e.g.: sketchy speedpaint) and I'll do what I can within that timeframe. This will give you more control over the finish but may give you less control over the style being used (experimental).

3.) You let me determine how much time and effort I am willing to input into a single drawing. You can suggest multiple characters, complex ideas & angles, backgrounds, etc. and I will spend all the time and effort I can into that drawing and give you the final price. I will send you WIPs and during each stage (e.g.: sketch, lines, color, shading, final) you will need to send me the payment according to the time I have spent thus far. This is to ensure I do not get scammed and that you will have an idea of how much you'll need to pay during each stage. This may incur higher fees than the other tiers so only choose this if you're sure you'll have the money ready.

4.) I spend 30 minutes a day ($10) on a drawing and you choose the number of days you'd like me to work. (7 days x 30 minutes = $70.)

You could, of course, choose to pay the standard prices that I will estimate and set up during a consultation if that makes you feel more secure about the outcome and the process in general. I may require a new computer soon + I need money to move out of my grandparents' house so I may need to raise prices eventually which would mean charging by a per-hour rate like I've recommended myself and many others to do. I will sustain these current prices for at least the next 6 months and afterward, I may change the prices to accommodate a per-hour rate.

For reference:
1-character sketch - At least 1 hour. (2-4 hours if a full body) = $20-$80. (+$10 for full color & toning or $5 for color + minimum toning only.)
1-character flats - At least 2-3 hours. (3-6 if a full body) = $40-$120.
1-character shaded - At least 4 hours. (5-8 if full body) = $80-$160.
1-character painted - At least 6 hours. (10-16 if full body) = $120-$320.
These are without scenic backgrounds. Scenic backgrounds will vary from $10-$400 depending on the complexity. Additional characters will be +50% of the base price, of course (75% if a headshot sketch).

I'm hesitant to charge these due to the low quality of my work but if I ever speed up, these prices may drop (or may stay the same due to potential higher quality of work). These will most likely be charged by December 2023 or by July 2024—depending on whenever I am ready to accept these prices. If I charge these, I will attempt to make the quality as detailed, accurate, clean, and realistic as possible in terms of lineart/sketch/painting and if I fail at this, I will refund at least 20% (up to 75% for paintings) and/or offer a complimentary drawing, an animation, or a comic of your choice (if you paid more than $800, you can ask for a bundle of each!).

However, I can always bargain for less depending on circumstances—but I will only go 50% less at most. If your idea or character fits my favorite themes, is particularly aesthetically pleasing, or is very simple, you will receive a discount at my discretion. I also do discounts for artistic freedom commissions. Recurring customers (2+) get a discount of up to 40% at my discretion.

This will all be discussed during our consultation so your price can be tailored to you.

TL;DR: Updating prices soon. They may be more expensive since they'll be per hour and it usually takes hours for me to draw. Plenty of PWYW options will exist, though, that will also be hourly but potentially less expensive. You may choose either option and they will be updated by the end of 2023 or by 2024 depending on my feelings.