You can always have the hourly rate, but even like on the rare occasion, do something that has an upfront payment that is perhaps cheaper and not as detailed or intricate as the hourly pieces. :)

oh yeah totally, I figured every now and then.. or even like once or twice a month have a few openings for set-priced commissions that are cheaper than normal. ^^

maybe get an average of the numbers of hours you spend on each type of commission you offer, per character, and charge for the average price. or maybe a little above the average, as you see fit.

this is a very good idea, also!

2 characters tiger could be nsfw

I think charging for hourly work is perhaps the only fair way for you to make what one 'ought' to be making. That being said, free market means people pay what they are willing to pay based on how much they do or dont want something. One of the issues with artists is that this factors in a huge range of things: style, medium, deadline, theme, etc. I think calculating an hourly ratio for cost is a good idea. No, great idea.

Payment up front is the best way to protect yourself as the worker, though this largely exists for free lance workers. For the majority of other fields and proffessions it is payment upon completion.

I think the best method to finding a working relationship is being able to have a range of prices that a large spectrum of people are willing to pay, as well as potentially load sharing some of the risk in terms of client/artist protection. Things like Half upon negotiations, half upon completion is something I have seen a lot of. That sort of thing becomes non-refundable, etc. It also creates work incentive. Sometimes, when its Tuesday mid morning, there is nothing so satisfying as realizing 'Hey, in 3 days I get paid if I work with my ass off.' It helps motivate and light fires. But that is on a person to person basis I think. Finding what is right for you is important.

All in all, I think hourly wages are never what they should be, for the majority of unique and non-dispensible positions. Such as being an artists. You cant duplicate it at all or with any great ease and its not like you can have someone start the work and someone finish it with the same unified vision with alacrity or necessarily to the client's desired design. It is possible, just with different modes of work.

So I say, reflect that for your commission prices, but create and adjustable scale for people. That might mean varrying levels of detail. Etc. Create an estimate of time per commission, with a ball park price, and then use that as a negotiating point. Half up front, half upon completion + incidentals or over time.


Now then...

GET BACK TO WORK! O______O

oh you

I feel very intimidated by the whole thing, honestly. Definitely needs thought. x_x
I shall find you on FB later.. :3

I'll slave drive you! j/k lol

I've seen some people charge hourly and I do think it works. I know I feel a bit bad when I watch artists stream my work and it ends up taking a while compared to the price I paid for sometimes. I don't know how long it takes you on average to complete a piece depending on the finish quality, so that's one way to look at it and charge accordingly from there. As long as you are getting business then the pricing is fine in my opinion hehe.

One idea perhaps could be to do stream commissions here and there if you think that might be your thing. Shorter sketch sessions with some more interaction I've seen a fair number of artists do...though it's all dependent on what you have time for.