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Apoxon Rants about PRICING ARTWORK
10 years ago
I’ve seen a lot of conversations about furry artist pricing over the years, and I’ve been biting my tongue, but I think it’s about time I throw my two big thoughts into the midst.
Tl;dr
1.) Art is worth what people are willing to pay for it.
2.) Drawing furry art commissions (99% of the time) isn’t the same thing as working in the professional art industry, and so comparing furry pricing to industry pricing is like comparing apples to oranges.
The Long Version
1.) Art is worth what people are willing to pay for it, but that doesn’t mean artists should be charging more, or charging less. What it does mean is that customers aren’t just paying for the artist’s time, they’re paying for the artist’s experience and skill. The more experience (and well-known) an artist, and the more skill they have, the more they can charge for their work.
And that’s completely fair (keep in mind that skill is subjective, as is style, and style effects your audience). If people are willing to pay for an artists’ work, and you don’t think it’s worth that much, you’re probably not their intended audience.
This is one of the reasons I don't offer commissions like these: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1841466/
They take too long and my skill/experience isn't such that anyone would be willing to pay for them.
2.) Furry is not the mainstream art industry. Most of the time, drawing tentacle porn is not the same thing as working in the industry.
But a lot of artists have started using ‘industry standard prices’ to remind their customers of what a good deal they’re getting**. And I can understand the kneejerk reaction – it’s super frustrating when someone devalues your work. But whether an artist has an art degree, is self-taught, freelances, or works in the art industry (animation, graphic design, etc.), their art is still only worth what customers are willing to pay for it.
So yeah, furries are getting a deal on quality artwork, the same way you get a deal on rent living in the middle of nowhere, versus a metropolis. You can compare the prices, but the argument isn’t really relevant.
**EDIT
When i say 'using industry standard prices' i don't mean charging industry standards, i mean saying 'well if this WERE THE ART INDUSTRY i could charge you X.'
Tl;dr
1.) Art is worth what people are willing to pay for it.
2.) Drawing furry art commissions (99% of the time) isn’t the same thing as working in the professional art industry, and so comparing furry pricing to industry pricing is like comparing apples to oranges.
The Long Version
1.) Art is worth what people are willing to pay for it, but that doesn’t mean artists should be charging more, or charging less. What it does mean is that customers aren’t just paying for the artist’s time, they’re paying for the artist’s experience and skill. The more experience (and well-known) an artist, and the more skill they have, the more they can charge for their work.
And that’s completely fair (keep in mind that skill is subjective, as is style, and style effects your audience). If people are willing to pay for an artists’ work, and you don’t think it’s worth that much, you’re probably not their intended audience.
This is one of the reasons I don't offer commissions like these: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1841466/
They take too long and my skill/experience isn't such that anyone would be willing to pay for them.
2.) Furry is not the mainstream art industry. Most of the time, drawing tentacle porn is not the same thing as working in the industry.
But a lot of artists have started using ‘industry standard prices’ to remind their customers of what a good deal they’re getting**. And I can understand the kneejerk reaction – it’s super frustrating when someone devalues your work. But whether an artist has an art degree, is self-taught, freelances, or works in the art industry (animation, graphic design, etc.), their art is still only worth what customers are willing to pay for it.
So yeah, furries are getting a deal on quality artwork, the same way you get a deal on rent living in the middle of nowhere, versus a metropolis. You can compare the prices, but the argument isn’t really relevant.
**EDIT
When i say 'using industry standard prices' i don't mean charging industry standards, i mean saying 'well if this WERE THE ART INDUSTRY i could charge you X.'
There's a huge difference between what I call a hobby artist. (someone who intakes art income for fun and not lively hood.) a niche artist, (an artist that only wants to work within the fandom and not expand anywhere else but counts on art for their primary income), and an artist who does illustration for their career but does not stick to just one fandom or small clients). I don't know the actual percent of one group vs the other on FA in specific, but I'm one of the non-niche artists. I don't plan on getting clients solely from the fandom. I use industry prices because I'm actually aiming for industry quality work and the professional experience that I use for small clients and companies. (I've been told I'm too professional which is weird to me because what I'm doing is common and expected outside the fandom in the business world for the most part.) So there is definitely an appropriate time to use industry standards, it's not for everyone.
For anyone complaining that prices are too high, point to previous customers and say, "They didn't think so." Many artists could probably eventually double their prices and still have as much work as they can handle.