Charge whatever gets you enough business. If you're too busy, up your rates.

After all, you can always run a discount or have a sale later.

Yeah, sales are where most of my commissions come from. Though I don't want to jump too high. But you do make a good point, thanks.

according to inflation records the value of a dollar has dropped 20% since 2010, so if you upped your rates commensurate with that I think that would be reasonable.

heck, going a couple extra percentage points and rounding it off at 25% higher would also be reasonable...

In My Opinion.

Opinion appreciated :)

I was thinking a $5 to $10 dollar jump, with sales making things easier for some. Thanks.

Holy crap you're not dead

I mean hey

I'd say time yourself. Just 'how long does it take to do the thing'

And then ask yourself 'how valuable is my time'

No, I'm not dead...Or am I >.O

Nope, not dead ;p

Yeah, an easy answer, at least for anyone else but me. Still, it is a starting point. Thanks.

You could probably add $5-$10 to your current prices, and still get business. You do excellent work.

That is the range I was thinking, and thanks :)

You're welcome!

reviewing your commission rates, it is a little sinfully low

adding 10 for pencils and inks would be reasonable, plus whatever you feel is fair for additional characters and the other extras you also offer. It'd be a bit closer to what I have with my own rates.

Yeah, though a part of me is still unsure of what to charge. Still, I do appreciate all the advice I'm getting :)

Either add $5 or $10 to your current rates methinks. Just be careful, the economy could go either way this time next year.

Yeah, have to keep an eye on the economy.

Up at least $10.

At least $10? I know, $100 for a stick figure!

Yeah, maybe in my dreams ;p

You know what I think, already, after our conversation this past weekend. :)

But for your level of detail and time put into your artwork, a single-character, detailed, black & white, inked drawing should cost at least $25/hour. A full-time job at that rate, for a full year, would be an income of about $40K. That's the bare minimum for a living wage and not a very satisfying one, at that, for many.

You are very experienced, very talented, and deserve to be paid accordingly.

Quite probably much more than that $25/hour figure.

Charging by the hour is something I'll never do, though the min $25 is a good idea :)

Remember: I'm not saying that you should charge by the hour. I'm saying you should know how much you can finish in a set amount of time and use that general yardstick to gauge how much to charge.

Got it.

Always charge at least 1 food or drink item :).

Jokes aside. An increase is not unreasonable after 10 years for sure.

I used to charge a No 2 at Perry's Pizza for a pencil sketch. This was years ago ;p

And thanks for the support.

Give this a view and I hope it helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN4P82Y_3k0

Thanks, I'll take a look :)

One thing to do going forward is to keep an eye on how much surplus demand you have. Ideally, you should have only enough that you occasionally tell someone "I can't sign you up for a commission right now, contact me in a week or two." If you need to maintain a long waiting list or have to come up with some 'fair' way of selecting the people who get commission slots it means your prices are too low and you should increase them.

I don't think I'm at that point yet, but still, something to consider.

In the interests of full disclosure, being a commissioner, I do have an interest in lower rates for several (some personal) reasons.

But answering honestly, I never object to an artist fairly being compensated for their labor. The best guide i can give is based on a simple test. 1) Determine what would be a fair wage - in your opinion, based on the expense, time, and effort involved AND what your competitors with similar experience/ability charge. 2) If this is an increase, did your work noticeably decrease? If yes then you're asking too much. Are you still overworked with a long commission backlog (say more than 6 weeks being arbitrary)? Then you can likely ask more. 3) Consider where you are selling commissions. Most artists, unless they are attempting to control the amount of work, charge less for in person/at conventions vs being able to give more effort at a studio.

It's not just supply / demand. You are effectively competing with every artist offering commissions here on FA as well as DA and other sites featuring your work. But if you can increase your rate and keep the workload balanced with where you are comfortable, then you've hit the right price point.

Good Luck!

It will likely just be a $5 increase, and also I'll still have my sales so you can still get a deal.