Get Commissioned As an Artist
Art is an enjoyable hobby by itself, but wouldn't it make it be more enjoyable if you were getting a bit of money for it? When someone hires an artist to draw something for them as they request, it's a commission and it is a great way to earn some cash while fulfilling your artistic skills. This article will explain how to increase buyer interest to help you get commissioned as an artist.
Steps
- Be professional. Don't over-advertise your commissions. It will make you come off as desperate, and unprofessional. One mention should be enough if the buyer is interested, and don't go around asking people if they want commissions––let them ask you. Have your art examples and gallery easy to access. Don't use slang and make sure that your punctuation and grammar are accurate.
- Select your prices. Don't make your prices too high or unreasonable, and don't make them too low either, because it wouldn't be worth the time and effort it takes to complete, as well as supplies if you're a traditional artist. Speaking of time, base the prices off how many hours you would estimate to spend on the piece. (For example, large paintings might be more pricey because they take longer to color than small paintings.)
- Get your art out there. Show it off, see what you can do to gain attention and share your work where you can. Make art for commission examples so if people like what they see, they might ask about your commissions. Develop your own unique art style to set yourself apart from other artists and get more attention. Put your art on more than one place, like various social media and art sites, so it can be seen by more people and potential customers.
- Make a price sheet. A turn-off for buyers is when they aren't able to easily or accurately locate an artist's commission prices. This is an easy fix. Make a price sheet and add examples of your work. Make sure that people can easily locate where the price sheet is.
- For example: If you're on social media, tag the price sheet to a personal hashtag and reference that in your bio. If you have a website, make a tab that leads to it, and if you're on deviantArt or something related to that, make it your featured piece.
- Have fun. Don't worry about making money too much, people commission out of the blue, and with so many artists, it can take awhile. Keep doing what you're doing and improve your art style by practicing, you'll get commissions eventually if you've followed these steps!
Tips
- Be professional.
- Be legit. Make sure to complete the artwork that you said you would.
- Make your art is fairly priced.
- Develop your own style.
Warnings
- Don't beg people.
- Never over-advertise.
- Follow through on all commissions, or refund if you are unable to complete one.
- Do not accept less money than you’re comfortable with. Charging very little from what you deserve not only devalues your own work, but makes it harder for other artists to get paid fairly.
- Have a decent turnaround (or at least be done in your estimated time range) . This will make you able to handle more projects, and help ensure your customer.
- Sending work in progress pictures is always a good idea. Not only does it allow you to make changes if needed early on, but it ensures the customer they are getting what they paid for.
