Social The Artist's Lounge - Social Thread Ver. 2.0

Digital can have it's benefits. I alternate between that and graphite and my sketchbook rarely leaves my side.

 

It's been a while since I have been here. Hi everybody. I'm hoping to get going on my art this summer. I have been busy with other stuff and I have been sidetracked. I signed up for the challenge. I hope that gets my muse going again!

 

I'm hoping to pick up some brush pens soon. I just need to find a way to AC Moore some day. My current brush pens are starting to die.

 

Great to see you again academygrad88!

TrakNar, is it possible to get a refill for your brush pens or would it work out better to get a new set?

I'm currently wrapping up the last phase with my projects and should hopefully start next week for the challenge. I've already started the research process for some of the characters.

 

I don't think it's possible to refill these. They're just markers with brush tips.

 

Ah, that's a shame.

 

I'm still waiting for Topps to get back to me. By the time they do, they will have everything I've drawn, as I send them art samples every month!

I've even got Mary Franklin on my side now. Hopefully I get some work.

 

Mary has my Bossk sketch card and contact information, and she said that Topps often contacts her, so she'll put in a good word for me. Steve Sansweet said to be persistent, so I'll be sending Topps yet another sketch card in my monthly art e-mail. Steve also has my Yoda sketch card, so two cards went to new homes last month!

 

I keep my fingers crossed for you guys.

As for myself I did no drawing or painting in a while now. I was too busy job hunting. Please keep your fingers crossed for me as well. I might have the chance to return to my own country and work as a nursery school teacher again in a wonderful school. But let me have the job interview next Friday first. For more information, I am willing to share them via PM.

 

So, I have a question regarding commissions. I find asking for payment is the hardest part, as there is always a conflict with what I charge versus what the person would rather pay. I calculate my rates based on parts (if I need to get supplies) and labor (how many hours it takes me to work), and I will also factor in shipping, plus add a $20 profit margin just to break even. Due to Gettysburg not having an art supply store, I need to go to a store in the next county, so I have to factor in mileage.

This last commission, I had quoted my price before I started working, and it was agreed upon: $150. Afterward, I started calculating it, as I needed to get supplies. The closest art supply store is 40 miles away, and my brother charges 0.50 a mile, so that trip equaled to about $40. The supplies themselves cost me about $32. For labor, I charge $10 per hour of work, with a total amount this commission coming to four hours, thus $40. Right there, it equals to about $112. I add expedited shipping charges, and I'm looking at about $130. I add a $20 profit margin, as I want to be able to make a profit, which brings it to $150.

Asking around, this was a fair total, and I was told that I'm actually selling myself short. Well, the client wanted to only pay $100, so I caved and accepted that offer. I didn't even break even, and now I'm seriously considering drafting up a contract to use for future commissions, which would detail each and every expense.

So, how do you handle commissions? Do you expect professional payment for professional work? Do you settle for dirt cheap? How have people reacted to your rates? How do you handle that?

The bottom line is that with commissions, it's a business, and I'm in it to make money. If you want something done for next to nothing, go find an amateur on dA. Otherwise, expect to pay professional price for professional work.

 

Since I tally other expenses into the price, would it be a good idea to draft up a contract, detailing what I factor into each price? Was asking $150 for an 8x12 ink-and-paint commission on Bristol board too much?

 

As this was my first commission, I'm learning from it, as well. I'll definitely be drafting up contracts and a price list for future commissions.

 

I found my artwork on somebody's site. I am not sure what I should think since he may have snagged my icon from this site thinking it was a general icon available to all. I wanted to yell at him, but since I snag things off the internet all the time I really shouldn't be throwing stones...especially since my art is of a copyrighted symbol. Here is where I found it:

http://fateofthegalaxy.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4

I guess I should put the dA watermark on everything from now on.

 

Watermarking would be a good idea. Though, really, there's little else one can do to keep their work from appearing on other sites. I've seen my stuff on other sites off and on, and I just accept the fact that I'm good enough to steal.

 

I guess so. It is a nice icon.

 

I have been thinking for sometime about setting up a gallery for the EU related works that all of us have been producing though I would like to ask a few things before I create it.

For the first two posts in the Gallery thread, have that as the introduction / index system and the second be the Hall of Fame for the Challenges. For the adding of works, would you prefer:

1. To have a post assigned to an artist as a dedicated space (their first and only post) where they can go in and edit to add to their collection of works? Though this system can get image heavy in the long term.
2. No assigned post and, like with most threads on the boards, add to the gallery with the 'Post Reply'. Though that might accumulate a lot of pages in the long term.

Regularly I can go in and update the index and make a not to the title of the thread about when it had been last updated.

Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions, please.

 

Hi guys, it's been years since I've visited the TFN forums and it's good to see them still running. I'm originally from Australia and I moved to Japan back in 2005 and soon after got back into drawing/painting. I currently freelance as an illustrator and concept design artist for games, etc.

 

Hi NeecH, welcome back to TFN JCF I think you can still be counted as a fellow Aussie. What inspired you to move to Japan and how did you find the change in lifestyles?

 

like that idea and prefer 1

 

The first option sounds like the best one. As an additional option to keep the post from becoming too bloated, might I suggest using the spoiler tags? This would be especially handy for uncooperative thumbnails, such as how mine have been lately. The loading time would also be cut down a bit.