# Paying an artist for her work



## browtm7

Hi Everyone,

I need some advice. I saw a drawing done by a friend of a friend and I asked her how much for an 11X17. She said she didn't know as she has never sold any of her drawings before. 

Long story short, she recreated the drawing for me on an 11 X 17 poster board and actually did it in acrylic. 

I asked her if she decided on pricing and she said after speaking to a couple people she has decided to accept whatever I want to pay her for it. (Totally crazy, I know) Nevertheless she has completed the piece, and I do love it and want it; however, I have no idea how much to pay her for it. 

Originally I was expecting a print of the original drawing, not an original which has taken her time to produce. I asked her how much time she spent on it and how much her supplies were. Her supplies were $16.00 and she has spent a total of 8 hours on it so far and said she will have it complete as soon as she gets some white to highlight some of the darker areas, so I am guessing maybe an hour more. 

My one concern is that she painted it on poster board and am worried about it holding up over time, although I do plan to frame it. 

I want to be fair to both her and myself and I just don't know what a fair price is in this situation. 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much,

TBrown


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## Mel_Robertson

Hi brow could we see the painting ?


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## browtm7

Thank you for your response Meli  Here is a picture of it.


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## browtm7

It's not quite finished as she is going to add some highlighting to the darkest areas.


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## Mel_Robertson

Okay she told you to give her what it's worth to you, so tell me the price you have in your head then I'll tell you how much it's worth


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## Susan Mulno

I appreciate you coming here and asking, it is a great move! A lot of people will rob her of her work but if you set a fair price maybe she will learn what her art is worth. I have difficulty with pricing my pieces so I am curious for the answer myself. :biggrin:


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## dickhutchings

meli said:


> Okay she told you to give her what it's worth to you, so tell me the price you have in your head then I'll tell you how much it's worth


This is the best answer you're going to get. It's worth whatever you think it's worth. If the artist excepts it then that's it, at least until someone comes along and offers you more for it and you decide to sell it. Then it's worth more.:biggrin:


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## Mel_Robertson

what ever price you have in your head double it.


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## dickhutchings

Well if your going to go there, you can't afford what it's really worth to the artist. What is the artists acceptable hourly wage? Minimum wage is what, 15 hr? That's $120. Add in the cost of materials and your at $136 but no matter how many hours are in it, it still needs to be judged by it's quality and what it means to you. It may only be worth $30 to you. The artist may be just starting out and not have an established name agree on that price just to get the work out there. If you own it and like it then you will proudly show it to your friends and send them her way. When her request list goes up so will the prices.


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## bbbaldie

Well, here's my two cents'. All my own stupid opinion, your own mileage might vary.

Art is priced by demand. As demand goes up, so does price.

Artists start out selling things for less than they'd like, in anticipation of the price someday being where they would like it.

Early on, I created a requested 11 x 14 portrait of a guy's dogs and sent it to him (a thousand miles away) in a tube. He loved it. He asked how much, I did the same thing. Pay me what you think it was worth.

He sent me a check for 60 bucks. I was quite pleased. I would also have been pleased with 25 bucks. I had no preconceived notions about what I might get.

Since then, I've sold around 15-20 works, and my standard asking price for a custom 11 x 14 ink piece is 100 bucks. If it's a friend, I explain my asking price and then offer it for 75. I do offer satisfaction guaranteed. So far, my customers have been 100% satisfied. But that's all based on the fact that that first commissioned piece by a rookie netted me 60 bucks.

The main point is that an artist's hours are going to be compensated in a range from richly to miserably. But every creation hones the artist's skills, so pure wages aren't the only benefit.

I would pay 75 bucks, myself. Now, she has a benchmark. And if the picture turns brown over time because of the medium, that might only add to its charm. I drew a compilation of steam trains in the 80's on posterboard, and I swear that its browned look now makes it a better picture.


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## Susan Mulno

I must agree an artist cannot consider an hourly wage. One reason as Bbbaldie pointed out, each piece improves our skill. Another reason, for me anyway, I am having fun doing my art so how much do you charge to have fun? If I am not having fun the price will go up! :biggrin: What should definitely be considered in my opinion, is materials and details.


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## browtm7

I cannot thank EACH of you enough for your responses!!! 

I have lost sleep over this. This young lady is just starting out and the very last thing I want to do is put any kind of damper on her dreams. 

I do love the piece and it will actually be my very first "original"! 

After thinking about what you guys have said, I feel that if I saw the piece in a retail setting, knowing nothing of the artists, I would probably pay up to $40 for it; however, because of the young lady herself and her enthusiasm to do it, I feel that it's worth much more. 

All of that being said, I now feel like $80.00 would be fair to both her and I. I hope she feels the same. 

Thank you all again, so so much.  

Gratefully,
TBrown


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## abt2k15

i think you did good paying her a good sum for it. karma shall be with you 

the face reminds me of this :

http://cdn.animeherald.com/aniheral...sassination-Classroom-Header-001-20150122.jpg


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## browtm7

abt2k15 said:


> i think you did good paying her a good sum for it. karma shall be with you
> 
> the face reminds me of this :
> 
> http://cdn.animeherald.com/aniheral...sassination-Classroom-Header-001-20150122.jpg


Thank you abt! I hope she feels the same :smile:

In her original drawing the only color was the yellow happy face!! It's one of the things I love so much about the piece. I smile A LOT and I am pretty happy most of the time... but like everyone else, I also have my demons.  It's a great piece and I will be lucky to have it. 

Thank you all again.


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## Mel_Robertson

browtm7 said:


> All of that being said, I now feel like $80.00 would be fair to both her and I. I hope she feels the same.


you've made the right decision.
do you paint at all ?


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## browtm7

meli said:


> you've made the right decision.
> do you paint at all ?


Thank you Meli! I appreciate your input so much. 

No, I do not paint or draw. I write.


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## Mel_Robertson

writings a great art... what do you write?


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## Oregon Artist

I have sold 8 watercolors matted and framed 18X24" I get about $100 after commission, unframed and unmatted I would say maybe $75


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## browtm7

meli said:


> writings a great art... what do you write?


I write poetry and expressive prose. Here is a piece I am actually thinking about looking into having an artist try to illustrate (if that's the right word to use)

Mom

Abruptly she erupted from the core.

Broken atoms ferociously 
exploded into dust 
and lingered for long moments,
before imploding back together
with a brutal pummel. 

Within those moments 
an incompleteness,
a piercing emptiness
so vast was born.

Falling to her knees, head thrown back,
she burst forth a primal keen
from a depth not known to even exist 
within one's very own being. 

This, when your father's face 
revealed to her your death. 

Tammy Brown in loving memory of Larry Brown


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## browtm7

Oregon Artist said:


> I have sold 8 watercolors matted and framed 18X24" I get about $100 after commission, unframed and unmatted I would say maybe $75


Thank you so much for your input Oregon. It is appreciated very much!


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## Mel_Robertson

thats beautiful................. thank you 
I was hoping you would say poetry, you should write the lady who painted you the picture a poem as an extra gesture with the 80 $............. I know she'd appreciate the poem more than the cash


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## Mel_Robertson

it's a powerful poem brow'tm.............. I appreciate you sharing that with us I know it was personal and I sense the love loss in it :vs_love:


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## browtm7

meli said:


> it's a powerful poem brow'tm.............. I appreciate you sharing that with us I know it was personal and I sense the love loss in it :vs_love:


Thank you Meli<3 

I wrote it after the death of my oldest son. It is one of many and one of my favorites as far as being descriptive of how I feel.


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## Susan Mulno

So sorry about the loss of your son, there are no words. :crying:


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## Mel_Robertson

I don't even pretend to understand how you feel..........
I wrote this after I lost my 3 year old back in 2001 and to anyone else it probably doesn't seem relevant but to me it was, it was the first and only time I've ever written anything emotionally.

Eris (i forgive you)
for you are me
convinced i am of this..
invisible devine is all we share,
(she will destroy you)
this fate,
this state,
i will impair,
i am everyone..bliss!
i am everywhere
refuse there is none.
Earthly wrathful karma
for proficient at concealment I have become
here.. .time doesn't exist,
i am above...i am below
you will weep at my clenched fists
expiation, is your fate patricide of the devine!
when she turns it deep, you will feel the twist!
while each word you research
my salvation bliss
matricide of the devine!
i morally compelled.
Eris give propitiation to the truther, with motive retribution..
in no way frivolous! No way benign!
spiritus i grow!
delusions impel your bastion...
the moral dejection that consumes vigor...
simultaneously impels vengeance!
your lack of morality is guiding my path!!
but then..learned kairos............
calculate compensation then fold it ten!
for now it's too late.
the path to our retributing glory!
divinity more than admonishes you, your fate.


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## browtm7

Susan Mulno said:


> So sorry about the loss of your son, there are no words. :crying:


Thank you Susan<3 

Larry worked on our crew with us. It was the day after Easter and we were on our way to the finish a five-day job when his car malfunctioned and took him into the opposite side of the highway. He collided head-on with an oncoming SUV. His dad was burned trying to pull Larry's body from the wreck while I screamed to 9-1-1... He died April 9, 2007, the month before his 18th birthday... It's been a while now but I don't miss him or long for his physical presence any less... 

I hope it's okay that I shared my story... But even after time passes, it still helps to talk about it from time to time...


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## browtm7

meli said:


> I don't even pretend to understand how you feel..........
> I wrote this after I lost my 3 year old back in 2001 and to anyone else it probably doesn't seem relevant but to me it was, it was the first and only time I've ever written anything emotionally.
> 
> Eris (i forgive you)
> for you are me
> convinced i am of this..
> invisible devine is all we share,
> (she will destroy you)
> this fate,
> this state,
> i will impair,
> i am everyone..bliss!
> i am everywhere
> refuse there is none.
> Earthly wrathful karma
> for proficient at concealment I have become
> here.. .time doesn't exist,
> i am above...i am below
> you will weep at my clenched fists
> expiation, is your fate patricide of the devine!
> when she turns it deep, you will feel the twist!
> while each word you research
> my salvation bliss
> matricide of the devine!
> i morally compelled.
> Eris give propitiation to the truther, with motive retribution..
> in no way frivolous! No way benign!
> spiritus i grow!
> delusions impel your bastion...
> the moral dejection that consumes vigor...
> simultaneously impels vengeance!
> your lack of morality is guiding my path!!
> but then..learned kairos............
> calculate compensation then fold it ten!
> for now it's too late.
> the path to our retributing glory!
> divinity more than admonishes you, your fate.


Breathtaking Meli<3 Thank you so for sharing it with me. Yes, you do know my pain dear friend... and for that I am deeply sorry... Much love to you Meli<e


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## Mel_Robertson

The past makes us who we are and the fact you can talk freely on here to us about it shows great character... Father is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children


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## Susan Mulno

Such a shame. Of course it's okay to share your story! I like to think we are a community here and can help each other even if just by listening. :vs-kiss:


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## Susan Mulno

Meli, I am sorry to hear you had to endure such grief. :crying:


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## browtm7

I am the keeper of his memory and for as long as I breathe, Larry Brown will be<3 

True love transcends death<3 

Thank all so much for the warm vibes that allowed me to share.


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## Mel_Robertson

Susan Mulno said:


> Meli, I am sorry to hear you had to endure such grief. :crying:


thanks susan but you know what, it's not comparable to losing a parent...the only way I could carry on personally is to accept a part of me had died, then I grew again and slowly started to smile..very slowly, and taste food :smile:
I haven't lost a parent yet but I imagine it's a more natural grief that instills the dread of mortality into us, that most of us probably need to face old age! lol x


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## Susan Mulno

I lost my mom when I was still in my 20s. Still miss her! :crying: Daddy left us in 2006. You never stop loving anyone just because they are gone.


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## browtm7

I have lost my oldest son and my father (Larry was named after him)...

Like you said, losing my father was a natural and expected grief... the natural cycle of life... 



A Mother Lost

you would never know it to look at her
she cradles it in the core of her soul

trapped in a canopy of obscurity
behind a fence of confusion

she cannot focus through the darkness
always stumbling
falling
yet always
picking herself back up

she wipes away the pain and takes another step

she sees you through filtered eyes
now gone colorblind
Still she smiles
“I’m fine. How are you?” she responds

but your answers are distant
through tangled memories

she stands in the sunshine
that no longer holds the power
to shed warmth upon her cold bones
nor radiate light within her pitch

she is a mother lost
seeking answers she will never find

groping for a way to go on
to move forward
to live - without

without her passion
without her reason
without her life

she is entombed in midnight sorrow

yet - because she is "mom"
she knows she must continue on

it is all she is left with to give

but do not worry
at no time will you be forced into awkwardness

as I said before -
you would never know it to look at her
she cradles it in the core of her soul

Tammy Brown in loving memory of Larry Brown


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## Mel_Robertson

Artists, poets, photographers....singers, we're lucky we can express ourselves it gives us a chance to be remembered further than 2 generations, this should inspire us to be more than we are!
browTM7 I know you don't paint but hope you stick around


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## browtm7

Loss is loss and no matter who we lose, it hurts deeply... it changes us... but it also continues to shape us...


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## browtm7

Meli, I think I would love to take you up on that offer to stick around!!  I do feel a welcome warmth here.


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## Mel_Robertson

write her a poem about how the painting makes you feel


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## browtm7

meli said:


> write her a poem about how the painting makes you feel


I think I will do that Meli!!! :biggrin:


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