Commission 101: In Depth Tutorial (Patreon)

You’ve read Lesson 1 and decided you want to open commissions! So now what?

There are many things we need to cover but let's start with your commission info page! You need to have a place where you describe what you do and what you offer. 

The easiest way to set up your commission info is to use a Google document (unless you already have a website). There are four things that are essential to include: contact, prices, products and terms of service.

Contact

I recommend creating a work/art-only email that you use for commission inquieries - but I have seen some artists operate exclusively over social media PM’s. Alternatively you can create a Google Form that clients have to fill out. Google Form example

Google Document

Is always online and accessible for anyone with an internet connection, and the perfect place to create a commission information page. You can access it from your Google Drive. Make sure you change the sharing settings to everyone can view, but only you can edit.

In your google document you must include: how to contact you, products, prices and terms of service.

Pricing

Figuring out what your prices should be is quite simple. Here's the formula: Hours Spent on Commission x Hourly Wage = Your Price! The hourly wage is up to the artist but I recommend charging at least the liveable wage in your country, maybe more. (Online artists in countries with a weaker currency can charge more to compete with the international prices.) Hours Spent on Commission should include the time you talked to the client, gathered references and every part of the creation process. 

Since the first time you open commissions you won’t have had any clients, time yourself on personal projects (you'll need examples for your commission info anyway) and add 20 minutes of wages for client talking time. That should give you a good starting point.

Addons

Charge extra for elements that'll add greatly to your time. Detailed horns, a companion, an intricate dress, lots and lots of armour, etc. I add anything between £5-25 depending on what it is and the complexity.

Products 

Be smart about the way you present your products. A visual guide is essential. Examples of different styles and formats you're offering. It's a good idea to limit your products - if you have 20 different options the client can easily feel confused and overwhelmed. If you're offering different styles, be clear about what identifies the styles. 

Your products need a clear price tag - you don't want there to be any confusion.

If you have a bad sense of graphic design, you should consider hiring a graphic designer to design your price and product layout. You want to make it as easy for possible clients to buy a commission! 

PS: Look at other artists commission pages for inspiration and ideas on how to do your own!  Here's a good example of a Google Docs Info by Mioree 

 All the lessons will be gathered in this Google Document