This is a really well written, wonderful post that addresses a lot of important points in regards to commissions, pricing and client attitude! Thank you very much for including my âGetting the Most Out of Commissionsâ guide in your post!
Iâve (and many other artists) have definitely spoken about the issues with commission pricing, and Iâm just really glad to see that there are so many people that are so supportive of artists getting paid a fair amount for their work. I laughed so hard at this 'IÂ want to live in an exact replica of Wayne Manor, but I canât afford that. So, um, I donât.â what a perfectly delightful turn of phrase that mirrors some client attitudes perfectly (and I didnât laugh, I pretty much witch cackled).
I do want to say, though, that as skeevy as you will likely feel when you commission an artist for what you feel is unfair wages (and I mean âyouâ in a general sense, not specifically addressing the OP!!) that cutting those artists off entirely by not commissioning them is perhaps not the best course of action. It is absolutely amazing that you have such a great client attitude and a lovely sentiment in regards to the value of artwork, but the reality of the situation is that an artist will probably value your paid patronage over your lack of paid patronage, whether you feel your decision to not commission them is a righteous motive or not.
Furthemore, itâs the fact that the artists who are unknowingly underpricing themselves that probably need the most help! I think itâs fantastic that we all make these posts where weâre saying âyou donât have to live like this!â but for so many artists, the alternative appears to be such a hopeless fantasy. I think, if, as an informed client, you want to proactively help out struggling artists, then, commission them, whether you feel they are underpricing or not. Give them the BEST client experience that artist could possibly have.
And because it is just a fact of life that most clients that pay a measly $20 or below usually turn out to be the difficult ones - when artists swap war stories with each other Iâm always just thinking, geez, itâs not like clients either underpay you OR are terrible, itâs ALWAYS that theyâre both, omfg can you just pick ONE?! - well, you can be the client that pays $20 and above (because yes, tip them!!) AND is a dreamboat to work with. Make artists recognise that there are people out there that are both willing to pay a decent amount AND are willing to provide them with a really lovely working experience, neither of which, I feel, most amateur artists ever really experience.
I am delighted when an artist tells me I am their very first client. With all artists, I strive to be the best client I could possibly be (which, by the by, is actually not very hard to do which is why I am always consistently disappointed by artists who tell me about terrible clients they have had because itâs really not hard to be a decent person) so that they will expect successive clients to treat them the same.Â
On a note about tipping (and I guess about pricing as a whole) - itâs really not so much about the amount but the intent and the meaning. A 20% tip on a $20 commission means about the same as a 20% tip on a $200 commission - to both artists, it says âI really appreciate your work, I think you deserved a little more for what you produced, thank you for working with meâ. At least, this is the reason why I tip (alongside practicing rogue commission practices like assuming +1 char will be +100% of the original price, because most artists charge less than the base price of a commission for a +1 character and I think thatâs crap).
I think itâs most important to know that while pricing is a big issue, client attitude is a bigger one (if not just THE biggest). Youâre not a horrible client for purchasing cheap artwork, or for not tipping - to be fair, there is no expectation for you to have to school artists in fair wage, and of course a tip is a just generous gesture on top of what is already expected.
Just be a good client. Honestly, in the end, the artist wonât remember the monetary amount you paid them, but the way you treated them. 'But 'be a good client' is really vague! Can you tell me exactly how?â I'm sorry because this isn't the kind of thing I feel I can teach you, because the way you truly feel about the value of art and the value of an artist's time and effort should inform your actions anyway. What I'm saying is that if you have a positive, considerate, appreciative attitude towards art & artists, you don't need me to tell you what to do in x or y situation - you already know how to conduct yourself appropriately!
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