Im an artist and someone wants me to sketch a poster sized picture of a horse, what should i charge?

Question

Its a bit difficult considering I have never even drawn a horse but I know I can do it, but what should I charge? how much would you pay if that was what you desired?

Answer 1

horse meat makes the best jerky.

Answer 2

Well, depending on the size, posters are usually around $4-$8, depending on the size.  (36"x24" are about $8). But that's for if it's on nice, poster paper/board.

You know your own abilities - if it's really good, then charge full price.  But if you're a beginning artist, you might want to make it a little cheaper.

Answer 3

Depending on the following:

- years of experience

- final size

- type of media (ie pencil, pencil crayon, acrylic paint, etc)

Most junior to mid-level illustrators charge around $70 - $100 per hour for drawings and renderings. An experienced (and very good) illustrator can charge around $250/hr or more.

Realistically, you cannot charge for a custom drawing what you would pay for a poster in a store... those posters are mass produced and distributed all over the world... that's why they only charge $10. This is a custom, commissioned piece which involves planning and research on your part. Colouring or painting would increase the cost due to additional work and materials.

Since you sound pretty new still... I would not charge what i've quoted above until you get some commissioning experience under your belt. Charge less/hour at this time (maybe $30-$40/hour), but provide an estimate of time up front (example 10 hours), and stick to it.

If you go over that time... learn from it, but don't go back on your word. If the time takes less, then only charge them the 5 hours (or whatever). ... it takes a while to learn how to estimate time, so use this as a learning experience too.