How to Commission Art Work

 

by Annie Margarita

 

I have many years experience commissioning art works including murals, fine art, and treatments for walls and ceilings. Fine art paintings are done on an individual pricing scale. Mural and finishes are commissioned with a square footage pricing scale. I hope the following information helps you in your artwork commissioning process.

 

Deciding on an Artist

Looking through an artist’s portfolio is the first step in commissioning artwork. If you have viewed a gallery piece or mural and have not found the exact nature of the art work you are looking for, but you know that you like the particular artist’s style, commissioning is a great option. Artists typically stay in certain genres. Some artists have the ability to adapt different styles for each piece, especially with murals. Other artists do not like to paint in styles other than what their current style is. So seeing if an artist is flexible to your needs is very important.

 

The Information your Artist Needs

You must communicate with your chosen artist what paintings of theirs you like the most, what you may want changed and represented, and in what medium you would like it painted. Every artist has a price scale, knowing your budget beforehand helps both the artist and you to settle quickly on the size of the piece. Most artists price murals per square foot, level of detail and difficulty of the subject matter. Viewing their past works and indicating the level of detail in the pieces you like helps the artist to know what is required in your mural. Artists usually do not charge more for a commission fine art piece than their gallery pieces. Seeing the price of a fine art piece already up for sale with the size and medium, will indicate how a similar commissioned piece will be priced.

 

• Your information checklist should include:
• Your Budget
• Your Needed Size of Artwork
• Your Subject Matter
• Your Favorite Color Scheme for the Artwork
• Your Deadline

 

With this information, the artist can determine pricing and a time line for completion. Many artists are used to commission schedules, and will know approximately when an artwork will be started and completed. Mural and finishes commissions are frequently discussed at the site where the work will be painted. <next page>

 

Article Archive

• Basic Color Selection
• How to Commission Art Work

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