Pet portraits - what kinda price?

[BeesandGees]

Hello, I’ve recently taken up art as a hobby and much to my surprise i’m getting requests for pet portraits. Started off as freebies for friends and family but now people I don’t know are asking and I have no idea what to charge if I do go for it. Research shows that prices vary enormously - from so low that it’s not worth the hours they take - to many hundreds of pounds. Quality of work varies too and obviously what one person thinks is great might not please the next person. If any of you have had your pets portraits done could you please give me a rough idea of what you think is a fair price for my level ( I know i’m nearer bottom of the scale than top so won’t be offended, plus i’d rather be decent value than overpriced!) usual size is 30 x 40 cms and they are pastels. Thank you 😊

Surely you mean a ruff price??
I would pay prob £50-£75 for a pic of my departed ddog...

Oddly enough just had this conversation with someone - the person they know charges £80 to £100.
If that's your portrait of a dog, it's very good and I would pay that for it.

I started out charging £60 for an a4 drawing, then as I got booked up gradually increased. I'm currently at £300 for an a4 and that will be going up soon. Do it gradually and you won't knock your confidence charging 'too much' 😊

Your work is excellent btw! You have to charge what you're comfortable with to start with 😊

Gosh you are so talented 🤩

That is a super picture. I'd say £50-75. Calculate the hours it takes you and work out your hourly rate. It should be at least £20 starting out.

Just be careful on what you take on. It's easy in the beginning to accept commissions that involve poor quality photographs or crazy angles (you know, giant heads and tiny paws!) so make sure the photo is good quality and the pose appealing.

@Eastereggsboxedupready - ruff price ha ha! I like that 😀

That is superb work OP, really very good indeed. Whatever you do, don't sell yourself short. I would pay £200-£250 for that, but then I am a craftsperson who knows how longs things take to make!

Agree that is great. Nice technique and lots of character. You are talented!

I charge £200 for an A3 pastel. It works out at £12ish an hour… 🥴 Coloured pencil is more though as it takes far longer!

I honestly don’t think people realise the time element. And the cost of materials (especially if you use Caran D’Ache and Pastelmat!) But do not sell yourself short, your work is excellent.

PM me if you like. Always happy to help! 😊

We've just commissioned someone to do a drawing of our beloved Dalmatian that we had to say goodbye to last month and it's costing £300. Your work is certainly on par with what she does so don't sell yourself short. Start by working out your hourly rate and go from there.

Check on Etsy too.

On a general point on business pricing, especially when it's something that takes a lot of time and effort (and therefore output is finite

• sometimes price suggests quality
• if doubling the price halves the number of customers then you will have spent less time and less materials to achieve the same sales figures - which is a win!

And remember the mantra - it's not overpriced, it's out of your price range

It is also easier to cut prices via special offers than it is to put them up later.

I just commissioned a new artist to do a pastel of our dear dog who passed last year. I liked her work but hadn't been recommended or seen it in person. Took a gamble and paid £150, then another £80 to get professionally framed. I think you would struggle for it to be worth your while for anything less than £100. Plus that one is really good, don't undersell yourself!

My friend has just started doing this and she charges £120 for an 8x10 portrait - no frame.

She's just about to put her prices up though

Thank you very much all for the advice and the encouragement! Good to hear that £100 plus is not ridiculous. I do use pastelmat and a mixture of Sennelier soft pastels, Caran d’Ache and Pitt pastel pencils so yes, material costs mount up pretty quickly. The example portrait I posted is almost finished ( neck and final highlights to do still ) and has taken six hours so far so - it’s for a charity so no charge for this one but for future possible commissions it’s really not viable to charge less than £100. Thank also about advice on getting good quality photos, not daft angles etc. I think i’ll slowly build up a portfolio so that I can enter at a decent price and if I am good enough there will be takers, if i’m not then it’ll just be a hobby! Appreciate all your input 👍😀

I don’t think you should be charging anything less than £150. Identify your target market! And don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations.

There are other artists out there that charge 3 and 4 times as much and their work isn’t as good as yours.

Good luck!!

@BeesandGees my sister has asked me to draw or paint her dog, do you have any tips?

@Aria999 - sorry, just noticed your message. I’m pretty new to this so not the best placed to offer advice but for me the important things are….

start with a good, clear, detailed photo
preferably one that shows eyes clearly
dont work too small, getting details in is harder on a small scale
spend time getting initial sketch correct, for a true likeness this is essential

once i’m happy with the sketch I start on the eyes and only move on once i’m confident they are accurate. Don’t rush and stop if you are not in the zone, come back to it when you are. And practice practice practice. I was rubbish a few months ago but getting better every attempt. Loads of free tutorials online for whatever medium you choose ( I do pastels ). Shout if I can help in any other way and good luck ( if you haven’t already finished it!)

@Aria999 - here’s a photo of the stages of one of mine. It looks pretty awful for a good while but you just keep building it and have faith!

Thanks!

No, I haven't started (been putting it off also have 2 small kids and am trying to get a (non art related) freelance portfolio off the ground)!

@BeesandGees if you are going to start taking commissions I would be very interested

This thread is a year and a half old.

Resurrected! I’m still painting / drawing ( it’s pastel, i’m never sure what to call it!)but still not plucked up the courage to do commissions 🥴. It’s such a responsibility to produce something worthy of the pet ( often they’re departed so even more pressure to get it right. ). This blast from the past has got me thinking again though! Here’s some recent ish stuff ( for friends or charity )

@BeesandGees they are really great. I would love one of my dog