A frequent source of confusion in the furry fandom is about Commission pricing for furry art.

This confusion is often driven by (usually younger) furries demanding free or severely cheap art from Artists, and the aftermath of such exchanges. There’s a reason @SpicyFurryTakes posts so frequently.

In the interest of not adding to the confusion, I’d like to offer a simple algorithm for artists to use for their standard commission prices, and then some guidelines for artists and commissioners to make the art commissioning experience better for everyone.

As my goal here is to simplify, I will be taking liberties and eschewing a lot of the economic details. If you feel that I made a mistake but aren’t sure because I’m not showing my work, feel free to leave a comment.

Commission Pricing For Artists

If you’re an artist reading this, you should almost certainly raise your rates.

If you’re not sure how much you should charge at all, I recommend the following algorithm:

1. Calculate your floor.
2. Increase your rates.
3. Are you able to consistently fill your commission slots?
   • Yes -> Go to step 2 above.
   • No -> Be patient.

Calculating Your Floor

First, benchmark how long it takes you to complete a typical item on your price list. For example, a sketch of one character might take N hours to complete on average (with variance granted for complex character details).

Next, decide on a fair hourly rate for your work as a professional.

Don’t undersell yourself! For example, your hourly rate should never be less than $24 per hour (in 2020 dollars), in the United States.

Whatever number you landed on, immediately double it. Roughly half of your income will be eaten by taxes (income taxes–including state income taxes if applicable–plus payroll taxes since you’re self-employed as an artist), unless your tax accountant tells you otherwise.

Now that you have a number in mind, you’re going to want to go through the rest of your price list and make a mental note of how many hours each item will take you to complete.

For example: If a complete illustration of one character with a detailed background takes you 8 hours, and each additional character takes an additional 2 hours, you can setup your pricing as follows:

where is the number of additional characters beyond the first one, is your minimum hourly rate, and is the price of a commission.

If you decided , then your price list entry for this type of commission might look like this:

• $400 + $100 per additional character

You should do this for every item on your commission price list.

Increase Your Rates

Once you have a price list figured out, you will want to occasionally increase your prices.

When To Increase Your Commission Prices

Generally: If you’re utilizing 100% of your allocated time for art, it’s time to increase your rates. This means you have sufficient demand to justify a price increase.

If you’ve allocated 40 hours of your time per week for commission work, and you’re consistently allocating all 40 of those hours, it’s time to increase your rates.

(This logic also applies to commission “slots”, but not all slots are equal. Use your best judgment here.)

How to Increase Your Prices

There are different schools of thought on pricing strategies. As a computer programmer, my generally recommended strategy is similar to a git bisect:

1. Double your prices.
2. Are you able to fill at least 50% of your commission time allocation at the new prices?
   • Yes: Are you able to consistently fill 100%?
     • Yes: Go back to step 1.
     • No: You’ve found your prices!
   • No: Go exactly halfway between the old prices and the new prices.

Working Through An Example

Let’s say you were charging $50 for sketches, $150 for lined art, and $300 for full colored illustrations, and your commission queue is always filled.

First, double your prices (sketches: $50 -> $100, line art: $150 -> $300, full colored illustrations: $300 -> $600).

If your next batch of commissions gets filled to 100%: double them again (sketches are $200, line art is $600, full illustrations are $1200). Keep doing this until you’re not at 100% utilization.

If, after you’ve finished a cycle of doubling, your next batch of commissions is between 50% and 100% utilization, sit tight at your current rate. Demand for your art will increase as you grow your audience, and you’ll find yourself needing to start the process over with again.

However, if you’re at below 50% utilization, it’s time to step halfway between the old and the new. If going from the initial ($50, $150, $300) to the new ($100, $300, $600) dropped demand to below 50%, your new prices would be ($75, $225, $450). If you’re still below 50%, you can keep decreasing it further.

(Feel free to round these numbers, but err on rounding them up.)

If you started at 100% utilization, this process will end up at some price greater than your starting point.

Note:

Every time I’ve said “your prices” above, what I’m talking about are your standard rates, not what you’re offering on a particular day.

You should absolutely feel entitled to offer discounts, sales, and special deals whenever it suits you.

Improving the Furry Art Commission Experience

Guidelines for Artists

Communicate with your commissioners. If you’re not using something like Trello to track your projects, you should send them updates more than you’d normally feel comfortable. The more complex the work, the more updates you should send.

Dates Rule Everything Around Me. We understand that you have multiple projects–often running in parallel–that need to be completed to keep your clients happy. We know we’re not the only iron in your fire. Give estimate completion dates as soon as you can. If you can’t give a completion date, give an estimated date for a date. (I’m serious. This will virtually eliminate commissioner anxiety.)

Be transparent. If you need more time to get a piece done, tell your commissioners as soon as you can. Shit happens. We all get sick. We all have unproductive days/weeks. Anyone who doesn’t understand this is someone you probably want to decline accepting work from in the future.

Guidelines for Commissioners

Be polite. It’s difficult to understate how important basic manners are, even moreso when nobody seems to practice them.

Don’t bitch about prices. If you can’t afford their rates, you have three choices: Save up money for this luxury expense, move onto another artist, or learn to make it yourself.

n.b. This includes telling artists they should charge more! If you’re going to do that, your words must be accompanied by a generous tip. If they aren’t, you’re an asshole.

Updates are your opportunity to request changes. If you just say, “It’s coming along great, thanks for the update!” then you’re agreeing with the current direction of their work.

If the artist forgot an important detail (e.g. a marking on your fursona), the sooner you tell them, the sooner they can correct it. You aren’t being rude by informing them (unless you word it rudely; use good judgment!).

Credit your artists. Always. Link to their account too, if reasonably practical.

A lot of an artists’ income is the consequence of their previous commissioners showcasing their work. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising most can afford.

If you credit your artists, you’ll be helping them stay afloat until you decide to commission them again in the future.