How is pricing calculated?
I, like many people, have often wondered how artists arrive at a price for their work, especially when the price seems outrageous. It's really important to me that people who buy my work feel they have paid a fair price and are happy with what they have bought.
There are a number of factors that go into how I am pricing my work.
- Quality - by far the biggest factor in pricing is how happy I am with the work, and how well it is received by others. If I don't like the painting, I'll put a much cheaper price on it.
- Time spent - I spend a lot of time on the paintings, and the hourly rate doesn't work out all that flash. But it's only reasonable to include approximate time spent into the pricing equation.
- Complexity - Some subjects, like hands and faces, are unforgiving - and mistakes generally need to be fixed or the painting doesn't look right. Other compositions have a much wider margin for error, so this is included in the price calculation.
- Texture - Heavy-textured paintings require more paint, and much more time to dry.
- Size -
- Colours used - You may be surprised to learn that some colours are vastly more expensive than others. Good quality yellows and reds cost about 5x more than whites and other standard colours. If a painting has a lot of orange or yellow, or other premium pigments - then this will factor into the price significantly (especially if it has a heavy texture).