Advice Painting for Mural Painting
Sucko
Yesterday I was commissioned to paint a mural. I was wondering if anyone
has had some experience with mural painting they would like to share with
me, I've never painted any thing larger then 2X4, and the wall is 13x13.
Also, I'm not sure how much to charge. Any relevant input would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks for your help.
Brian
Opus (:>
seashore on a wall, size approx. 4'x4'. A second was a commission for zebra
strips on a set of 18' walls, and then several smaller paintings on the
windows. The third was a frigate in the sea for a local bar, outside on their
shingle, so I needed special times of the day, and special heat-resistant and
non-fading paint. I went with oils of course, but I blended my own portrait
oils with smaller amounts of exterior oil-based house paints in the appropriate
colors.. It was a 6' x 4' area and I eyeballed it from a photo the owner had.
You can approach the design any way you like. By gridding your paint area, and
then gridding, to smaller scale, the actual design on paper. Then it's all
relative perspective but keeps everything in proportion. Or you can just
eyeball it, sketch the basics in pencil first, then begin filling in with
outline marks, and then begin your painting. Whatever way makes you most
comfortable is what you should do.
As for price, there are always two ways to approach your creative projects, no
matter if you're quilting, rubber stamping, sewing, or painting.
1. Flat fee on project design-- You charge one flat fee to your client, ask
for half up front when you begin the project, (that way you can figure in your
hourly time AND materials) and collect the last half when it's finished to
their satisfaction. This is more beneficial for the client, since no matter
how many hours it takes you, he's paying one fee. Then before you begin, agree
upon a set price IF you are needed to return and do re-touches.
2. Per hour-- You agree upon a set hourly fee, and then keep track of your
hours. Each time to sit down to study your photo you're working from, head to
the store for paint, or spend more time searching for photos and design ideas,
you write them down on a time-sheet, and prove by meticulous records, how much
time you spent on the project, where the time went, what you did with it, so
that the client can actually SEE for himself, that you just weren't over at the
Wal-Mart playing video games, but said you were creating. This way, if your
project is very large, it's much more beneficial financially for you since
projects can take any amount of time and unless you're really experienced, it
will be hard for you to judge how much time will be involved, and it's been my
experience that the client, unless he has money to burn, will want some kind of
an estimate before you begin.
With this last way, you must figure out how much your time is worth. How much
do you, as an artist, deserve to receive per hour for your labour? $10? $20?
$4.75 and a cookie? Whatever it is, stick to it, and don't waver. Keep in
mind, that if you're too high, it might drive them to someone else, and if
you're too low, psychologically, people tend to think that it's too good to be
true and there must be some hidden reason you suck to be charging so low, and
they will then move to somewhere else. Get your local phone book and see if
other muralists advertise in your area, then politely call and ask them what
they charge. Or get a recommendation from the local high school art teacher
for muralists. Pretend you're a client who *might* be interested in
commissioning them for work, and you wondered how and what they charge. Then
before hanging up, thank them, tell them you're talking to many, and that you
will need some time to think it over. No harm there.
Which ever way you choose, ALWAYS get them to sign upon the agreed upon price,
be it hourly or set fee. You can go to a local office supply store and pick up
one of those neat receipt books with a carbon. And just fill it out as if it
were a sale. Fill in their name, address, two phone numbers, then below, in
the description box, write exactly what you both agreed upon:
Quantity Description
Price
1 Mural of 2-headed
$300.00
pig for flat fee.
Half to be collected
upfront, and half to be
paid upon completion.
At this point there will always be a line especially for how much you've
collected, so fill that in, and in the final box at the bottom right, will be a
total box. Fill in your $150.00 there, and GET THEIR SIGNATURE on it. This is
a binding contract, and will be your only hope of reimbursement if they run off
before your job is finished and refuse to pay. It will hold up in court, and
that's why it's so important to protect yourself. (One guy paid me and his
check bounced, and I had a hell of a time getting him to re-issue a good
check. Took me months. So you never can tell.) And yes, even if it's family,
WRITE OUT YOUR CONTRACT EXACTLY AS ABOVE, AND GET THEIR SIGNATURE. A handshake
won't hold up anywhere except a golf course, <g> so get it. Treat it as a real
business venture, since it is commissioned, and I can infer from that, that you
will be getting paid. People get all weird where money is involved, so really,
you can't be too careful to protect yourself. Remember this: I am a
professional actress who has worked with some names you would know, I'm
respected in my profession and I'm good at what I do. People ooh and aah over
that, but the fact is, when I'm hired for a gig, I still have to enter through
the BACK door. It's just the way artists are revered, or rather lack of
reverence, and has it roots from way beyond the days of Handel and Bach. We
may say we've come a long way, but artists are still treated like the hired
help when it comes down to it. They sure do love to show off our creations
once they're finished, but the artist is left out of it once your part is
over. So you must look out for and protect yourself at all costs.
I think that's about it. If you have any other questions, please feel free to
ask.
Good luck to you.
Sucko wrote:
--
Opus (:>
I was fired from my job at a Howard Johnson's when somebody asked me the ice
cream flavour of the week and I said, "chicken". --Mike Nichols
Opus Graphics-- http://members.home.net/coble/OpusGraphics
Opus (:>
the client is willing to pay. That is a good gauge for how much you can
charge also. Check to see if they have a certain budget, and then try
to work within that, IF it jives with what you've figured should be your
hourly wage.