Someone Wants to Pay You to Make Art: Here's Exactly How to Handle It

Someone Wants to Pay You to Make Art: Here's Exactly How to Handle It

Someone slid into your DMs. They saw your work on Instagram, or a friend passed along your name, and now they're asking if you take commissions. Your stomach does a little flip — half excitement, half pure panic.

This is the moment a lot of artists fumble. Not because they can't do the work, but because nobody ever taught them the business side of getting paid for it. The creative part? You've got that. The client management, the pricing, the contracts, the revision conversations — that's where things get messy fast.

Here's the full picture, step by step, so your first commission becomes the first of many.

Before You Say Yes, Know What You're Agreeing To

The biggest mistake new commissioned artists make is saying yes before they understand the scope of the project. A client asking for "a painting of my dog" could mean a 5x7 watercolor sketch or a 36-inch oil portrait on linen. Those are not the same job.

Before you quote a price or accept a deposit, ask these questions:

• What size are you envisioning?
• What medium do you prefer, or are you open to my recommendation?
• What's the intended use — a gift, home décor, something else?
• Do you have a deadline?
• Are there specific colors, styles, or references you want me to work from?

You're not being difficult. You're being professional. Clients who've never commissioned art before often don't know what details matter — it's your job to draw that information out. Think of this early conversation as your creative intake form.

Pricing Without Apologizing

Let's talk numbers, because this is where most artists leave money on the table or burn themselves out undercharging.

A simple starting formula: calculate your hourly rate (be honest — what do you want to earn per hour?), estimate the time the piece will take, then add material costs. Don't forget to factor in the time you spend communicating with the client, doing revisions, and packaging the final piece. That's all labor.

A rough example: if you want to earn $25/hour and a portrait takes 8 hours, that's $200 in labor. Add $30 in materials, and your base price is $230. If that feels low, it probably is — adjust your hourly rate accordingly.

Research what other artists at your skill level charge. Websites like Etsy, ArtStation, and artists' own commission sheets are fair game for benchmarking. Once you land on a number, quote it directly. Not "I was thinking maybe around..." but "My price for this piece is $275."

Clients respect clarity. Hedging makes you look uncertain — and uncertain artists get lowballed.

The Commission Brief: Put It in Writing

Once you've agreed on the project and price, write up a simple commission brief. This doesn't have to be a formal legal document, but it does need to exist. Email works fine.

Your brief should include:

• A description of the piece (size, medium, subject, style notes)
• Your total price and payment terms
• A timeline with key checkpoints
• Your revision policy (more on this in a second)
• A note about rights — who owns the image after delivery?

On that last point: unless you specifically sign away your copyright, you retain the right to photograph and share your work. Make sure your client knows this upfront. Most people are totally fine with it. The ones who aren't will tell you, and that's a negotiation you'd rather have at the start.

Require a deposit — typically 25 to 50 percent — before you pick up a brush. This is standard practice, not a red flag. Any client who balks at a deposit is a client worth being cautious about.

Red Flags That Shouldn't Be Ignored

Most commission clients are wonderful people who are just excited to own something made specifically for them. But there are a few warning signs worth knowing:

"I'll pay you when it's done." No deposit, no work. Full stop.

Vague briefs with big expectations. If a client can't tell you what they want but promises they'll "know it when they see it," you're setting yourself up for endless revisions.

Pressure to rush. Tight timelines are fine when they're agreed upon upfront. A client who contacts you on Monday needing something by Wednesday — and who didn't mention that at first — is already managing the project badly.

Asking for the digital file "just to check" before payment is complete. Send a watermarked preview. Never send full-resolution files until you've been paid in full.

Trust your gut. If a conversation feels off before you've started, it's not going to get better once you're mid-project.

Managing the Middle: Check-Ins and Revisions

Once you're into the work, communication is your best tool. A quick progress photo at the halfway point — even just a rough sketch or underpainting — does two things: it keeps the client excited, and it catches any major misunderstandings before you've invested 10 hours in the wrong direction.

Set your revision policy clearly in your brief. A typical structure is two rounds of revisions included in the price, with additional changes billed at your hourly rate. This protects you from scope creep without making clients feel like every feedback request is going to cost them.

When revisions come in, read them carefully. If a client says "I don't love the background color," that's specific and actionable. If they say "it doesn't feel right," ask follow-up questions before making any changes. You need to understand the why before you can fix it.

Delivering the Finished Piece

This is the part people forget to think about until it's too late: how does the art actually get to your client?

For physical work, invest in proper packaging. Corners get crushed in transit. Glass breaks. A piece that arrives damaged is a nightmare for everyone, and shipping insurance exists for a reason — use it. Flat rate USPS boxes work well for smaller pieces; for larger or more valuable work, look into specialty art shippers.

For digital commissions, deliver your files at the agreed resolution via a service like Google Drive or Dropbox. Include a brief note with care instructions or usage notes if relevant.

Follow up a few days after delivery. A simple "Hope the piece arrived safely and you love it!" message goes a long way — and it opens the door for them to share it, tag you, or come back for something new.

The Part Nobody Talks About: What This Does for Your Practice

Commission work isn't just income. It's a creative workout. Working within someone else's constraints — their subject, their color preferences, their timeline — pushes you to problem-solve in ways that purely personal work doesn't always demand.

Some artists find commissions creatively draining. Others find them energizing. Most find it depends on the client. The good news is that with experience, you get better at identifying which clients are going to be a joy to work with — and you get more comfortable saying no to the ones who won't be.

Your first commission probably won't be perfect. You might underprice it, or miscommunicate something, or wish you'd asked one more question at the start. That's okay. Every working artist has a version of that story.

What matters is that you did it — and now you know how to do it better.