Art Commissions: How to Price, Quote and Say Yes Without Regret

Art commissions tend to arrive on a random Tuesday night, right when you've given up on the studio and put the kettle on. "Hi! Love your work. Any chance you'd paint our old place in Bellingen before we sell?" Your heart does a little skip. Someone wants a piece made just for them. You reply yes before the kettle's even boiled.

Fast forward a month. You're on version four. The client's sister reckons the verandah should be green, not white. Nobody mentioned the dog was meant to be in it. And late one night you do the sums on the back of an envelope and realise you've earned about A$11 an hour. Ouch.

Artists tell us some version of this about art commissions all the time. The thing is, it's rarely the client being difficult. It's usually that nobody agreed on much at the start. Get that part right and a commission turns into one of the best jobs on your calendar: decent money, a piece you're proud of, and a client who tells everyone at their next barbie who painted it.

Key takeaways

• Quote one full price up front, covering your time, materials, framing, and freight. Not just the paint.

• Take a deposit before you start, and link the rest to clear stages.

• Agree on how many rounds of changes are included, and what extra ones cost.

• In Australia, the artist generally keeps copyright in commissioned work. Private or domestic portraits are the big exception.

• Get it in writing, even for a friend. Especially for a friend.

What counts as an art commission?

Someone asks you to make a brand-new piece and pays you to do it. That's it. A portrait of their nan. Their favourite stretch of beach at Byron. A bronze for the garden, a mural down the side of a café in Newtown, forty mugs for a restaurant that's opening in March.

What makes it tricky is that nobody can see the thing yet. When you sell a finished painting, the buyer knows exactly what's coming home with them. With art commissions, you're both working off a picture in your heads, and those two pictures are rarely quite the same. That gap is where the stress lives.

One more thing worth knowing early. Arts Law points out that a commission and a licence aren't the same deal. Making the artwork is one job. Letting the client print it on cushions, a website banner or a book cover is a separate permission, and normally a separate fee.

How to price art commissions

Start with what you'd normally charge. If a 60 x 60 cm painting of yours goes for A$1,200 in a gallery, a commissioned one the same size shouldn't be cheaper. Lots of artists actually charge a bit more for art commissions, and fair enough. Custom work eats time you don't spend on your own stuff. There's the first chat, the reference photos that arrive blurry, the sketches, the changes, and the days spent waiting for someone to reply "looks great!"

Then think about everything else the job swallows. Materials, obviously, and anything unusual the client asks for, like a certain linen or a glaze you'd have to test first. Framing is the one artists forget, then quietly pay for themselves. Same with freight and install, whether that's a courier with crating or you, a ute and a mate on a Saturday arvo. And if you're registered for GST, say clearly whether your price includes it.

The NAVA Code of Practice is handy here, even though it's mostly written with bigger public projects in mind. It splits the money into an artist fee for your ideas, research, and admin, and a separate production budget for materials, fabrication, freight and installation. Thinking in those two buckets stops a pricey bronze casting from swallowing your actual pay. Want the basics of setting a base price? Our guide on how to price your artwork runs through the maths.

Quotes, deposits and staged payments

Send a written quote. One page, one clear number, what's included, and how long the price is good for. A pet portrait quote shouldn't read like a mortgage contract.

Then ask for a deposit. Every time. It tells you the client's serious, it pays for your materials, and it protects you if they go quiet halfway through, which does happen. How much is up to you. Some artists ask for half, others a third. For bigger jobs, break it up: a deposit to start, another payment once the sketch is signed off, and the rest before the work leaves your studio.

And talk about cancelling before anyone needs to. NAVA's code says a commissioning agreement should cover cancellations and delays. So decide now. Is the deposit refundable? What do you charge if they pull out when the painting's half done? Trust us, it's a much nicer chat in week one than in week six.

Sketches, sign-offs and changes

This is where most art commissions go wrong. They had one idea, you had another, and nobody said a word until the varnish was dry.

The fix is boring, but it works. Checkpoints. A quick sketch or a small colour study first. A photo when you're part-way through, maybe. A last look before you varnish, fire or frame. At each one, get a clear yes in writing. A text is fine. An email's better. NAVA's code talks about "reasonable review stages", and this is exactly why.

Then put a limit on changes. Two rounds at sketch stage is pretty normal. Beyond that, extra changes cost extra or push the date back. Most clients are completely fine with this when they hear it at the start. It's the surprise bill that upsets people, not the rule.

Tip: Before you start, email the client a summary in plain words: size, medium, colours, what's in the picture, price, deposit, how many changes are included, and the delivery date. Ask them to reply "Yep, that's right." That one email can save you a hundred awkward ones later.

Who owns the copyright?

Here's one that catches a lot of people out, on both sides. Most clients assume that once they've paid, the whole thing is theirs. For most art commissions in Australia, it isn't.

According to Arts Law, the artist generally keeps the copyright in a commissioned work. The client owns the physical piece, and usually gets an implied licence to use it for what it was made for. So the café can hang its mural on the café wall, no problem. Turning it into tea towels or the new logo? That's another conversation. And another invoice.

Portraits are the big exception. Under the Copyright Act, when someone pays for a portrait, photo or engraving made for private or domestic purposes, say a family portrait or a painting of the kids, the client generally owns the copyright. You can agree otherwise, but it has to be in writing. So if you'd like to post it on Instagram, put it in your portfolio, or enter it in a prize down the track, ask for that up front. (General information only, not legal advice.)

Your moral rights stay with you either way. You've got the right to be named as the artist, and to object if the work is treated in a way that hurts your reputation. If you want the fuller picture on reproduction, the Arts Law copyright information sheet is worth ten minutes.

What to put in the agreement

You don't need a lawyer for a A$400 dog portrait. You do need something written down that you've both read and said yes to. At the very least, cover:

• what you're making: size, medium, subject and any must-haves

• the price, deposit, payment stages, and whether GST is included

• sketch and approval stages, and how many changes are included

• timelines, and what happens if either of you runs late

• cancelling, and what happens to the deposit

• copyright, any licence to reproduce it, and your right to photograph it for your portfolio

• delivery, freight, framing and install, and who's responsible if it's damaged on the way

Arts Law has template agreements for private and commercial commissions, plus one for when the client also wants reproduction rights. Have a look before you write your own from scratch.

Saying no (or not yet)

Not every enquiry is the right one. Somebody wants a straight copy of a famous painting, only cheaper? Pass. A deadline that lands smack in the middle of your exhibition hang? Say "not until March". Someone haggling you below your gallery prices? You're allowed to say no to that, too.

The best art commissions usually come from people who already love what you make, and that comes down to showing your work well. Our guide to building an artist portfolio covers that side, and our older piece on the independent artist and the buyer's journey looks at how buyers find you in the first place.

It isn't just painters, either. Potters get asked for custom pieces all the time, from dinner sets to a pair of lamps for somebody's lounge room. Our older post on ceramic table lamps in a room gives a nice sense of how made-to-order pieces end up living in real homes.

Keep every commission on track.

One commission is easy to keep in your head. Three art commissions at once? Not so much. Which client signed off on the sketch? Who still owes the balance? Where on earth did those reference photos of the Bellingen house end up?

In ArtFlow, every artwork keeps its photos, details, notes and history together, so a commission sits right alongside the rest of your catalogue from first sketch to final sale. When it's done, it's already recorded with its price and details, ready to drop into your portfolio. The features page shows how it all fits together.

Questions about art commissions

• How much should I charge for a commission? At least what you'd get for a similar finished piece, plus a bit for the planning, sketches, and changes. Then add materials, framing, and delivery if they're not already in the price.

• Should I ask for a deposit? Yep, always. Plenty of artists ask for somewhere between a third and a half before they start. Just agree in writing whether it's refundable.

• Who owns the copyright in commissioned art? Usually you, the artist, according to Arts Law. The main exception is a portrait or photo made for private or domestic purposes, where the client generally owns it unless you've agreed otherwise.

• How many changes should I allow? Two rounds at sketch stage is a good place to start. Be clear about what extra rounds cost.

• Do I need a contract for a small commission? You need something in writing. A short email you've both agreed to is miles better than a handshake.

The short version

Good art commissions come down to clear agreements. Quote a full price, take a deposit, build in sketch stages with a cap on changes, and sort out copyright before you start, especially for portraits. Put it in writing, even for mates. And if you'd like one tidy spot to track every commission from first sketch to final payment, start a free ArtFlow account and add your next job today.