How Much to Charge for Family Portraits for Amatuer Photographer
You accept finally decided to commission an artist to paint that portrait you always wanted. Simply you have never done this before and so you take a few questions you desire answered. The main question y'all will exist asking is "how much does a portrait drawing toll?" but there should exist more questions. Read on to learn more than.
The price of a portrait drawing or painting varies depending on size, medium, artist experience and location; the cost varies from $xx-$200 for an amateur artist; $200 up to $5000 for an experienced artist and over $20,000+ for a well known and established artist. Sizes and materials will vary and so be sure to ask for specifics.
The following listing will provide a more detailed guide.
How much does a portrait drawing cost? Betwixt $20-$200
- Normally requires a total upfront payment or deposit
Where Would You Find This Creative person?
- eBay, etsy, Instagram, Facebook groups
Common Mediums:
- Pencil, Charcoals, Acrylics
Framed/Unframed:
- Usually unframed
Notes:
- In this price range yous will liaising with the artist online via email or social media straight messaging.
- You lot may be asked to submit one or two photos. The intention is to reproduce the photograph as a portrait.
- The artist volition attempt to brand every bit exact a copy as their skill level will allow.
- The size of the portrait will usually be minor. They may use paper or low grade quality canvas or canvass lath.
- Nearly portraits in this price range will exist produced quite quickly then look to come across the portrait show signs of tracing and hand smudging with no filled in background.
- You may find some very talented artists at work in this cost range. They are usually up and coming artists, hobby artists. Some may overseas professional artists working in 'art factories' where they produce portraits by the hundreds.
Indicative cost to commission a portrait: $200-$1000
- Usually requires a 50% upfront payment or deposit to encompass costs and the residual of the coin on completion
Where Would Yous Notice This Artist?
- eBay, etsy, Instagram, Local Fine art Shows, Facebook, Word of Mouth
Common Mediums:
- Pencil, Charcoals, Acrylics, Oils, Inks, Pastels
Framed/Unframed:
- Usually unframed
Notes:
- Once again in this price range you will liaising with the creative person online via e-mail or social media direct messaging.
- You volition exist either asked to submit one or ii photos and the intention is to reproduce the photo as a portrait.
- The artist will attempt to make as exact a copy. You will be working with an artist or fine art student who has a fair amount of feel and confident enough to be commanding more money than most unknown artists.
- The size of the portrait will usually exist from small to medium and will be produced using some quality materials.
- Well-nigh portraits in this price range will be produced with some level of skill and y'all may find a few gems in the making.
- Some very talented artists piece of work in this price range.
- Y'all will probably be shown some progress photos and be asked up front for whatsoever specific requests or requirements before they commence on the portrait.
Indicative cost to committee a portrait: $1000-$5000
- In this toll range you will be looking more at portrait paintings rather than portrait drawings
- Usually requires a 20%-50% upfront payment or deposit to cover costs and the rest of the money on completion
Where Would You Notice This Artist?
- eBay, etsy, Instagjram, Local Galleries, Regional Galleries, Online Search, Art Shows, Word of Oral cavity Referrals
Common Mediums:
- Pencil, Charcoals, Acrylics, Oils, Mix Media
Framed/Unframed:
- Framed on request
Notes:
- In this price range you will be working with an established professional person artist.
- In this cost range you lot will be looking more than at portrait paintings rather than portrait drawings
- You lot will exist either asked to submit one or two photos and may fifty-fifty be asked if the subject would like to come in to the studio to sit down for the artist.
- Where previously the artist would attempt to brand an verbal a copy, in this price range yous volition be working with someone who volition work in their signature way – something they are known for.
- You volition be working with a professional who will go on y'all in the loop every bit the portrait commission progresses.
- The size of the portrait will be negotiable and the creative person will be producing the portrait using quality materials.
- Some very talented artists work in this price range.
- Yous will be asked up front end for any specific requests or requirements before they commence on the portrait.
Indicative cost to commission a portrait: $5000-$20000
- Commonly requires a signed contract and 25% upfront payment or eolith to cover costs and the rest of the money on completion
Where Would You lot Discover This Artist?
- Instagram, Local Galleries, Regional Galleries, Online Search, Art Shows, Give-and-take of Mouth Referrals
Mutual Mediums:
- Acrylics, Oils, Mix Media
Framed/Unframed:
- Unremarkably Framed on Request
Notes:
- In this cost range y'all will be working with an established professional artist.
- Y'all will be either asked to submit one or two photos for references but the artist will prefer the portrait subject to come in to the studio and sit down for the artist.
- Sitting for the creative person volition be used as part of the toll justification and feel.
- In this toll range you lot volition exist working with someone who will work in their signature mode – something they are known for.
- The size of the portrait beingness deputed will exist negotiable and the artist will exist producing the portrait using quality materials.
- Very talented and well known artists work in this price range. Expect a waiting list or to even be rejected for requests.
- You will be asked upwardly front end for any specific requests or requirements before they commence on the portrait.
- The artist will usually allow for many reasonable changes or edits to be made prior to completion.
- The artist volition provide a fixed time line and cost to produce the final portrait.
Indicative cost to commission a portrait: $20000+
- Ordinarily requires a signed contract and 25% upfront payment or deposit to cover costs and the residue of the money on completion
Where Would You Find This Creative person?
- Art Galleries, Artist Agents, Artist Directories
Common Mediums:
- Acrylics, Oils, Mix Media
Framed/Unframed:
- Usually Framed on Request
Notes:
- This level of artist will exist an established professional person in their field and will most likely have a long waiting list.
- They will be an exhibiting artist who about likely volition specialize in portraiture.
- They volition most likely have many corporate clients and be known to have painted the portraits of politicians, the rich and famous and business organisation leaders.
I found an artist, at present what practise I need to look for in a portrait?
You lot have approached an artist y'all like and they have provided you an estimated cost to committee a portrait.
Before y'all hand over your difficult earned money and committee a portrait, I would like to give you some simple communication and tips on what to await for.
This way yous know yous know y'all are getting a good portrait from a skilled artist and not an amateurish piece.
1. Exercise your research and always enquire for examples or portfolio of other portrait commissions the creative person has completed. This could be links to their website portfolio, an Instagram page or if they are represented by a gallery they can provide a portfolio of works. Every bit what their procedure is, a confident artist will give you more item than one who is not.
2. If they accept a social media presence and have an engaged audition, inquire if anyone else has purchased from them and ask for whatsoever reviews or feedback they may have.
iii. Speak to the artist and accomplish an agreement on toll, medium, what exactly will be delivered and when. Get these in writing fifty-fifty if information technology by e-mail.
iv. As the artist if they provide a review period where they will bear witness you lot either progress existence fabricated and if they are ok to accept changes to be made earlier the final piece is delivered.
Finally, train yourself then you lot know what to look for when you lot view a portrait and so that at a minimum you know what makes one portrait better than some other.
Many artists brand the nearly bones of mistakes and a trained centre volition option up on them quickly.
Credit to The Principles of Design for the additional information provided. I recommend farther reading if y'all are interested in knowing more about art appreciation. Your local library and online resource are filled with this information.
The deplorable fact nigh selecting a portrait to commission is that a lot of the stuff on sale is simply a waste of your coin.
No affair how much an artist or seller talks upwardly their work – 80% is not worth the coin.
A trained middle and anyone who knows about fine art can tell you lot in the start 5 seconds if the piece of work is whatsoever practiced.
Hopefully with these tips you lot volition be part of the 20% who tin can spot a good artist and are able to committee a portrait that yous will be happy to hang.
What to look for
When buying an original cartoon or painting, take a look at how the subject – the main person or object is equanimous.
Remainder – A balanced artwork leaves the viewer feeling visually comfortable. On the other hand, a piece of work that is not balanced creates a sense of visual stress.
The work should be balanced and the subject should not be located in one part of the page or canvas without some sort of counter-residue.
This counter-remainder can either be another object or serial of objects, a cake of colour in the background – this is called Informal Balance.
Sometimes if in that location is no balance surrounding the central subject, so you will notice that the chief office of the subject i.e the face up is really centred on the page.
Another instance of balancethe subject field is centred

Many artworks I see tin can merits to be counterbalanced, but each fourth dimension I look at them, they have that 'not quite right' wait to them. The first two are fine examples of something not beingness quite right. Try the mirror test out on them after and tell me what you recollect.
They are also an example of a traced photograph so smudging used to fill in areas where the artist lacked the skill to exercise proper shading. The same bug are seen in paintings as well every bit pencil portraits.


This concluding portrait above was created badly on purpose but there are many delusional artists out there passing off like works every bit portraits they are happy to sell.
Of import: The Mirror Examination
There's a uncomplicated test you can run on an fine art work to see if its balanced – and this is my all time favourite test as all yous demand is a uncomplicated mirror, whatever kind of mirror.

What you need to do is look at the artwork using a mirror – and you can use it on art images on instagram or on art for sale on eBay, if the epitome obviously looks 'non quite right' in its mirror paradigm, it'southward pretty much a given that information technology'southward non quite correct.
This examination also works with Proportion.
Try the mirror test on the examples I institute and you lot will see how unbalanced they are

I won't name the artists, but in each example you can clearly see how unbalanced they are and if you lot can't, try the mirror exam and see for yourself!

As an artist, you should mirror test your works all the fourth dimension – I do to track my progress, no matter how good you are, sometimes you lot exercise get the smallest part wrong and the mirror helps you correct your fault.
I notwithstanding cringe at some of the earlier commissions I completed that now hang on walls in houses all over the world that didn't pass the mirror test but were given abroad as gifts, I at present destroy any work that wont pass this test rather than have it hung up on a wall.
Taking into consideration the explanation to a higher place, accept a wait to see if the artwork existence sold has all its bits in the right place at the right length.
What y'all want to ensure is that if someone is not purposely trying to depict disproportionate features; that yous check to see if:
- an arm is too long for the body
- a nose is much longer than on the photo shown for comparing
- their optics are not too wide apart
- or one ear is non sitting on a brow while the other is down low near the neck (I am not joking I take actually seen this).
The second item y'all should be looking at is
- Is the drawing or painting traced?
- Did the artist use a tricky reckoner program to scan your photograph and and then resample it as an artwork or cartoon and then print it out.
When you wait at a portrait you should likewise ask yourself, is the drawing or painting traced?
I accept seen then many examples of traced artworks being sold as either originals or every bit part of commissioned portraits.
Where an creative person has simply used tracing paper to draw an outline of your photo and then the proportions are correct. The thing with traced portraits is, they volition show up an artists lack of skill when it comes down to the finer details.
You will come across in most traced works that yes they have the proportions correct, the image outline is to scale but when yous wait at the cardinal items such as eyes, nose, lips and mostly the cheek and mentum surface area.
They volition try to pass the details off with shading that merely doesn't quite practise it, in other words it doesnt look like the real person even though you can run across their outline.
The other tell-tale sign is that you tin can clearly see a thicker outline of where the bailiwick has been traced and all the other detail will be sketchy.
Using a estimator program – On rare occasions I have seen this, theartisthas scanned a photo and so used a program such as photoshop or adobe illustrator to catechumen a scanned epitome into adrawni.
They will and then effort to print it off on a laser or inkjet printer and pass information technology off equally an original artwork.
Some are fifty-fifty tricky enough to requite it a once over with some pencils.
But the scam is discovered when you rub out some of the features and meet the print which does not get abroad.
I hope that has helped you to work out what makes a good art work and what doesn't. When armed with this information you will appreciate the attempt and skills involved with commissioned portraits.
Even after all these years of painting portraits and cartoon portraits I am e'er learning and I hope other artists will not take offence at including their works on this guide, for that reason I have not named names etc.
If you take farther questions regarding the cost to committee a portrait, copies, artworks in general – feel costless to contact me and I will attempt to assist to the best of my abilities.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The price of a portrait drawing or painting varies depending on size, medium, artist experience and location; the cost varies from $20-$200 for an amateur artist; $200 up to $5000 for an experienced creative person and over $20,000+ for a well known and established creative person. Sizes and materials will vary then be sure to ask for specifics.
Source: https://wastedtalentinc.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-commission-a-portrait/
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