In this article I’m going to do something that some of my friends warn me not to because they are so darn practical:
I’m going to tell all. Oh My God, I’m sharing with the entire world our pricing structure for wall murals. (Subject to increase by 10% every year…)
Why would I do something so daring and crazy, you ask? Because that’s what my blog is all about – uniting artists and sharing information so that we all can be successful and live the dream life.
In a second follow-up article, I’m going to give you our “secrets” for making mural clients so happy that they scream from their rooftops “Use this artist for your next project. She’s/He’s the BEST!”
But first, I’ll go over the money part – because for me, money is important. I love to eat good food and travel. And for some strange reason, it costs money to do that. 🙂
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP A STRUCTURED PRICE SHEET
You should have a detailed mural pricing structure in writing. And if you don’t have one already, you can use mine as a guide.
Determining what to charge for a wall mural can be tricky. But once you get a structure in place, pricing murals will be a smooth process.
This month we have two large murals that Drew has been commissioned to paint. One of the murals is for a new store called Yogurt Wave. We flew mural expert, Katie Staib, down from Spokane Washington to help make it look great.
The owners, Kerry and Tommy, contacted Drew because his fun style attracts young people that are into action sports, which is their target market.
Their first question was “what will it cost to have Drew paint a 46’ foot mural?” In just a few short minutes, I was able to give them a quote thanks to my nicely organized price sheet.
One of the most common challenges for artists is determining what to charge for a project. Developing a structure & system will make it so much easier for you.
Our current system is working well for us and our clients understand it. But there may be alternative ways to do it, so if you know of a better system, please share in the comments!
HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR PRICE SHEET
Photo: Wall Mural by Drew Brophy
Your mural price sheet should be structured in a way that makes sense and that enables you to easily determine what you will charge based on size of the mural.
We charge approx. $25.00 – $35.00 per square foot with a minimum of 160 square feet. Knowing this makes it easy to establish pricing based on various sizes.
Below is a copy of the price sheet that we give to people prior to a written proposal.
Giving a client a price sheet:
- Weeds out the people who can’t afford you (so you don’t waste your time or theirs); and
- Demonstrates your professionalism. People tend to feel better about handing you a big check when they think you know what you’re doing.
Keep in mind, our pricing may be considered high by some standards and very low by others. We know of many artists that charge a lot more than we do. And then there are some that are charging half of what we do.
HOW MUCH $$$ YOU CHARGE IS RELATIVE TO: your experience, where you are located (some places are cheaper to live than others) and supply and demand of your art.
You are welcome to copy and paste the form below and adjust it accordingly for your own use.
OR buy my Mural Pricing and Proposal Package HERE (it will save you years of agony having a TEMPLATE on a mural proposal!)
SAMPLE MURAL PRICING SHEET
Minimum Price: Murals sized 0 to 160 Square Feet: Price is $5,600
Pricing starts at $35 per square foot and decreases with increased size of mural; at 290 sf price drops to $32/sf – at 500 sf drops to $30/sf – at 900 sf price drops to $28/sf.
(Square Foot is determined by multiplying the height x width of the painting surface)
*Price per square foot may increase if design requested is complex. This will be indicated in price quote and determined at the time that the final sketch is approved.
SAMPLE PRICING, per square foot:
| Prices per Unit Size (sample sizes) | ||
| DIMENSIONS | ²AREA | PRICE |
| Up to 10ft. x 16ft. | 160ft. | $5,600.00 |
| 11ft. x 16ft. | 176ft. | $6,160.00 |
| 12ft. x 20ft. | 240ft. | $8,400.00 |
| 13ft. x 20ft. | 260ft. | $9,100.00 |
| 14ft. x 21ft. | 294ft. | $9,410.00 |
| 15ft. x 23ft. | 345ft. | $11,040.00 |
| 17ft. x 26ft. | 442ft. | $14,144.00 |
| 18ft. x 28ft. | 504ft. | $15,120.00 |
| 19ft. x 30ft. | 570ft. | $17,100.00 |
| 20ft. x 31ft. | 620ft. | $18,600.00 |
| 25ft. x 39ft. | 975ft. | $27,300.00 |
| 28ft. x 44ft. | 1232ft. | $34,500.00 |
Non-Refundable Design/Sketch Fee: $2500.00 – Includes up to 2 sets of changes by client (Additional sketches charged at $250/sketch)
In my Mural Pricing and Proposal Package I also tell you how to handle and what to charge $ for:
- Travel fees
- Liability Insurance
- Unexpected changes to the art
- Adverse conditions on the surface of the wall (i.e. it’s not “paint ready”)
- Payment terms: How much $$$ to ask for UP FRONT before starting the sketch process and when the balance is due
- MORE things you never thought of!
PRICE SHEET EXPLANATION
Every detail and *caveat on the price sheet is necessary and came from us learning the hard way. Below are a few points and for ALL of the info get my Proposal Package:
Pricing Structure: I’ve talked to mural artists who charge $40 – $50 a square foot. For us, a starting price of approx. $35 per square foot works, because Drew is extremely efficient and gets a project completed rather quickly.
- You might charge less if you’re new at it or if you live in a low cost-of-living area, or
- You might charge more if you are very experienced or in high demand, or live in a high cost-of-living area (like New York or LA).
Minimum Price: We charge a minimum for small murals under 160 square feet because it’s a lot of work and time to set up at a location. It’s not worth it for us to have Drew go out to paint a small mural and only be paid a couple thousand dollars. You may want to adjust this number up or down, depending upon where you are in your career.
Realistically, for murals smaller than 160 sf, an artist is better off painting an original painting in their studio. It’s easier and doesn’t require travel or set up someplace else. The upside for the client is a piece of art that they can remove from the wall if they move, or that they can resell if they want to later.
Non-Refundable Design (Sketch) Fee: Every mural we do is designed on paper first. We offer the client the ability to pay just for the sketches first, because sometimes a client isn’t sure if you can do what it is that they want.
If they don’t like your design or decide not to use your services after all, they only lose the money they paid for the sketch fee and you are at least paid for your time to sketch it for them. We don’t sketch out anything without the design fee because it’s a lot of work. Just meeting with the person to discuss what they want can take a couple hours. You want to make sure that you are paid for that time.
Why You Should Limit the Number of Sketches: We have a limit of up to 3 sketches (2 sets of changes) and then charge for each additional sketch beyond that. When you do this, your client will be motivated to be very specific about what they want. If you don’t limit the number of sketches, they will just go on and on with changes. Trust me on this!
Wall Preparation: So far, we’ve never had to charge additional fees for wall prep. We’ve only had brand new walls to paint. But if Drew arrived at a location and the walls were in bad shape, we have this caveat in the price quote so that we can charge extra for getting the wall paint-ready.
Payment Terms: This is very Important! We require 50% of the total amount 2 weeks prior to the scheduled start date. This allows us to block out 5 or more days on the calendar (thus not accepting other projects for those days) and to purchase the necessary materials prior to the painting.
Paying a deposit is also a psychological thing with your client – you want to train them to view you as a professional who expects prompt payment, and they are fully committed when they pay half up front.
If you are just building your portfolio, there are other ways to handle the deposit, and I tell you how in my Mural Pricing and Proposal Package.
THE BALANCE is due on the last day of the painting. This is because I personally hate chasing money. I want to be paid and done with a job when it’s finished. Also, I have to pay our assistant on that last day as well. And if you know anything about me by reading my posts, you know that I got out of the Art Banking business years ago!
PROPOSAL PROCESS
When we get a call from someone interested in a mural painting, our process is:
1.) E-mail them the pricing sheet above. This is so that from the very beginning, your client knows your general pricing and they can determine if it’s in their price range.
2.) Gather details about the mural, such as: Height and Width of the proposed mural, physical location, the shape that the wall is in, and what design they want. (I ask the client for this – we rarely go out to see the mural space until after we know it’s a “go”.)
3.) Based on the information provided above, then I’ll write up and e-mail a written proposal. (My Mural Proposal Template available HERE)
Throughout the process I will verbally clarify, up front, how we work (meaning our payment policies). I’ll usually say: “We will begin the sketch process once you pay your Sketch fee. The fee includes up to 3 sketches, so please be as specific as you can about what you want. A 50% deposit is due 2 weeks before the painting begins. The mural will take approximately 5 days (or however many). We plan to work from 9-5 daily. Your final payment is due on the day it’s finished.”
Being clear and direct helps to prevent misunderstandings later. I don’t like surprises, especially when it comes to money. That’s why I’m so specific in both my written agreements and my verbal discussions with clients. Everything goes better that way, and clients appreciate knowing what to expect.
GIVING A DEAL/PRICE BREAK
Your client may ask for a deal on price. Sometimes it’s reasonable to give a small discount or freebie to a returning client.
For new clients: If it seems like it’ll be a less complicated design, sometimes I’ll offer to deduct their sketch fee from the mural price. Basically I’m waiving the sketch fee, but I still require a payment prior to the sketch process.
You could also offer to lower the per-square-foot fee if the mural is going to be very simple and easy, say, like a basic design. On the other hand, if the design they want is extremely detailed, you should consider increasing the per square foot fee.
ONCE THE SKETCH PROCESS IS COMPLETE
After we get the sketch drawn out, and the client is ready to move forward, we ask for 50% down and we schedule the dates that the painting will take place.
Typically Drew can get a mural completed in 5-7 days. Using a system of gridlines and efficiency, along with the help of an assistant, most murals, even very large ones, can be completed in that time frame.
In the end, the most important thing is to make sure that your client is extremely happy with your work. Read my article “Painting a Wall Mural – Ten Ways to Please Your Client” on how to make your client so pleased, that they are screaming your name from their rooftops!
SAMPLE WALL MURAL PROPOSAL TEMPLATE:
Artist’s Wall Mural Proposal Template Package
I hope this has been helpful to you. Please let me know in the comments below. (Or share your suggestions on how to make the mural pricing process better).
AND: Sign up for my informative Newsletters! In every newsletter I send by email you get FREE art business strategy coaching – my gift to you for being on my e-mail list!
Because of my freakish nature of ruminating over every little detail, it takes me hours to write these articles, and if I know that I’m helping people, I will keep on doing it!
AND, IF YOU WANT A PROFESSIONAL PROPOSAL PROCESS and TEMPLATE, check out this awesome package I created that has helped hundreds of artists proposal and price out murals:
Artist’s Wall Mural Proposal Template and Price Sheet
Luv, Maria xxoo
Thanks for this. I live on the east coast and appreciate your openess to share. My mural side business is extending out from mostly friends to other cientelle, and I needed some tips on pricing so that I can be as professional as possible. This was very helpful thank you for suporting the arts. waya
This was very helpful (as all the other posts I read on your blog). Please keep sharing your experience…
Thank you!! This is an excellent find! I have been toying with starting up a small mural business but felt completely lost on where to even begin with the “business” side of it. Lots of great info on here. Thank you SO much!
Thank you for being so open and helpful w/your information. That was amazing. Just curious…When you do your sketch, is it just a concept sketched out w/colors, or is it pretty close to looking the end product?
Thank you!
Ivonne Campbell
Hey Cricket,
Thanks for the comment. To answer your question: The sketch is without colors, it’s very close to what you will paint on the wall. We have our clients approve the sketch before painting. Once approved, there should be no more changes.
Yessssss…. this was very helpful & thank you so much for sharing. No one really has to share, so that’s a great thing that you did. Many blessings coming your way. 🙂
So yeah, I’m an Artist. Been all my life, so on my many past experience on any kind of freelance work, I’ve also learn that it get’s crazy when it comes to clients with the prices and all. People always expect too much for so little and happy with the design at first & start wanting to change up things once you’ve already started or even sometime when you’re done. No thought of paying any more for all this even comes to their minds or even how all you’re precious time & hard labor is going behind all this work. Gosh!!! LOL
So yes, this really does also help me a lot as I do appreciate you taking out your own time to teach me & others (Freelance Artists) on this subject as I found you be researching due to planing on going into the Wall Mural business for myself. Thanks!!! 😀
PS
It’s Tampa Florida a good place to charge those Nice Prices in your opinion if you can answer?
Zamir, thanks for visiting my blog!
Regarding Tampa FLA: I know a mural artist there who charges over $40 a square foot, and it’s all he does. I think the amount you charge depends on your experience level and reputation. The fees in this article are reasonable for the amount of work required to paint a mural. Since I wrote this article, we have raised our prices over 10%.
I’m in the process of being commissioned for my first mural and this post was EXACTLY what I needed to get started. I appreciate that you took the time to write this out for other artists and will use the information you provided to do my first job! Thank you!
This was so helpful! I’m working on a bid and waffling about a price, wondering if I’m asking too much. On a whim I googled pricing murals and got your article. I am by no means asking too much and this gave me the confidence I need to walk back into my customer and feel free to tell them that if it’s too much, they can’t afford me! Thank you for your honesty. Can’t wait to read what else you have to say.
So very helpful! thanks so much for sharing.
Hi
I am a self taught artist that has set up my own mural buisness, I started of just doing lots of residential things but have started getting lots of commercial work – so you guide was just what I was looking for.
Can you recommend which paint is best as your colours are amazing as I am now doing much bigger surface areas
Thanks
Your efforts did not go to waste, I used every bit of info you gave in your article, thank you! I now hope to soon have a contract.
Great article! Thanks for sharing.
This is EXACTLY the info I was looking for. Before seeing this structure, I would have charged WAY too little for a job that seems simple but is sure to take me at least a week to complete.THANK YOU!
that was very sweet of you to share, i need to understand more about the liabilty insurance, how do you seperate it from cost. isnt something that you pay yearly or is it by project?
my experience was all overseas, so that is new to me.
thank you Maria.
Rania, thanks for the comment. To answer your question about Liability Insurance: Some companies may want the artist to provide it. Since we are a small business, we do not have liability insurance in place. I feel it’s important for the client to know this, that’s why I included reference to it n the list of things not included in the price (and not included at all).
hi maria,im a mural artist from the philippines this was very helpful. thank you so much maria brophy.
Thank you for this great article it helps a lot. I have done a few murals and am trying to get into it more. I actually went and looked at a job last night and am working on a bid for them right now. The total square footage of the project is over 1300 and they dont want a real detailed mural but it is still a lot of area to paint . Its an apartment complex that is a warehouse style flat and they want some industrial scenes painted on the walls, when I say not detailed I mean realistic but stylized.
Your article is very helpful in the pricing and I appreciate the information about the insurance also.
Thanks again
Have a great day
Just what I needed. Very helpful and truly a blessing. By reaching out to others you make a difference and your information will help others reach their goals. Awesome Job!
Thank you very much this was very helpful… :0)
its a big helful for me but you did not mentioned how many days tobe finsh the work:-)
Wow, so great of you to be so forthcoming with your extremely valuable information! Just the kind of information that I can use being new in the selling my art world. I can’t wait to read more of your articles. I’ve just found you. Thanks again. Oh and please, do keep writing!
Thank you so much for this! Im starting murals for the first time and this was so helpful!
Hi From AZ! What a great article! VERY VERY VERY helpful and I so much appreciate the option to use your proposal as a template. As our company is *just* budding, I don’t think we’d have a minimum square footage (trying to build our reputation and portfolio). For very simple designs, do you think $20-$25 is too little? My partner and I also always do a colored final draft, is that too much without adding a design fee? Since we’re super new at this, do you think we’re selling ourselves short? Or will a drastic hike in price cause us to lose our client base? Any info is greatly appreciated!
Dear Jocelyn,
Thanks for the comment and the question. You should always have a base price (a minimum) that covers your paint, materials, planning time and travel time (gas, etc).
Customers who won’t pay a decent price are not customers that you want to have.
You can find the best customers by charging what’s fair to you. That weeds out the good ones from the not-so-good ones.
I hope this is helpful!
PS: Please Sign up for my email newsletter – on the upper right toolbar.
Hello Maria I have a long art and mural experience back from Canada and Czech republic. The 90’s were great for mural business down in Prague. Unfortunately I have end up in the West of Canada in Calgary. I must say art business is very bad over here(except Stampede art show-realistic western art,every year),trying to find clientele is very hard. Somehow the people they do not even know about the possibility to have a mural painted at home. So I have switched partly to airbrushing helmets,it was little bit better but nothing great,still have difficulty to get to the right clientele. Everybody seems to be so cheap but demanding high quality of work. I wish to be able to charge same money as you do back in US. Canada is all frozen for art..Beside most of my Kijjii ads had been removed for now apparent reasons(Iam complaining through email at their service). So Iam looking how to promote my art work. Would you know some tips,beside to move out of this cold cave..:)) Thank you a lot for your side it gaves me hope that somewhere far is possible to ask what we all deserve.
Hey thanks a lot I have been looking for some one that knows what there doing and if u have a facebook please add me you can look me up as Uriel Valencia custom canvas I’m trying to come up in the painting world and if you any in vice or tip please email me and thanks again hope to hear from you
While the grid system is fine and traditional. The drawing can be done much quicker however by using an opaque projector with the drawing projected on the wall. Tracing the drawing is so much faster than the grid system that I feel it worth mentioning. Of course you do have to work at night to make that drawing. I did a mural near 100 ft long and easily 20 feet high that way.
Wow you just opened my eyes. I didn’t know you could charge that much. I’m barely starting and I was charging $25 for big window size drawings and $80 for walls! You must be laughing. Thank you so much.
thank you so much for sharing. Your 100% right, artist should share info…stick together in pricing and never underestimate the value of our time or art. It is a gift to be able to do art, and it seems lately in my life, some folks, want alot for nothing or free…..I appreciate what you shared…all the best to you!
So here is my share…for those of you who don’t know about it already,
check out callforentry.org..There are heaps of art, mural calls and projects all over the US listed constantly. All you have to do is apply…
hi, i have been an artist/ designer for many years. i have painted some murals vases and vines for some of my design clients. i have recently been asked to paint store fronts(glass) and some characters and vines on a wall. these are small areas as compared to a large mural. How does this fall into the pricing chart. i would rather give a flat price than charge by the hour.
help
thanks
Isabelle, thanks for the comment and the question.
The answer is that you can come up with a per square foot price that is both good for you and that the client will pay. That number depends on a few different factors: your reputation & experience, where you live, your clientele, etc. Experiment and find a price that works well for you. Then raise it by 10% every year to keep up with inflation, etc.
I did a mural as a volunteer at my church, and now I’m getting requests to paint murals for money. This is going to be a huge help, I had no idea how much to charge for such a huge amount of work. Thank you for posting this, pricing is so intimidating and this will make things easier and keep me from getting ripped off.
Mil Gracias!! This honest information has saved me from imbarrasement. I am a professional artist, portraits and landscapes, who was asked to paint a mural on a family members office wall. All went well, except for the pricing. Mind you, this person would not object to any quote, but I want to be fair – you have made that possible. I too believe in sharing gained knowledge earned through experience.
Thank you VERY much:) I am starting my very first(paid) mural, and you helped me soooo…much. I also appreciate your freedom to give out your experienced knowledge. My pricing on ALL my art work has been difficult. Too high? Too low? You’ve given me some great tips. THANK YOU:)
Hi,
I am residing in Bangalore,India. I am doing Mural business. Mural in the sense it is a embossed mouled version which then applying resin on mud mould and then painted it for final finishing.
That mural will be clamped at outside home wall. So it appears like it is attached to the wall.
So i want to extend my business to US.
can you please suggest over some ideas in which type i can establish my business.!
Thankyou soo much. Ive been interested and told to do this by so many for so long. But never knew how to start. Thankyou!
phone number please
Thank you SO much for this! It is very informative and right to the point. I have just started out as a mural artist (I primarily tattoo or offer canvas paintings) and I had NO idea what to charge. Thank you again for sharing your info and plan sheets with us!
thanks man,may god bless u and the company to grow big.u realy enlighten my vision and now i know cause i can see because of your love you got for the artists.im from South Africa.and your spirit called me from a distance and i appriciate it man.once againg may the lord almighty grown you spiritualy.keep spreading that info *i call it the words and numbers of enlightment* take care.sharp sharp!
Great blog!, thank you for sharing,
I ask for the deposit and most times i get it and if they don’t pay i leave its just not worth it,
but i have been done over at the end of my projects a couple of times, where either the client has given me a check and it has bounced and another time where the client has said that they don’t have the final fee amount and i just had to walk away empty handed but i was paid the 50% deposit fee but the client did get the mural for half the price.
what should i have done in those situations?
any information you could tell me would be greatly appreciated
thank you
Joanne, thanks for the email and question! There are many ways to avoid someone stiffing you the final payment. They are:
1 – Do a good job of choosing your clients (make sure they are people you can trust);
2 – have every client sign a proposal/contract (it can be a simple one pager, just get their signature), and
3 – constantly remind them that you will require final payment on your last day.
Make sure there are no questions in their mind what you EXPECT of them. When we make it clear what we expect, people usually deliver.
I hope this helps!
I recently painted my first mural and thanks to Maria, it was a wonderful experience. One other comment I would like to add from having been a freelance artist for many years is:
If you go that extra mile and do a favor for a client ALWAYS be certain that they KNOW that you are doing them a favor, otherwise they come to expect you to do extra stuff for them and they really appreciate your endeavor to make them happy.
Thank you for sharing your pricing guide and terms. This has been very helpful to me in my current situation. I have been painting custom work for years; however, it was not until recently that I was asked to paint a large mural 20×30 foot on the side of a down town building. I had no idea what to charge for this since my current “per square inch” painting scale came out to be astronomical! I know that my potential client will be impressed with your setup (with a few minor tweaks for living location). Thanks again!
Jenn
This article has been really helpful to me. I am an Art student and I’m thinking of doing this mural for a business.The mural just consists of his business design which is just words but it’s my second mural, which is my first solo mural and I really lacked the proper mural pricing method so thank you soooooo much =) for giving me someeee =)
Your are a great help, i am new to this and this is exactly what i needed for a moral boost! thanks and cheers, please visit my site, your input would be greatly appreciated!
http://www.facebook.com/thor6692.
It was so wonderful of you to post this article. It is sad in my experience that artists don’t share information more like this. Love your blog! Love your work.
Blessings,
This is excellent stuff, so good as this will be the first time I have ever charged professionally for a wall mural. Love it…please keep helping.
Thank you! This is super nice of you to share the knowledge! Much success to us all!
Hi was just wondering if anyone had any advice on charging for lettering. I have been asked to paint a childs name and not sure hove to price this.
would also appreciate making contacts in the mural world please check out my link
https://www.facebook.com/thor6692#!/Mural.Designs
Hey Alison, thanks for landing on my blog!
Regarding charging for lettering: I would recommend coming up with a minimum fee (i.e. $500 minimum for lettering) and then add a dollar amount for each letter (i.e. $20 per letter or $500, whichever is greater).
So, using the above example, if the total number of letters/numbers added up to 35, you would charge $20 x 35 = $700.00. If the total number was 12 letters/numbers, you would charge the minimum of $500.
I hope this helps!
Thank you SO much for this information! As a lifelong Artist I have wanted to do murals for as long as I can remember. At age 52, having just graduated from college for graphic design, I now have the information to begin this process! You Rock!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I’m about to do my first mural, and your article has given me the perspective I needed to get my prices down. You rock! 🙂
I have really enjoyed your comments and blogg. I am an African American illustator with many years of art experience. It is nice to get a handle on the project ans hold onto it. You have helped. Irie Ites.
Wow, this was a wonderful and unexpected find, so tremendously useful. Thank you! I have been a commercial artist for years, (excepting the homeschooling-mommy-at-home years) and I have always found it exceedingly difficult to price my work, consequently I have usually cheated myself of my rightful compensation. Your site is going to change the way I proceed from now on. Again, thank you very much!!
Thank you, the information you provided has been helpful. My father and I are planning to start up a mural business, and it’s been difficult for me to have him commit to some solid “base pricing”. He wants to just do case-by-case at the site estimated pricing. Hopefully this will help him see the necessity of “base pricing”.
Hi Tillman you are lucky to start serious business at your area. If you live in Calgary Canada you will not have some worries as mural business is dead over here..GOOD LUCK IN MURAL ART..maybe one day I will move down to USA. But getting too old probably even older then your dad.. (all of the murals on my webside were done in Europe)
So helpful!! Thank you for taking the time to do this. You are a blessing, an answer to prayer!