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
Hautschicht realistische einem wird nur nicht die stark Aufkl
love your generosity of information
thank you
just got a call from a perspective client for a mural.. so helpful
thank you ! from Australia. Realy like your writing style.
Thank you so much for this very helpful post! It will assist us in creating our first pricing sheet after 15 years.
Hey Maria , Thanks for the helpful post. I am getting ready to quote a restaurant locally for inside and outside work and this info will help me a bunch!!! Maria you rock lady !!!
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Wow!!! Thank you sooooo much! This is amazing and I appreciate you being so kind to share! I wish more people were like you! You have improved my life!
Have been painting murals for friends and family for years and love it!!!
They have always said I should do it for living…………but I was never confident on how to price a mural…….until now….massive thank you.
AMAZING thank you so much. What a clear synopsis. I was able to extract information from this post (legal terminology and wordage) and create a mural proposal in under an hour.
What a great help! I will sign up to follow your posts and share them with my art community in NJ!
Thank you ! It is really amazing you are sharing this information , like you said pricing can be very confusing, but this was really helpful!
This is very helpful. I have been doing this since I was in high school and never knew what or how to charge. I’m from Indianapolis and just recently moved to Houston. I have been asked to paint in a charter school and a church so far. The area is a low cost of living areaso I am wondering how much to charge without undercutting myself and the client since this is a source of income for me?
ently no
this is fantastic! thanks for posting.
Very informative post! This has helped me and relieved me from stressing when giving a quote.
Thank you!
Thank you very much. This article is very helpful. I am trying to get started in the mural making business and this is very helpful stuff.
Really love your firsthand advice and would appreciate it if you were able to send any additional thoughts or ideas…thanks Maria:) jay gille
ロンシャン+つ
Omgosh maria. Thank you so much for sharing this. This was very helpful iny research.
This was a wonderfully helpful post! I’ve been thinking about building my art and tattoo design business and to make it more professional for a little while now, but I had no idea how to go about it. Figuring out pricing was especially important to me and I will definitely be using this post to design my own pricing policy model! Thanks so much!
Hi Maria! I am so glad to have found your article. I’m a freelance artist in Toronto, Canada. My friend and I actually may have an upcoming mural commission and it was just great to have your advice. Your article is very much appreciated!
I was just wondering the average cost of painting materials…say for a 400 square ft. mural?
Maria ,thank you so much for the info as a new business and possibly on the other end of the country…. It means the worldl to me that another artist will share ,what so many of us need,I knew all these thing just didn’t know how to implement them.closed my business ARTFAUX now looking for work. You’ve made me rethink my job hunt and go for what I really love.MURALS sincerely
Maria, you are a dream come true!! My fiance and I have struggled with so many of these issues. I really appreciate your time and dedication to sharing the knowledge you and Drew have learned over the years. Nothing but love from us. P.S. We just saw a Drew Brophy painted rental RV van drive by. 🙂
Hi Maria,
This is the most comprehensive and well-constructed blog on mural pricing that I have found. Thank you so much for providing examples of your pricing sheets!
I am about to take on my first commissioned mural project and this has definitely helped me think about quoting the price.
How do you deal with surfaces that are irregular, such as railings on staircases, ceiling and floor moulding, overhangs, etc. ???
Cheers,
Adam
Hi Maria. I have a client that is notorious for changing things, and firing contractors and artists. He owns several very successful clubs around the world, and feels ” entitled” to micro-art-direct everything, and change concepts on a whim. How do I protect myself from running out of money on a flat bid project?
Dear Brett,
Thanks for the question. The answer is quite simple:
Take control of the situation by placing limits on what he can do for the price quoted.
For example, when giving a price quote or proposal for the next project, include a statement that places limits on his number of changes. If he exceeds that limit, then he is charged an additional $xxxx.
In all of our price quotes and proposals, we limit the number of changes a client can make to a sketch to 3. If they make changes after the 3rd sketch, they are charged a sketch fee of $150 per additional sketch. It’s amazing how limits keep people from changing their mind too much.
Another fix to this is: Fire this client and replace him with one that is a pleasure to work with!
Hi Maria,
Great article. We are based in NYC and our accountant says we should be charging sales tax on murals (artwork) to be safe. Do you charge sales tax for your services?
Thanks!
Thanks a lot! I am not a professional mural painter, but I have done a lot of murals round my neighbourhood here in Spain, and I just found this article so useful. We probably don’t have the same pricing structure here, but just knowing how to lay it out and appear professional is great. Thanks for all your time. Best wishes from Madrid! Linda
Thank you SO MUCH for this article.
So often I feel like I almost need to apologize for charging to paint murals or complete artwork for clients!
This information makes me feel very empowered!
Thank you again!
‘WOW’ THANK YOU VERY MUCH….the information you”ve shared was very helpful. I”ve been painting signs & murals for about 20 years now, and really never looked into how much I should have been charging ..But , I”m very thankful to blessed with a talent that I enjoy sharing with a happy and pleased customer…
hello, thanks so much for the information about this post. I am contemplating putting a mural proposal together for a wall in my neighborhood however it would be my first mural. I’m nervous about under or overestimating the time it will take. This article has helped to think about the process a bit more clearly. Any advice from anyone about estimating mural painting times? Its a big one 33’x16’…am i crazy to consider it?
Thank you SO much for this! This information has been very helpful for me.
Simplicity versus Tight detail, how does pricing differ?
Charles, If the client asks for a lot of extra detail that will require a lot more time, add to the price. We often do that. And, as well as the opposite, if the client has a tight budget, we will offer to do a mural for less $, but with very minimal details.
Thanks, that helped a lot, even though I didn’t read it until after painting the mural and then puzzling over how much to charge.
Experienced Artist,novice muralist,who found expert advice! Thx a trillion.
I found your articles just in the nick of time! I lost my job as a teacher and pursuing a career as a muralist.
REALLY needed this info. I live in Mexico so I will have to modify your structure. Thank you very much.
Maria,
Thank you for the excellent advice and help. It’s so great to find someone willing to help as you do. I now use you as my ‘go to’ source for answers to my art/mural questions.
I have a question on pricing if you would be so kind.
How would you handle the pricing on a vignette style mural? Say the wall is 16 x 10 – but I plan on doing a graphical style pattern that encompasses full color photo-realistic objects and scenes wrapped within it. So the ‘paint’ only covers maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of the actual wall? Sometimes the whole wall will be painted a base color that fits the color scheme of the graphic/scene. Do vignettes count as a whole wall? Only question I have left – as you’ve answered everything else. 🙂
Maria you are a treasure! I’ve been an artist all my life, but I’m just getting started in the world of freelancing and it’s intimidating! Thank you so much for what you do, I have a direction now 🙂
Thanks i’m just starting out and really wasnt quite sure how i should go about it. This has helped so much
Hey! Hey!
hi there
I have been comissioned to do my first outdoor mural and have no idea how much paint to use and therefore no idea how to build it into my quote? how do you work out how much paint you need/coverage etc?
thanks so much
This is SO HELPFUL! I am just straiten out and had no idea where to begin, especially with pricing! I’ve subscribed to your newsletter and am so happy I found your website!
Maria… thank you.
x
This is insanely helpful. This is actually THE most helpful information I have found about murals, pricing, and otherwise. THANK YOU an incrediable amount for sharing this information!
Thank you Maria. I’m off to see a potential mural client today and I will be working to this structure.
We are in a small rural area , carthage mo. How do we advertise and charge around here he does fantisy to realism
This was extremely helpful!! I love the way you simplified the information and how complex the details are for the contract. I recently graduated from College with my Painting/Graphic Design degree and your website will help me to bill my clientele with easy. Due to the fact that I have been taken advantage of before also; so thank you for your knowledge! Your work is Amazing! 🙂
I would like to thank you for making this site ive always made money off of tattoos I just never looked at other art that I did as a business but I received useful insight as too making more money out of art you are like an angel sent down to look out for the art community in general
Maria you are Great!!! Thank you so much!
thank you so much!!! I’m just get started doing this as a business and totally lost on pricing. I wanted to make sure not to under bid my self.THANK YOU!!!! Lou Walbourne
professional painter and Muralist
Alaa abdulhay mahmoud youssef Personal Information
Name : alaa youssef Birth Date: 30 March 1971
Gender : Male Nationality: Egyption
Additional Nationalities: Egypt Marital Status: married
Driving License Issued From : Egypt
Telephone in egypt: 00201064432393 .
Telephone in u.a.e: 0526783607
Email:- painter.professional@yahoo.com
Website :-
Here some of my painting canvas and mural it can tell u about me :- https://sites.google.com/site/alaamuralist/home
Academic Background :-
fine art college
Experience :-
1\ 22 years experience as muralist
2/the privet painter to k.s.a royal family for 2 years
The hobbies and skill :-
Mural painting \ traveling – Use computer \team work
The goals :-
i am professional muralist.22 years experience. can draw any pic with any size even if it will be so complicated. and the fastest u can meet in your life.
u can see some of my draw here .canvas and mural .i made big mural till 300 m for one pic.
u can just dream about your mural .and my job to get your dream come true.
Best regards : alaa yousse
Thank You, very organized and up front info. Very helpful! 🙂
thank you for your help good info.
suppose i get a contract for a 15 ‘ x 20 ‘ Canvas Mural,what kind of materials do i specify in my Contract,specfically the Primer for the initial Coatings and should i use a Full Acrylic Paint for such a very Large mural or can i use the common First-Class Brand of Latex Paints?Please guide me on this Ms.Maria Brophy~Much Thanks.