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
my God! how come that i was so late to read this article! Thankyou so much! It helps a lot… ^_^
Amazing guidelines, going to adapt to my location as advised. Thanks so much! I’ve subscribed!
Thank you for this article! I just found you and look forward to reading more. Ive been painting and sculpting for years, and now I’m working on my first mural for a family member. The payment structure is very, very helpful!
Omg I’ve asked at least a million people for these answers and never once gotten even close to a straight answer ! So thank you ! To say you helped me would be an understatement! I have a few more qustions how can I contact you ? Is that possible? My email is prinntasticart@gmail.com thanks again, Prinn
Hi Prinn, great to have you find me here! I’m glad this blog post was helpful for you.
Yes, you can contact me and the best way is to set up a consulting session. You can do that by clicking here: https://mariabrophy.com/work
Thanks!
This was helpful. I want to paint murals and have done three so far but only for family/friend, so I’m kinda nervous about branching out “professionally” and working with complete strangers. I put out an ad online with examples and had some responses, and coming up with a price quote wasn’t easy! I want to do this professionally, eventually, but don’t want to overcharge since I’m technically not a “professional,” and am just looking for opportunities to build a portfolio. I believe I do good work, but again, don’t have much experience. Any advice on pricing for a total newbie? Should I just be honest and say “I haven’t done this much,” or stride right in with all the confidence in the world?
This was awesome thanks! I may be commissioned for my first mural for a client. But done many of my own designs on the street 😉😉. But this helped a lot. Thanks again.
Wow, I love this, I really have an issue of pricing but this has helped me a lot… Thanks a milli.
Thank you so much for this article! I have done a handful of murals, but they were all for schools with a tight budget so coming up with my own price structure is a challenge.
Yes I’m working on doing a school mural with 4 bathrooms. I’m just going to put the price out there and hope they will work it. Yes, these schools do be on a budget.
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This has been so incredibly helpful to us in so many ways. It’s astonishing how many people have no idea the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that go in to producing a work of art that both client and artist will be proud of. Having a clear cut system takes all the stress and uncertainty out of creating a fair quote for both parties. Thank you! – JF, Street Artist in Residence
really a valuable article which i was looking all these days..really its very informative. you have done a fantastic job for these artist community.
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The best article I could hope to find. Thank you!!!
Bless you. Exactly what I was looking for.
Beto
Amazing.. Wanted to start a long time ago, but thanks to your advice – now have the guts! Thanks a mil!! (South Africa)
Thank you for this! Very useful! Has your pricing gone up by the 10% per year you predicted in 2010? Would you be interested in sharing 2018 prices? Also, are these all for interiors and what sort of caveats or multipliers would you have for exterior walls, if any?
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Thanku .. this was EXtreamly helpful & saved alot of aggervation .
thanks a lot. incredible sounds!
clear and helpful.murals painting is our proficiency career (mamo stuido) but often had trapped in fogy zone about prices and estimate with clients cause of these unique jobs. our previous cost based on comparative with printed wall paper which located between 15$ to 20$ in our area(Toronto) that absolutely is not a handmade and art job,just machine based work;so your experiences are more close to artistic rights and values of this kind of works.
Now we can talk to our clients more clear and make a professional conversation.
Thank you
sincerely
mamostudio
So valuable, information!!! I learned from Jim Rohn how valuable information can be.
I instantly purchased your book which I’m already listening to and will buy your mural proposal template.
Thank you, Thank you!!!
Hi all,
I’m new to this site and it looks like great advice. Transparency is always appreciated. My follow-up question, and I’m sorry if it’s buried somewhere in this site and I haven’t run into it yet, but how do you determine how much material you should get based on the wall dimensions?
My goodness you are heaven sent! This article is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much for taking the time to share it!
Kristina Sanchez Mills
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So good to read your article as was just writing on this topic on my website when a friend pointed me to your article.
I love the point about having a minimum set fee for a mural, made a lot of sense.
Thanks for sharing.
would the same fees apply to a ceiling mural? if not how would it effect the pricing? great article by the way was very helpful.
Hi Batu thanks for the question! For a ceiling mural you would charge a higher price, due to the nature of painting upside down, how complicated it can get, and how it will add a lot more hours to the project.
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How much do you pay your assistant? Not yours, specifically, but if I am working with an assistant, how much should I pay him/her?
Thank You so much for writing this article!! I am just about to start my first job for a client and have been unsure about pricing and other professional practices I should follow in this field. Now I have a much clearer idea! We creatives need more people like you to be open about pricing work!
first off – THANK YOU! I did my first mural back in 2014 which I ultimately had NO clue what I was doing. Even used house paint which did not blend well and was difficult on an uneven wall. In 2019 I got commissioned for another mural (54’x13′) and felt confident enough to tackle as an artist but uncomfortable in the professional aspect – what to charge, written proposal, what would it even say, timeline of payments etc.. I have been searching for a website like this and even thinking of starting my own since it’s so rare! This information is incredibly helpful and I’d love to contribute to fellow mural artists/sites if interested! I’m currently on my 3rd mural with many future requests and this truly helped fine tune my professional aspect of my – what I used to call hobby, but now career!
Again, thank you! 🙂
$1500 for a design/sketch…People surely don’t pay that for even an original art piece in Drews style. I find it hard to believe people pay $1500 for a cartoonist sketch. I just can’t… Please clarify how you would justify this to the client when they say “$1500…hmmm and what exactly do I get for $1500 other than a few cartoons?”
Hi Ben, you brought up a great question! Why would someone pay $1,500 for a sketch? It’s not just a sketch, it’s a rendition of a mural that will be painted. When we do murals that require City approval, a lot of work goes into it.
Sometimes creating a well thought out sketch and design can take up to 20 hours, especially if you have to research a subject first, before sketching and designing.
Now, if you are painting a cartoon, as you referenced, and it’s your own cartoon, maybe the sketch would take less of your time and therefore you could charge less.
That’s for you to decide.
I hope that helps clear things up for you!
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Thank you so much for sharing. This is invaluable information! I appreciate your generous heart!
Health and Happiness to you and yours!
Kimberly 🙂
Thanks a million MARIA BROPHY
Thanks for this post. I am trying to give my daughter work to do a mural at my office building. I was trying to figure out what to pay her so this helped a lot even if she is only 13!
Thank you for your sincere input and for the very valuable information.
very nice and explicit
Wow, what a helpful article. Can you (or anyone) tell me what you’re now charging per square foot in 2021?
I am a young painter from Egypt and I was very happy with your mural proposal template but it is expensive for me in my Egyptian currency because one dollar for 16 Egyptian currencies and I need it a lot but I am sad because I do not have enough money now, I am very serious and drawing is my only talent and I want to work with it
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Quick question – does your pricing structure include supplies? Or do you request those to be provided on top of your price?
My 14 year old son has been asked to paint a big mural on one of our newly renovated downtown buildings so we are blindly trying to figure out how to give a quote!
Hi Robyn,
The pricing structure includes supplies. Note: for a 14 year old, I don’t recommend using my pricing as it’s based on decades of experience of a professional artist. For a young person new to art, I recommend adjusting the prices to match the experience level.
Oh yes, we were definitely going to adjust the pricing!!! Way lower 😂
And thanks, I’ll go look at the spreadsheet 🙂
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Like your advice. Would love to see your works. ( Do u paint together?)
Is it kosher to incorporate some spray paint? And speaking of paint , what brand do u use? Thanks!
Thank you that was very helpful as I am terrible with that sort of stuff and I appreciate your time and your knowledge on these matters. I love doing the art but the business side is always hard for me.❤️🙏🏻
Thank you so much for sharing this thoughtfully-written article. I can tell a lot of work went into it. I did some public murals (for no pay) in a tunnel nearby this past summer, and just had my first client reach out based on that work. Your advice is invaluable!
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Is the sketch fee part of your complete mural budget or is this a separate engagement?
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