The one thing that I love about mural paintings is the sheer challenge of pulling it off.  It’s fascinating to watch the process go from imagination in the artist’s head to a sketch on a piece of paper and then watch as it comes to life on a huge surface.

Some angels, like Katie Staib, have changed the world by painting murals.  Katie has united orphans and the community in poor areas of Nicaragua with her mural projects.  By bringing everyone together, as a team, to beautify their surroundings, the act of painting a mural builds confidence and purpose.

For Drew and me, painting wall murals has been a great source of extra income.  Taking on a large project like a mural can bring in some big bucks, and you might even have a great time doing it.

Regardless of your motivation for painting murals, be it to earn a living or to make a difference in the world, in the end, your goal is to make the client happy.

We aren’t happy unless our client is. Our personal goal:  Make the painting so awesome and the process so smooth for the client that they are compelled to tell everyone they know.  (That’s how we get more business, without having to track it down.  It comes to us.)

In the last month, Drew has been commissioned to paint two large murals, and we’ve quoted on a third one.  Our first client, Yogurt Wave, was so happy with the end results that each partner took the time to call us and thank us profusely!  They were excited and overjoyed at how great the mural made their new store look!

Our second client, Fisherman Tom, is so appreciative of Drew’s work ethic that he keeps giving us freshly caught albacore tuna.  We’re cooking some up tonight…

Now, I don’t want to make it sound like the mural projects went off without any problems.  With every project, you run into things you didn’t expect.  These things can make your job as an artist very difficult.  As was the case with Yogurt Wave – when Drew went to seal it, he had some serious problems which almost ruined the mural.  It took him 2 extra days to complete the  mural due to this problem.  But in the end, the problem was solved and our guys were very happy.

Making your client is happy doesn’t just have to do with the artwork itself.  Sure, it has to look good.  But there are many other factors beside the artwork that are crucial to pleasing your client.

Ten Ways to Please Your Mural Client:

1. Behave a like a professional:  Provide a written price quote.  Detail your payment requirements, what their price includes, what it doesn’t include.  That way, there are no surprises.  (People don’t like surprises when it comes to their money.)  Your client will take comfort in knowing that they are dealing with someone who knows what they are doing. (Read HOW TO PRICE A WALL MURAL for details on how to do this.)
2. Be extremely organized:  Map out what you will accomplish each day of the mural painting.  Have all your supplies on hand before day 1.  Know before you even drive to the site exactly what you will get completed that day. You should be able to plan exactly how many days the mural will take to complete.  (It may not be exact, but close.)
3. Be an excellent communicator: Each morning, give your client a rundown of what they can expect from you.  “Today we’ll be sketching the design on the wall and getting some of the background paint on.  We expect to be finished by 5:00.”  If your client is not on-site, take photos and at the end of each day, e-mail a progression photo.
4. Show up on time everyday:  Believe it or not, this one little thing makes a huge difference in the confidence your client will have in your abilities. Be reliable and considerate of your client’s time and you’ll be appreciated.  If you say you’ll be there at 9:00 a.m., be there at 9:00 a.m.  Don’t be a flake.
5. Stay on Track and be Efficient: Every day that you are in the space painting, you are holding up your client.  So many artists will drag out a project. They paint real slow, take cigarette breaks, talk on the phone, show up late, take a long lunch, etc.  These are all time wasters.  Stay on track with your plan and if you are running behind, get there earlier and stay later.
6. Whistle while you work:  Be happy and embrace each working day.  Be a joy to have around.  Your clients will be happier with your painting if they enjoy your company.
7. Keep your problems to yourself: Don’t complain to your client about bad traffic, about something that’s going wrong with your equipment, or anything else.  If there’s a problem, solve it yourself and don’t mention it to the client.  Their experience with you should be worry free. You want them to feel confident that they are dealing with a professional.
8. Choose the right assistant: Do not hire a flake to help you.  It will hurt your reputation.  Be sure to have a helper that is reliable and has a good work ethic. This person will be a reflection on you.  For the Yogurt Wave mural, we knew it would be a tricky one so we flew artist Katie Staib down from Spokane, Washington to help.  She’s painted many challenging murals and we knew that we would benefit from her expertise and work ethic.  (Drew says “No assistant is better than a bad assistant.”)
9. Do your best work but don’t take forever: There’s a fine line between doing quality work and not spending too much time on the painting.  Time is money, not just for you but for your client.  You want to be as efficient as possible.
10. Remember to thank your client:  Show appreciation for the business.  Assuming they are pleased as punch with your work, ask for a reference that you can use in marketing materials or on your website.  Send a thank you card after the work is done – it’s a nice touch that they won’t forget.
11. DON’T LEAVE A TRACE that you’ve been there:  (I’ve added #11 as an update to this post.)  Clean up after yourself, every day.  Don’t leave trash or drop clothes or anything else laying around in a sloppy fashion.  On your last day, you’re not finished until after you’ve tidied up the entire area, including sweeping the floor.  Trust me, this is one little detail that will thrill your client.

You may notice a recurring theme in the ten points above:  make it appear effortless to your client.  YOU are the professional, that’s why they hired you.  They’ve put this baby in your hands, and it’s up to you to make it happen.  Smooth and easy!

If you have anything to add to this list, please do so in the comments below.   As always, I appreciate you reading my blog.  I also invite you to ask me any questions or topics you’d like covered in a future post.

Maria xxoo

PS:  These points don’t just apply to murals, but to just about everything you do…

PPS:  Here’s a slide show of the mural that Drew painted for a client called LINKS in Costa Mesa.  You can see the progression from day 1 to finish:

.Similar Posts:

• How to Price a Wall Mural – Developing a Price Sheet and Proposal
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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 this 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!  I’m constantly improving upon how I do things.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR PRICE SHEET

Photo: Wall Mural by Drew Brophy

Your 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. $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, to let them know how we price it and what they can expect as well as what we expect from them.

Giving a potential client a price sheet helps to do two things:

1. It weeds out the people who can’t afford you (so you don’t waste your time or theirs); and
2. It 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.

What 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.

I hope that by sharing our methods I will save you time and confusion.  You are welcome to copy and paste the form below and adjust it accordingly for your own use.

DREW BROPHY MURAL PRICING SHEET (Revised March 2010)

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:

Non-Refundable Design/Sketch Fee:  $500.00 – Includes up to 2 sets of changes by client (Additional sketches charged at $100/sketch)

Pricing includes:  Travel within South Orange County, all materials, rental equipment, assistant fees and work to completion.

Pricing does not include:  Travel outside of South Orange County, liability insurance or Wall Preparation.

*Additional work due to adverse conditions on surface that requires extraneous labor will be charged extra, by the hour, at a rate of $95.00 / hour, and sometimes cannot be determined until after the job has begun.

PAYMENT TERMS:  Design fee of $500 due prior to sketch process.  A 50% non-refundable deposit is due two weeks prior to start date of painting (this allows ordering of supplies and scheduling.)  Full balance is due on the final day of completion.

PRICE SHEET EXPLANATION

Every detail and *caveat on the price sheet is necessary and came from us learning the hard way.  I want to explain each point:

Pricing Structure:  I’ve talked to mural artists who charge $40 – $50 a square foot.  For us, a starting price of $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.

Often we will suggest an original painting on canvas, instead, to clients who ask for a small mural.  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 $500.00 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, you may want to only require 30% up front until you’ve become established and you have a good reputation for following through and doing top quality work.

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.  (See sample proposal at bottom of post)

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 $500 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 $500 sketch fee from the total of the mural price.  Basically I’m waiving the sketch fee, but I still require a payment of $500 prior to the sketch process.  (Read How to Never Get Ripped off Again to see why I require this).

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. Stay tuned for my next article on how to make your client so pleased, that they are screaming your name from their rooftops!

SAMPLE WALL MURAL PROPOSAL:

Artist Wall Mural Painting Proposal – SHANTI’S COSTA MESA

Date:  May 29, 2010 – Proposal valid for 30 days

FOR:  Shanti’s (Client) Contact Name: _________________ Phone: _________________
Billing Address:______________________________________________

By signing below, we state that we agree to the terms set forth in this document:

FOR ARTIST:                                                        FOR COMPANY:

AUTHORIZED BY:  Artists Name Here                     AUTHORIZED BY:

SIGNATURE:______________      SIGNATURE:_________________

I hope this has been helpful to you. If it has been helpful, 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 sample forms for creative entrepreneurs: a Deal Memo, an Illustration Proposal and an Amendment to a Contract – 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!

Luv, Maria xxoo

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