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
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
517 Responses
Thank you so much for this article! I am a newbie learning along the way and this was do valuable for me starting off my first project!!
During many years i have struggle with how much to charge people, for illustrations, paintings and murals, many times i have fallen short, creating a feeling of being not satisfy with the payment, many times clients want more changes and del I’m sure you know…I just want to thank you, you have given the answer to my question, I had ask many artist before on how they go about pricing murals, but many don’t want to share.
Im very grateful to you for this information, it sure will change my dream now.
Hello Maria how can I price original painting on canvas that supposed to be mural at first. Thank you for your answer.
Hello Maria what is difference in price for painting on canvas or on the wall?Thank you for your answer.
Thank you for posting this I’m a new artist in my community and I have had several people request a mural. I was never really sure what to charge or how I should have handel it. Thanks for the help.
Hello Melody where do you live? You are lucky if someone ask you for mural. If it happened here in Calgary Canada it would be almost miracle. I even ask less for mural then half -Maria is asking for 1 foot square and they refused it, people here are so cheap.. One of my competitor got company name Starving Artist..I thought he might be joking,now I know he is serious. If I had more finance I would move out of here back to Europe,Montreal or to USA right away. Better province for art in Canada seems to be Montreal..
Hello Maria and THANK YOU for sharing your years of business experience with those who are just starting out. How very valuable and generous!! My daughter is 17 and an incredible artist. She did a mural in the band hall at her high school and the pricipal was so impressed that he has commisioned her (is there such thing as an unpaid commission?!?) to paint a HUGE mural of their mascot in the entry way of their school. She is about 80% complete. Since starting the mural she has been asked by several people to do murals. I need to know what to charge, and I was clueless. Thank goodness for the internet. I’m not sure we could charge what you are because of her age and being new to the business, but it sure gives me a great idea of where to start. I definitely think she has a future in this business!! Thanks Again
Do you ever run into the problem of going through the design process and then having the client decide not to go through with the mural… Only to find out later that they hired someone cheap to paint your design?
Kyle, that’s a great question! No, we have never run into that. But, recently we have increased our sketch price to $1,500.
The way we prevent a client from taking our sketches to another artist is in the written proposal: The proposal has a statement that says “All copyrights to the artwork remain in the ownership of Artist”.
Legally, they cannot take your sketch to another artist, because you, the artist of the sketch, owns the copyright to the art.
Excellent. Thanks for the speedy response, and thanks again for this whole post – extremely helpful for someone like myself who has been painting murals since high school… But has never gotten paid properly.
Thank you so much for this article! I’m a painter looking to start doing murals as a career option but i’m having a hard time getting things rolling. Any tips on getting started, finding customers etc..? Thanks again, i’m signing up for your newsletter =)
Maria
Thank you for helping those of us still struggling in the muck. It’s difficult to ask for money when one is doing what they love. Clients see that as a weakness and usually devour me.
I plan to be prepared on the next project.
[sending a virtual hug]
Ree
Hi Maria, I really liked your article. It is very informative,to the point and witty. I really appreciate it. Thanks,
S. King
Thank you so much! I’ve been a working muralist for 20 years and still find difficulty with my estimates. You are fantastic to share your experience with other artists in CA.
Best regards,
Jeanine
This was a life/time saver! I have commissioned to do a 600sqft fence mural and am new to a project this big and as such had no clue what to charge for actual painting. Prep work will be fairly time consuming too. Thank you for sharing this most valuable info!
Maria,
Thank you for this article! For years I have had problems knowing what to charge and even when I try to be firm people see me get wishy washy when i say the price (because im really never sure) instead of telling them the price it almost sounds like Im asking them. I know thats the worse thing an artist can do. After reading this article and a few of your others I’m sure this will be an easier process for me! Also I have NEVER charged a sketch fee and yes it’s a lot of work and i had one person change their mind about the whole design going from cute to elegant .. i wanted to cry and felt like i did the whole thing almost for free… Thank you, I am going to contnue to watch your posts.
Thank You times 3 for your post on proper pricing!! I am a new murals working on starting my own small company, and have struggled with the details of pricing. I have so far 2 murals in my portfolio, and learned the hard way when it came to cost and payment. So thank once gain for sharing. Keep up the amazing art work too!
Hi Maria, I was wondering if you can help me with my pricing problem. Someone asked me to paint a door mural for them. One is a double door and another a single door. How much should I charge them if I’m painting a landscape? or should I charge them per hour? I live in Las Vegas by the way. Please help.. Thank you
Thanks so much for sharing this information, I’m amazed and grateful that you’ve shared it freely, that’s a rare thing indeed.
I found it very detailed, there was nothing I was wondering that was left out. This will help me immensely in pricing my own mural quotes.
Thanks again.
Hi Maria!!
ur a life saver.. ive been painting all my life and finally i found the courage to take a step infront and get into mural painting.. thank you for the guidance and advices.. will be lookin up into ur website more often to get mor information.
loads of loce n support,
Gill
Wow !!! Really I don’t have much to say than …you are an angel of glory!you are sent by God to the world for a great delivery. Am from Nigeria. Pls don’t doubt. my comment here.
So than pray to the Lord to get same clients to Canada that would agree with that kind of prices..:)) that you ask in USA. There is no as question ..how long are you at that bussines or how talented are you.. right question is: WHERE DO YOU LIVE? WHAT IS THE CLIENTELE? ARE THEY GOING TO PAY SUCH MONEY FOR YOUR WORK? If many of you artists muralists down in States are getting that sort of money GOOD FOR YOU..you really live at the right place. People down here are hesitating to pay even the half what Maria is asking,so I rather go by estimate,otherwise I will not survive. To make money as an artist you can not relay just on mural work down here. I am in art bussines for many years.
Thank you very much for this article! Just what I was looking for. Much appreciated.
One thing works for me is to never work up more than a rough sketch for the 2nd interview and as well never leave that with the prospective client. If they are responding on the positive then I offer a more detailed drawing but make it clear that this will cost them in advance but will be deducted from the final bid if mine is accepted. Also if they have paid for a detailed comprehensive drawing then they are not allowed to keep a copy of it unless they commit to ordering the mural. Reason is there are lots of customers out there showing around drawings made by some poor slob like me wanting to get the job……..I tell the potential customer up front I will not work from another artist’s drawing for this reason.
The way to avoid someone having you sketch the design and then have another artist “steal it” from you is this: Make sure that you copyright your designs as well as mark it “(c) Von frese Studio” so that the client knows they cannot use your art.
It should also be stated in your proposal that all artwork copyrights, even the mural painting, are owned by the Artist.
Thank you Maria. I will remember that. Copyright is marked on all my work.
Thank you for writing this article about pricing wall murals. i needed verification that my pricing is good and i found that I am right in line with you. I have been doing this for a few years and was afraid to be too expensive. i have a very large client that I have worked with for the last 3 years and now just acquire another. This new project is going to be my largest yet at close to 2000 sq ft. I like that you have discounts in the pricing at the larger areas. Very helpful to keep my clients from turning another way. Thank you again and I hope to hear more of your insight in the industry.
i letter walls just basic stuff but i was wondering how to price i just did a 4 x 10 on brick just said shoes all caps no serifs white black outline had to rent lift what would u charge ps im in pa not ur competition tony
To those of you complaining about the high prices on this article. All you have to do is Google cost of living calculator and put in the Brody’s prices and have them figured for your part of the country or world.
Then you can adjust them for your level of experience. That is what I have done.
I painted murals and faux-finishes for about 18 months right out of college and got burned so bad and jaded that I just closed up shop not wanting to deal with “clients”. I use quotes because there wasn’t a level of professionalism that they acted like a client or I acted like a business woman as well as an artist.
Now after completing a large mural for a friend, business done for free as a gift…I am getting calls. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue the headache of taking on clients. I now feel I have the tools to go into business and actually make a profit. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Thank you for sharing your experience in business.
With me it’s always been a roughly traveled road over time. Now I do not pursue murals unless the subject is something which I’m feeling personally connected to emotionally and politically.
Much thanks for the article / info Maria, I appreciate you and your efforts. Best Wishes to you.
Thanx 4 giving ,mural wall process start to end ,i need ur e-mail
Thank you so much for sharing your working process. I’d like to ask what is the best type of paint to use on an exterior metal fence?
Thank you for this article. I am an bouncy castle artist and have run my own business for three years the pricing has always stumped me but your advice will help alot. Cheers again .x
This was awesome! I am working to start my own mural business after doing a large mural project for a friends business. This was wonderfully simple to understand and gives an insight as to some of the obstacles i could potentially run into. You are an amazing person to share your insights and I truly aprreciate it. I look forward to reading more.
Wow, this was very helpful as I was creating my own proposal. Many factors that you covered didn’t even cross my mind. Thanks!
I was asking $28,000.00 not including scaffolding and other expenses such as motel and meals. The client countered with an offer of only 14,000.00 stating this was all their budget committee would approve for the mural project.
Should I accept or walk away?
I’ve been able to solve the funding shortfall by introducing corporate sponsors to not only make up the difference but add additional revenue to my project.
My husband has painted 3 murals in our house. All have been for our 2 son’s rooms. The first one was a beach theme on one wall for our first son’s baby room, the second was an underwater theme on all 4 walls for our second son’s baby room, and the third was a spiderman theme on three of the walls for our son’s 4th birthday. Every person that has seen them absolutely loves them. How do we get the word out that he is available to paint murals?
This has been extremely helpful. Thank you–it is so difficult to find info like this as a newcomer (professionally).
I am searching for advice on a new project: I was asked to paint 800sf of verbiage on an exterior wall of a restaurant ( think vintage hardware store with all products advertised on the outer walls). It will be black white, and gold, and a few different fonts in separate blocks, vertical and horizontal. Do I still use a pricing structure like this, by the square foot?
Thanks for any advice you can give!
Dear Jessica,
If you plan to use stencils, find out what it will cost to have the stencils made (probably from a sign company). Consider that when pricing it.
Or, if you are confident to paint the lettering on your own without stencils, that could be a lot more work to consider time-wise.
You are doing more of a sign painting project (technical) than an art project, but with different fonts it could be a lot of work.
In this case, you could charge by the square foot or you could charge by the letter. Either way, make sure you get paid enough, as this is going to be hard work!
You are a wonderful human being
Thanks a million for this post and for the whole blog! Tremendously helpful to an artist trying to really get started. Please keep blogging!!!
Thank you so much for the information. I have been painting fine art and murals since the late 80’s and looking at your pricing guide means I was giving away a lot of time and supplies. I have painted murals in large cities and small towns. People seek me out. And when we start talking about pricing they usually start telling me to be kind to them. That they don’t have much money. Very irritating to me. I usually tell them if they want to compare our checking and savings accounts. Ha! This makes them laugh! I have also told them to go on line and check out the murals and prices there. And compare my work with the other muralists. I do get really resentful sometimes. People expect you to paint a Leonardo or Michelangelo for under 500 dollars on a 90 square foot wall! And make changes constantly! Sorry for ranting! Just finished a mural today. The client calls me and texts me constantly, she loves the mural, now wants another. Embarrassed to tell you how much I charged her! Thank you again. Btw, it took me 22 hours to do this mural they wanted me to stop early, to ave money. Have you ever had that happen? I. The early years? And what can I do next time, to prevent this.
Kendra, thanks for the comment and for sharing your experiences!
Often, my conversations with a new client begin with the client saying “I don’t have a big budget…..” or “can you give me your best price, because I don’t have much money?”
My reaction when they do that? Nothing. I ignore it. I pretend I didn’t hear it at all. I give them a price quote that I would give anyone, a price that is fair to both me and them. And this is what you should do.
Recently we were offered $1,500 to paint a large wall, something we normally would charge $6,000 for.
When this happens, I say, “We charge $6,000 for this, however, if $1,500 is your budget, I can recommend a new artist still in school that might be willing to do it for that price.”
Please understand, people can’t take advantage of you unless you let them.
How to prevent the situation where you painted a mural for 22 hours and they asked you to cut it short? Very easy. Begin with a written price quote (see example above) and have your client sign it. Get 50% down before starting, and if you worry about the client not paying the full amount at completion, get a portion of the payment every few days or every week.
This will prevent most problems – a written agreement at the start and money down.
I hope this is helpful to you!
Thank you so much for your help! Really appreciate you knowledge and understanding. By the way I love the mural above, very creative and colorful! Thank you again Kendra
Awesome and SO helpful. We’re in the Olympia,wa area and have less experience but this is helpful as a bench mark! We’re starting with children’s themes!
Thank you so much for this article (and so many others). I’ve been trying to start up my own mural business and the information you’ve provided is invaluable. It’s made the process so much easier for me (pricing always gives me a headache). Thank you again for all your help.
Thanks so much for this information! My family and friends have been on me to start my own mural business however the pricing thing and terms and conditions part overwhelmed me! This has been a life saver and I greatly greatly appreciate it and all your hard work you’ve put in to make this assessable to me! Thanks so much again! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing this info am in Canada just finishing a Mural on Concrete stucco wall had so many problems getting this surface to take a color hue I did pencil sketches first my design could not get flowers to look exactly like I wanted hard to blend and do brush strokes on stucco spent about 80 hours easy on it so far almost finished had some really great feedback from on line friends actually quite pleased with finished product Urn and flowers are big each section is approx 5’highx 3′ something wide, have been paid $400 so far for both have spent around $100 on supplies and all my good brushes are killed with the rough walls also painting outside has many challanges Im feeling like Im really ripped off if you have the time would appreciate some feeback thank you so much Muriel
Dear Muriel,
So glad you found me here! Here’s a few things for you to think about:
1 – Don’t look at this client as having “ripped you off” because YOU are in charge of making sure you get paid properly, not the client. YOU are the business person, so you have to lead the client from the beginning. I’ll further explain in a minute….
2 – Chalk this one up to experience, and don’t beat yourself up for letting this happen. We all learn through trial and error. The most important thing is that you learned from this, and the next mural you will handle perfectly from the beginning. Here’s how:
3 – Before buying paint for a mural, or doing any work, make sure you properly price it out, give the customer a written price quote, and get 50% up front.
To properly price it out, give it a lot of thought – take into consideration the condition of the wall (in this case it ruined your brushes) and anything else that you might come across.
Add something in the agreement that says “Price does not include: Unforeseen Complex painting design / design changes, Liability insurance, Unforeseen additional work due to adverse conditions on surface that may require extraneous labor.”
This way, the customer knows that if you run into problems, or if they make changes, you will add to the price.
4 – Congratulations on this mural that you are pleased with! Look at this one as a learning experience, and vow to handle all future mural projects professionally, and follow the steps that I lay out in this blog post.
5 – It’s not too late to ask the customer for more money on this one, and hopefully they will pay it. But if they don’t again, it’s a learning experience and next time will go much smoother!
I wish you the very best! I hope this is helpful. 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply Maria I appreciate your help but I will never do concrete stucco again with acrylic mediums and artist brushes lol It is very kind of you to help us all wishing you great success for being such a wonderful person.
This is truly brilliant…I am from India and have been painting murals for some time, but I have never really made any formal proposals….and yes have run into silly problems with clients not letting me sign after the murals done….however, have this big mural coming up and a proposal needs to be made…here i am on your site…really helped me a lot thanks….
Wonderfuly written, thanks so much for the the time and effort 😀
Great article,Maria!
I have the same problem as Mike. I am a fine artist and I have painted a small mural for a friend and I really enjoyed it.I wish to reaffirm and improve my image as a mural artist, but I i’m having a really hard time getting things rolling,as Mike said.How do I find customers, should I contact local restaurants.I don’t really know how to promote my art..
Thank you 🙂
Maria,
THANK YOU for ALL THIS VALUABLE INFORMATION!!!!!
Thank you for the countless number of heartaches you
saved me! Please email me to verify your mailing address
so I can send you a check when I receive the balance of
my first mural. Yours immensely relieved and grateful,
Hil
awesome!!! thanks so much for providing this type of information.. what a great resource.
Your pricing sheet and sample mural proposal are just what I needed. I’ve been painting small and medium murals since ’99, but recently I have been asked to bid on a HUGE trompe l’oeil job for a client so important he remains anonymous even to us (the faux finishers and other artisans). I want to make sure we come across as the best suited for his project. Any other information you could provide on this topic would be awesome. Like, is it common practice to place a copyright watermark over a sketch given to the client (so he doesn’t get someone else to paint our design)? I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I work on the proposal.
Thanks!
Bea
Dear Bea,
Thanks for your comment and for reading my blog. Conrats on your new opportunity!
YES, put a watermark on the sketches, especially since you don’t even know who the client is. Make sure your sketches also have a copyright notice on the bottom that reads “Artwork (c) YOUR NAME HERE 2012, all rights reserved”
Let me know how it goes!