How long does it take to make a map?

[Gnarl]

Are you concerned that you are being cheated? Abandoned? What's the real problem?

The problem is that I'm the one making the prices, not my cartographer. The sad truth of the country I live in is that artists here have very poor self-esteem and they'll bend over for just about any price above minimum wage ($250 per month). On the other hand, if I let him decide the prices, he'll charge me two to three times as much as I should pay. That's just how Peru works. I need to be careful not to get ripped off but I also need to be careful not to rip my cartographer off. It would be much easier if I could trust the people I work with but that's now how my country works...

I talked a bit with one of the cartographers working for Wizard of the Coast and Paizo. He wanted to charge me $200 to $300 half page dungeon maps and $300 to $500 for towns. I also know these guys are paid $20 to $40 per hour so that means a dungeon map is roughly 10-15 hours of work and a town map 15 to 25 hours. I suspect that these guys work really fast and I have a feeling I would be paying my cartographer too little if I use this as a baseline for my prices.

So that's why I asked how long it takes to make a map. Unless you guys think I should pay him more, he'll be paid the equivalent of one to two days of work for a dungeon map and two to three days of work for a town map.

[J.Edward]

Those are reasonably fair prices, depending on the artists level of skill and reputation.
The amount of time it takes is an issue for each artist, unless there are deadline issues you are worried about.
A fair price for a map isn't always about how long it will take to produce. It may be a factor of fair market value.
Or if the artist has more skill and reputation, it may be a factor of what their time is worth and how much you are willing to spend to get their time.
That is generally why this is discussed before hand and then worked out in an agreement/contract and thereby stuck to, with the exception of additional changes brought by the client that were not originally specified.

It should not be a comparison of 'these artists at X company' versus your cartographer.
Set a price you would pay for the work. Present that to the artist and if they agree to the amount then move ahead.

[Chick]

If you are setting the price and want to be fair, then I suggest setting the price based on what other comparable cartographers would charge you for the same thing. $300 for a dungeon or regional map or a small town is quite reasonable, so you might want to just go by that and forget about how long it takes. If your cartographer is satisfied with the price, it really doesn't matter how long it takes him.

[Gnarl]

Why are you guys so reluctant to share how much time you spend on your maps?

[Wired]

Why are you guys so reluctant to share how much time you spend on your maps?

Because there simply is no definitive answer to that question! How much time I spend on something depends on a multitude of factors: how much freedom the client gives me, how much feedback he desires or I need, how complex the map is supposed to be, what the style is, how large it is, whether it is colored or not, whether I am a part-time cartographer or someone who does illustrations and maps for a living, and possibly a dozen or so more reasons for me and others. Depending on those a map can take me as little as five to as much as thirty hours. Labors of love for own, developing projects can easily go beyond that, too.

[Chick]

Why are you guys so reluctant to share how much time you spend on your maps?

Because there is no answer.

It depends on a huge number of factors, including map style, map complexity, how fast the client is to respond to questions, how thorough the client is with the initial information, how many changes the client wants as the map progresses, how fast I can make a map in that style compared to a different style, how many labels I have to type in, how dense the map is with details, and a hundred more.

Even if you showed me the map, I couldn't tell you how many hours it would take me.

[Pixie]

I've got nothing to say about the time a map takes, on one hand because as a hobbyist I always take weeks to months (using only spare time) and on the other hand because, like Chick just said, there are too many factors affecting it.

My reply is about price comparisons. Gnarl is commissioning his work in Peru and a quick search says Peru's minimum wage is 6-7 times lower than in California. I'd say a fair price for a particular commission for a Peru based artist is maybe as low as 10 times lower than it would be for an artist living in a wealthy North American state or a wealthy European country. Am I wrong in using this kind of reasoning?

(Taking the risk of hijacking the thread here...) Anyone ever worried about globalization in this trade?

[- Max -]

(Taking the risk of hijacking the thread here...) Anyone ever worried about globalization in this trade?

Could be a very interesting topic Pixie. I'm thinking a lot about it (working mainly with foreigner -means not french for me- clients) though I doubt my english skills would be good enough to clearly express my thoughts on this subject , which can be a complex sometimes (money, wage, juridical/laws difference, artist status, cultural and working habits differences etc...)
Damn, we really need that like button back

[Gnarl]

I've got nothing to say about the time a map takes, on one hand because as a hobbyist I always take weeks to months (using only spare time) and on the other hand because, like Chick just said, there are too many factors affecting it.

Multiple opinions would be a good start!

My reply is about price comparisons. Gnarl is commissioning his work in Peru and a quick search says Peru's minimum wage is 6-7 times lower than in California. I'd say a fair price for a particular commission for a Peru based artist is maybe as low as 10 times lower than it would be for an artist living in a wealthy North American state or a wealthy European country. Am I wrong in using this kind of reasoning?

It's more like five times lower.

(Taking the risk of hijacking the thread here...) Anyone ever worried about globalization in this trade?

Isn't it already globalized?

[- Max -]

Isn't it already globalized?

Of course it is. Doesn't mean that people have found the answers to all the questions that it brought on the table