Question About Commissions

[Pyro]

Hey folk, I joined this forum because I am currently in a slightly worrying situation regarding a commission. I recently posted a city map in a map making discord server and was contacted directly by a user asking for me to make a map for them. During our discussion on detail they let me know this map would be for use in a video game. I guess what I'm trying to ask is whether or not I should ask for payment, and if so how much. I've never had anyone commission work from me before, so I'm really out of my depth and a little worried that this person might be looking to exploit an artists work.

[Tiana]

I guess what I'm trying to ask is whether or not I should ask for payment

.........................
Yes.
If your art is good/excellent, professional in quality, and there are detailed city portions as well as detailed add-ons that price will be several hundred dollars, don't even balk at it, you're going to spend like 40 hours on a map you deserve a week's worth of pay at least.

If your art is good/okay and in detail, it'll probably be around $300-$400. I've done city maps in this range, simpler ones without add-ons, or that are just streets and labels without custom houses woven in.

If your art is evidently that of a beginner, but still highly detailed, no less than $150-$250.

If your art is that of a beginner, obviously so, rough and sketchlike in form, and you are simplifying the needs of the city in every single way, you should still charge no less than $75-$100 for an ENTIRE. CITY. Feel free to take it in this range if you want to practice but you will see after that commission why we're saying multiple hundreds are the right way to go.

Yes, they may have been one of the people who came here who we told it's not possible to get a cheap city map trying to exploit you. Given you've had to come here with questions, please consider dropping us a link to the Discord because obviously they need pro-commissioners to help around there getting you newer artists up to speed on industry pricing and why we do price that way. Your time as a beginner is valuable, being in a video game does not trump the value of your time unless you choose it to. There is ONE human on the face of this planet who I would gift free map art to on demand. One. And she would never exploit that, and similarly she gifts me the value of her skills which I would not exploit. You don't know this human or their integrity, so, negotiate payment NOW, before you start work, or they'll go "haha I thought freelance meant no payment required". Some beginners will scoff and try to fiercely undercut to acquire all of the business. This is a foolish mistake. I did it when I started. It resulted in me being overloaded with work I could not complete well because there was too much for too little money. It wastes these people's time and ultimately money as they'll have to commission a professional anyway, at a high end turnaround fee.

You did not post your map so I cannot really suss out its value. There are definitely cities that are cheaper than other cities to produce. You know how long it takes you and the value of your time (which SHOULD NOT BE LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE EVER). If it took you 20 hours, then at a mimimum wage of $10, you charge $200 and don't feel bad. I would myself consider charging $600 for that same time since I am an experienced map commissioner.

It's only worrying if you have not talked payment at all and you've started work. If so, that's your bed to lie in, because that was a mistake with anyone but an established client. I have one person who I will start work for, maybe two or three, without payment being negotiated, because they've hired me on several occasions and paid so I know all they need is an invoice.

[Kellerica]

Yeah, Tiana pretty much covered all the most important things. Your time is worth money, your time is valuable, especially if the fruits of your labour are going to be used in a video game. Even if an indie game doesn't necessarily make the kind of money that AAA titles do, the person who wants to use your work is still looking to potentially make money from something that has your work in it. You deserve to be compensated for contributing.

I know it can be extremely stressful in the beginning, and I wish I could say it gets better, but at least for me giving the price quote is still something that makes me anxious every time I have to hit the 'send' button on that email. But you have to stay firm. Your time is worth something.

[Wired]

Tiana has pretty much covered it all. Don't sell yourself short. If this is for a commercial project you do deserve compensation for it. Obviously we've got no idea about how your map actually does look, but depending on it's quality a couple hundred dollars sound like a reasonable ballpark estimate. I've been doing this (semi-)professionally for half a decade now, and I've done maps for indie video game projects ranging from anywhere between 350$ to 1.000$+.

[ThomasR]

I agree with what was said above, my two cents nonetheless.

Value your work !

Sometimes you don't have clients and it's ok to lower your rates to get work but when you have clients make them pay your worth. And if you have plenty of clients, it's time to raise your prices.

[Eowyn Cwper]

I'm just here to praise Tiana, who as always nailed it all in a beautiful way. Feel confident, artists!

[Tiana]

Value your work! I know it's hard, and I've done it wrong too, really, I'm speaking from rueful experience. I was warned once upon a time, long before I ever became a professional artist. This is not saying NEVER gift art, but be selective and mindful when you do so, do not let yourself be exploited. There are dozens of free fantasy map generators for those who don't have the money for artists. There are several cheap tools which can be used to produce a map fast and relatively low skill. I implement the use of some of these tools myself. There are always greedy people who will take you for all you're worth.

I have drawn free work even as recently as this year. It is always for a reason that has some other sort of value to me. Teaching a learning artist how to perform a certain skill. Challenging myself to try something I haven't done before. Adding something to my portfolio I think might get me future sales but I'm unlikely to be commissioned for without an example. Reminding myself what it's like to draw a face instead of a tree. Making a free asset that can be used by other creators. You can gift people the pleasure of your art for free. You should do so intentionally, and not because you were conned into it because you don't know how to say no and stop a ball rolling once a salesperson has you playing with that ball.

Your time is important! If you don't value it, no one will. By now I am convinced that the difference between a 10 dollar artist, a 100 dollar artist, and a 1000 dollar artist is that they have the guts to open their mouth and say, "and that's how much it will cost to have this very specific piece of art made by me during this point in my experience." It's not necessarily skill but seering confidence that closes that divide. I still have no idea, sometimes, how I closed that one $1000 contract, but hey, I got that money last year, it was great. It still will scare a few people off if you go high in your first quote, but say, "If that's too high, there is room to negotiate a balance between the amount of customization I'm imagining and the final product. So let me know if there's a range you're willing to pay." You're just saying, "hey, I'll tone my artistic vision down a bit and the price can come down with it. So give me a return quote. This is a bargaining process, and not a set rate." Of course you can also be brutally cruel and say, "I will do art for no less than x amount" but if you aren't in high demand, the invitation to offer a return quote and haggle a bit can get you a lot more than you expected initially.

Being able to navigate this stuff is what separates the professionals from those who just take a commission here or there. It took some painful learning and I'm still not there yet.