Commission worries...

[chibimiji]

So, Vans just came out with a canvas high top line that is PERFECT for shoe painting. The reason I gave all my friends who were pushing me into doing custom shoes as a side business was that I couldn't find a suitable replacement for the discontinued shoes I originally used (I don't like Converse for several reasons

Comments

[lyandar]

I know how you feel a little bit - I've not been able to find permanent work in my field since moving and my landscaping contract is due to end in a couple weeks, but car payments still need to be made :( sooo... My bro-in-law has invited me to go to a craft fair he has a place at with some of my comic-book-mod-podge stuff, kinda like the Captain America shoes I made and try to sell stuff. But what to price for a frame? or a clutch purse? Would someone actually buy this stuff or just take away the idea and make it themselves? I looked on Etsy and have a vague idea of what others would charge, but wouldn't want to offer stuff online myself

[chibimiji]

Ugh yea, all of my friends who have found jobs (except one) are all doing contract work. It's actually really common in animation, and it really sucks =( Job hunting/applying is seriously the WORST

[lyandar]

I just gotta share one thing with regards to artist works. There's a woodcarver near me that sells lots of hand made stuff, mostly artistic bowls, carvings etc. I went in there and was like "DAMN - I guess I'm not buying anything today" but then he had a sign up that said something like for the time he spends carving, and the prices he charges, he's not even making minimum wage. And that sucks, but seems to be a common problem for artists. (I still didn't buy anything, but he's been in business there for like 20 years so SOMEONE must buy his stuff!!)

For my crafty stuff, it's totally a side-line. I'm doing it to relax in the evenings or weekends, usually with some tv show or movie in the background. I'd be doing something anyways, so I figure, if I easily cover cost of materials and all else is profit, I'm pretty happy

[sinvraal]

I always found commissions difficult too, but I also don't have a very saleable art style, at least that I know of. And that's part of the problem- it's so damn hard to tell from the inside when we're all our own worst critics!

Personally I think you could find a market for the shoes. They looked fantastic! And they're different, so they stand out. If you decide to do them, I suspect I might be interested. :)

How do they hold up to wear and tear?

[chibimiji]

Haha yea, sometimes I get panic attacks and look at my art and go "who'd PAY for this crap??" XD I think I'm much more insecure about my digital art than my craftsy stuff (probably because craftsy stuff is less common?), which is why I'm still resisting doing digital art commissions

[sinvraal]

If I use my job as an example, we always charge a client based on hours spent on a particular shot. The trick is coming up with a good ballpark for how long it'll take to do a particular effect, which isn't always easy. But the basic goal is to come up with a charge per hour that rests in the (often uneasy) middle ground between worthwhile for the artist and reasonable for the client

[chibimiji]

Thanks for your input! It's really helpful to get a objective perspective.

I think the toughest thing for me right now is figuring out what people are willing to pay, because that's ultimately what will get me sales or not. All the stuff on my end is flexible, because I'm at a point where getting paid too little for my time is better than nothing at all. I'm definitely going to try to streamline my process with my friend's pair of shoes though. I actually managed to find non-Sharpie permanent pens to do the black outlines rather than having to painstakingly hand paint them on like my last pair (those were dark times).