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Level of Effort (LOE) Pricing
Beth: I think all of the factors you mentioned are good considerations. In the end, we all have to get some handle around what a portrait of - two figures at 3/4 length at 20x24 inches in oil with elaborate costuming and background, and oh by the way, subject B passed away last year and all I have is this decent but small black and white picture - will cost a client.
It can be hard and it's something you want to have iron clad figured out before you find yourself sitting with a client trying to come up with a price.
I began my pricing on a size-based model, but I am somewhat unhappy with it as size is often not reflective of the overall Level of Effort (LOE). For me, if I paint the painting at 18" x 24" or at 24" x 36" the LOE is not that different. So part of me is saying "Do what is right for the client, not your pricing system."
This may mean chucking sizes all together and just doing pricing based on a baseline level of effort. Often I find that a painting calls to be larger and the client gets into a "well, I can only afford this size" mindset. I also like painting larger and you find yourself doing a lot of 16" x 20"s and not a lot of 30" x 48"s.
I have thought about something like this:
Head and Shoulders - $XXXX
Waist Up - $XXXX
Waist Up with Hands - $XXXX
3/4 length or sitting pose with hands - $XXXX
Full Figure - $XXXX
Full Figure with hands - $XXXX
Portrait size will be determined by the number of subjects and the size of the space where the portrait is to hang. Additional figures add 1/3. Complex backgrounds add 1/3.
I still don't know what I want to do about it - let us know if you find a neat system that you like.
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Hybrid Mode
