Pricing a mural?

[Karin Wells]

Thanks for your valuable info. I will not be hanging the mural myself but I have been worried about studio space. I have a medium sized studio, but am still concerned about having to rent space somewhere.

I assume that a pre-primed acrylic gessoed cotton canvas is best. The shrink/stretch of linen would, in my mind, make it unstable and difficult to attach to a wall.

If I am forced to work in sections, how are the joins made? Overlaping or abutting? It would certainly be easier to work in smaller sections but does that detract from the overall appearance?

Do you have any ballpark figures for a highly detailed square foot price?

A separate design fee is a wonderful idea as that is probably half of the hard work for me.

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Hi Karin,

I just came across your post about this mural and wondered how it was coming along? I think Timothy's idea about charging a design fee is an excellent idea.

I used to work for a graphic design company, then did graphic design on my own for a couple of years, and hours and hours of my time went into designing logos, letterheads and brochures. It always took at least three meetings with the client before a final design was agreed upon, and that was just for a simple logo or letterhead. I can't imagine how many hours you might spent designing/laying out a mural. This was 10 years ago and I was living in a small town in California charging $60 an hour for design time, when I moved to Houston the going rate was $90 an hour. Prices have probably doubled since then. (Hmm, now I'm wondering why I ever got out of that business!)

Just thought I would add my two cents worth since I've had some experience with design processes. I look forward to seeing more posts on your latest project!

Joan

[Karin Wells]

Joan: Alas, it will be a long time before I hear anything about the mural. I really appreciate the advice about the design fee and think that you're right on target. Thanks.