Pricing issue

[PixelCrunch]

Hey there everyone.

I'm just starting out in the art business. Doing freelance illustration at the moment.

My problem is pricing. I can be an extreme perfectionist. If I'm not under the pressure of a deadline, I can work on a piece for an obscene amount of time. Aside from the obvious problem of efficiency. This causes me a huge problem with pricing. My works range wildly in the amount of time they take me to finish. But generally take too long. :[

I have tried to price them based on an average hourly rate. But The number just looks too high to me. I'm sure I could get more for my work, I'm also sure I could be much, much faster. So its hard to tell exactly what I should be making.

The problem is, I don't have any idea what an employer of any sort would be willing, or should generally pay for a piece. I don't even have a the most general idea.

I currently do 9x12 full color illustrations, single character with semi-complex backgrounds.

I can't post an of my newer stuff yet. So this is old. But should give a general idea of my skill level. Sorry it's so risque. And so pink >.>

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2646/icecreamcb6.jpg

I know pricing is by no means an exact science. But what do you think an employer should pay for something like this? Even the most ballpark figure would be tremendously helpful.

[tensai]

check out the GAG (graphic artists guild) book. it has pricing standards for many many different purposes/usage of illustrations.

[Elwell]

It's good, professional quality work. You should have no problem charging professional prices. Don't sell yourself short. An hourly rate is good for your own reference, but real illustration jobs almost never pay that way, but on a per-project basis, which can vary wildly depending on how the piece is going to be used. As tensai said, the GAG Handbook is a good place to start.

Again, the work is good, don't undersell yourself.

[BANNED_For_POOPY_PANTS]

The word 'yummy' comes to mind :).

[Puck]

Here are some numbers I pulled out of my arse...

Something that takes you a week to do should pay about 3x the average weekly salary of your area. So everybody else is earning $1k a week - charge $3k. How's that sound?

Wait wait, I got a better formula... Charge $40 an hour, and then at the end double it, and if you really like the work you've produced, triple it.

The trick is to carefully weigh how heavy your clients wallet is and charge accordingly - it's like 'cold reading', you work out through talking with them how much they are willing to spend and what they are going to use the art for, then you tell them you'll get back with a quote - go on the net and do your research and then after careful consideration of how long it will take you - pull a number out of your arse (feel free to use my patented methods listed above for said number pulling) - it's usually good to then double the figure again for two reasons. 1) Clients always have more money than they say they do, and 2) it's going to be harder than you think to do the work.

These are rules I live by... well, I'm sure some freelancers do, and it seems to work for them.

PS: Nice work btw