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Thanks very much, this is exactly the kind of input that I needed.
Terri- I agree that it would scare clients away to charge it all up front, but I wanted to see what others' experiences were before completely tossing the idea. I see now where simply spelling it out that this is being commissioned rather than giving the idea that a gift has already been purchased will help a lot.
I'd likely charge closer to 30% (maybe more) up front because my prices are on the lower side and I still want to know that they are serious about the commission, as opposed to an impulse buy that they might not follow through on. I can count that as covering consultations, the photoshoot, and a preliminary sketch.
Karin, thanks! What you are describing is exactly what I am talking about. I would think it would be awfully embearassing to not follow through on the final payment for a gift like this, too, but I have known people who wouldn't be so concerned.
I am not thinking of selling these on a large scale, but for the first time my work is going to be in public and while I have completed some of my paintings in a short amount of time, I want to avoid doing a 'rush job' on anything. It would be very tempting for me to rush a commission for the holidays because I still don't have an income, but I would hate to have it turn out to be a disaster!
Thanks for the advice and for sharing your experiences! I think I've now worked out a good balanced idea of how to proceed if someone is interested in such a thing.
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