Pricing a mural?

[Karin Wells]

I'm bidding on painting a historical mural in oils on canvas to be applied to a wall when it is finished. Unfortunately no size or final location has yet been specified, but the client wants a "price" anyhow.

Here's my problem: I can somehow figure a "square inch" or a "square foot" price, but this could get dicey because if the mural is really large, I'll need to find and rent a larger temporary studio space somewhere. I may even need to hire some assistants.

If this happens, I'll also need scaffolding. I imagine that shipping could be tough (but not impossible). I may also have to travel sometimes to do special research and of course, investigate the physical space where the mural will eventually be.

Has anyone had any experience with this? My life would be on "hold" for awhile and all other work would have to take a back seat for at least a year. I imagine that I would lose some work by doing this.

How in the heck do I come up with a price that would include everything that I may need to produce this work?

Although it sounds a little cheesy, can I give the client some extra "tack-on extra prices" if some problem arises that I cannot anticipate? Or do I take a wild guess and perhaps price myself out of the market?

Despite the problems involved, I would welcome the challenge this project presents.

[Michele Rushworth]

It sounds to me like the client is being very unrealistic in asking artists for a price when you don't even know the size of the finished piece or where it will go. Have they decided on important issues like number of figures and other compositional questions?

I painted a wall mural many years ago, for a school district, and I was paid on an hourly basis. It was painted directly on the wall and was probably ten feet high by thirty feet long. The project took me a couple of months and consisted of thirty to fifty simplified portraits. I knew the exact location and size from the start and submitted a small mock up of the composition before beginning. Because it was so long ago I don't remember much else about it -- other than that, in retrospect, my mural was pretty awful!

I understand that a client may not want to go with an hourly agreement since that is so open ended, but asking you for a price now seems like they are going way too far to the other extreme.

Quoting a price now, while having so many unknowns about the project, could open you up to a year or more of frustration, lost portrait income and considerable additional expenses that must be borne by you. If I were in your situation I would not quote any kind of price until I knew a lot more about the project, even if it meant risking losing the job.

[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.