I don't draw for free, even if I draw for fun

[gremcint]

I know how you feel, I'm not an artist but I do know a lot about computers.

[Lachrymose]

I work in IT. It's amazing how many people at work (not in IT) think I want to take their computers home and work on them in my spare time for free.

I name my price (waaay below "retail" prices). Sometimes they get back to me. Sometimes they don't.

[gremcint]

I've had people I haven't seen for years walk up to me and start asking about how to fix their computer.

[Lachrymose]

We need this:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-app...trations/388b/

(Well, maybe not. I do like the extra money from the ones who will actually pay. Strangely enough, they seem to be the ones who manage to virus their computers up every month even though I completely remove the viruses and install a good antivirus program. Usually it's because they're basically asking for it by going to torrent sites...or clicking things they shouldn't.)

[Pixilated]

Tell her to take a photo of herself, take it to a Kinkos that has a copy of photoshop on it, and Filter -> Sketch. Bang, picture of herself that's in a sketchy style and if she's fast enough, she'll only have to pay eight bucks, can claim she did it herself and therefore is now an art wiz (lol) and she can go fuck herself while she's at it.

*snip*

First thing that crossed my mind, LOL. She can do AWESOME things with Photoshop and she can do all of them if she just buys the program!

And she can do them allllll for free ... provided she can convince Photoshop's makers that since they can just whomp up programs like this in not time at all, she shouldn't have to pay for it ...

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I have a friend who lives in another country and is a demonstrator for a mail-order craft supply company (think Avon for crafts). She barely breaks even on this venture and she's been doing it for a couple of years now. Anyway, she made some stuff to try to sell at a Christmas craft sale this past season, and naturally not all of it sold so she told her friends about it and asked if anyone was interested in purchasing anything. I liked two pieces of framed art she made, and naturally she'd have to ship them to the US. She was trying to figure out how much she spent to make the items so she could send them to me at cost because of the shipping rate. I said NO WAY are you charging me less than what you were trying to sell them for originally, just because of shipping! How is it her fault that we live in different countries and her company won't let her even sell their products to me directly? So she reluctantly gave in and let me pay the full amount. From what I've been reading on this forum, maybe she should charge more for the stuff she makes...she has a lot of trouble getting people to come to classes, host parties, etc. and quite possibly it's because she's charging too LITTLE instead of too much. I think I'll suggest she raise the pricing a bit...

[Moosenogger]

I bet her head would have exploded if you'd done what AyreBiskits mentioned. The moment she said she expected it to be free, you should have whipped out a piece of lined paper, drawn a quick stick figure with a pony tail, and drawn squiggles for a background.

There you go. That's what you get for free.

[scruff]

Both me and my Mum draw/paint. It's an enjoyable hobby and we're enthusiastic amateurs at best.
However she's sold paintings, and for rather more than the cost of materials.
(The local art club effectively rents out a wall of the local hospital, the painters get to display stuff that people might want to buy for Xmas prezzies, the patients get to see a colourful and changing display.)
So yes, hold out for more cash. People will give more repect for stuff they have to pay for, and people will pay for unique items.

[Merriweather]

I think $15 is more than reasonable for what she wanted! My husband really wanted to get a caricature portrait done of the two of us on our honeymoon. We sat for an hour, paid $70, and it was HORRIBLE. . $15 for something that would take you several hours is a very generous price. Good for you for sticking to your guns.

I have quite a nice caricature of myself, I've always liked it (some people think it looks like me, some don't
And I can't recall exactly what I paid, but it was somewhere in the ballpark of $15.

HOWEVER:
A - it's a chalk drawing, not a detailed sketch using colored pencis and all
B - it's not very detailed, took the guy maybe 15 minutes to do
C - it was done at a stand at Disneyland, so as close to "assembly" line as you can get and still be hand done.
And
D - it was done in 1971 !

So tell her you'll do one for $15 if it's less detailed, uses less expensive materials, is very quickly done, and she can provide a time machine to go back to 40 year old prices

[MoonCat]

$15 is more than reasonable. I used to draw, haven't done it for years but recently picked up a few pencils and paper at an art shop figuring I'd get into it again. Didn't expect the materials to be cheap, and they weren't.

I cannot understand the gall of someone asking you to put time and effort into a piece you would be proud to put your name on and then to give it to them for nothing!

[Kisa]

I can't draw to save my life, but I know how much artist supplies are. The Prismacolor pencils are NOT cheap, especally if you buy the bigger packs -- those run no less then $150.

I bought 3 sets of Prismacolor pencils: a 24 pack of skin tones for $40, a pack of 12 verithins for $25, and a pack of 48 for $89 on sale. I have a set of Prismacolor markers as well which sell for $5 a piece. I got a set of 48 for $60 on ebay. Pricy but oh-so worth it!

Even if you could, that argument is moronic. Somebody as talented as you should be PAID for those few hours. In fact the more talented somebody is the more they charge for something! Saying because you're good enough to do it fast you're... not good enough to be paid? I mean really?

What a twit.

I'm a slow sketcher ahaha when it's something I want to draw, I'm picky about the details. When it's something I don't want to draw, I drag me heels and only touch it when I have to

Also, charge more. Seriously.

How much do you think I should charge? I'm not good at putting a price on my skills
Heres some samples of things I did a few years ago. I've been too lazy to upload anything recent mostly because everything recent has been a rough sketch or a doodle.

[earl colby pottinger]

But

Tell her to take a photo of herself, take it to a Kinkos that has a copy of photoshop on it, and Filter -> Sketch. Bang, picture of herself that's in a sketchy style and if she's fast enough, she'll only have to pay eight bucks, can claim she did it herself and therefore is now an art wiz (lol) and she can go fuck herself while she's at it.

I am sure that Kinko's does not let you be kinky while using their machines.

[depechemodefan]

This reminds me of some story, about some Emperor of China requesting a picture of a rooster from an artist. A year pass by before the Emperor goes to the artist workshop to ask about the pic of the rooster. The artist gets the paper out and does it in a minute. The Emperor asks why a whole year go by when the artist can draw the rooster in a minute and the artist says that it took a year to learn to draw a rooster in a minute.

The story confused me since the Emperor asked for a pic of a rooster, not "draw a rooster in under a minute."

[CallCenterGirl]

Wow. Why would she think it would be free? And $15 is extremely reasonable! The audacity of people.

[firecat88]

Heres some samples of things I did a few years ago. I've been too lazy to upload anything recent mostly because everything recent has been a rough sketch or a doodle.

Fweep. o.o Your stuff is really good! Girl was crazy to pass up an offer of $15 for a portrait. A lot of people charge at *least* twice that for portraits depending on how much detail and whether or not the client wants it colored.