The life of an artist.

[GreyBubbleGum]

It really is hard making money when you're an artist isn't it. I mean how much of a living can you really have with just commission, and that is if you're lucky.

I've been looking around for a long time and was wondering is there a site where artist buyers can commission artist but the artist get full payment for his work with the site getting a royalty off of the transaction.

And if there aren't, could there be a site where artist and buyers can makes commission with each other without interference of a third party. Then again, how would a site make money if that were to happen.

[ziondreh]

You're right. But if ur lucky,smart and skilld u can become so rich like masashi the creator of naruto.

[LadyDeath]

Doing commissions for other people is at most only 3% of how an artist can make money. There's actually a ton of stuff you can do if you're an artist. I think a lot of people box themselves into a specific definition of what an artist is and forget what else you can do with that talent.

T-shirt designs, theatre, murals, comics, illustrating for books, websites, games, - everything needs art. Everything around you has design in it.

There's a ton to do I promise!

[GreyBubbleGum]

It sort of sad really because there really isn't a large market for artist unless they're working for the top company.

You see so much young kids wanting to grow up, and make drawing for a living but you don't want to tell them the real honest truth of that most of them are going to have to get a side job to support that dream.

[LadyDeath]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.

I think it's just stereotypical stuff people are expected to say about art or being an artist. "it's so hard!" "there aren't any jobs!" "i'm a starving artist!" "there's nothing to do!" ...um these are all lies.

Plus believe me all the 'kids' getting into it who are serious know that it's a difficult road ahead of them. It's only the deluded talentless ones with grandiose dreams of success who are in for a real shock.

But like i said I really don't know what you're talking about. There are actually TONS of art jobs. Everything in this world requires art and design. If you think about it there are art jobs EVERYWHERE. and if you really think there isn't any you either aren't looking or you're very narrowly defining what art is or what art can do or what you can do. I just graduated from college last year and without anyone's assistance I managed to get a job illustrating a children's book for someone in australia. Also she's keeping me on to illustrate a big series of children's books. Now is that what I prefer to do? No, but it's great money and in my free time I'll get my own comics published and pursue my personal projects.

And I need to stress again that I did not have any help finding this job, I didn't even have a phenomenal portfolio at the time. I'm also a young person! But wait I have an art job - what the hell!? How can this BE?!

What makes it hard for most people to be 'artists' or even 'writers' is that they have standards - i imagine that sounds funny but it's true. They won't take certain types of jobs because they have an ego, they won't look in certain types of places because they're too good for that place, and they won't do what they have to - to make ends meet. They are ONLY looking for 'top company' jobs (whatever the hell those are). You're restricting yourself and ultimately killing your dream.

But whatever keep moaning and don't listen to me. it's not like I'm having a children's book published this month or anything only a semester after I graduated from college. (Also I should note that my college degree wasn't even in art or drawing or illustration or design or anything like that).

So stop crying and start looking. Whining doesn't do anything it just wastes time.

[FireGhost]

Generally speaking yes, an artist life can be hard. Most movies and tv drama shows has been showing the same because it is the reality. However nowadays there is no room for simply waiting for commissions. Life has been harder than before and if you want money you need to search and work for it. Have you ever heard about freelance portals? There are tons of people looking for artists in such of websites. You can always get a job as an artist but you need to take action so never give up!

[ArcTanGentleman]

There are 2 million employed artists (employed as artists) in this country. Or roughly .66% of the population. Thats 6 artists for every 1000 people. The competition is stiff.

Art is generally considered a luxury.

Ladydeath, I have seen artists whom I consider AMAZING lamenting about their future and applying for jobs that pay minimum wage. I have seen artists give up and start looking for alternate career paths.

Also, where I used to live, there was a 'starving artist art sale'. $30 for a hand painted work of art.

I didn't go because, honestly, back then I was not interested in making comics (I have always felt drawn to writing [please excuse the bad pun]) and love the medium of drawn art (most specifically manga), and superheroic characters... but honestly... I usually just made up my own. Also, I consider art a luxury and not a necessity.

Most people buy prints of famous works. When buying an original, it's either cheap or expensive, there is no inbetween. Additionally, all the art that was created in the last hundred years or so still exists.

The starving artist stereotype exists for a reason. Simply because one person does not find it challenging, does not mean that their experience is typical. I have been attempting to dissuade someone from moving to a city because they think their might be a job there. I moved FROM that city, 600 people showed up at a job application summit for TELEMARKETING jobs, they had experience ranging from insurance sales, marketing (actual marketing), etc. There is a lawyer working as a waitress. The economy is rough and artists have it just as difficult as anyone.

This is not a stable, nor is it an easy field. In Japan, only the top 1% of manga artists make a living from it. In american comics, the stats look similar. The only way I would consider being a comic artist is if I had the skill necessary to work for Marvel/DC Comics.

[GrimFinger]

It really is hard making money when you're an artist isn't it. I mean how much of a living can you really have with just commission, and that is if you're lucky.

I've been looking around for a long time and was wondering is there a site where artist buyers can commission artist but the artist get full payment for his work with the site getting a royalty off of the transaction.

And if there aren't, could there be a site where artist and buyers can makes commission with each other without interference of a third party. Then again, how would a site make money if that were to happen.

Two days ago, I had not heard of this forum. Yesterday, I stumbled across it, looking for something else. I started not to join as a registered user, but for some reason or other, I made the decision to go ahead and register.

Not to respond to this particular thread, mind you, but while I am here, I thought that I would go ahead and take a stab at responding.

Not being an artist, but rather, an individual that possesses no artistic talent of note ( a clump of dirt would probably rate higher on an artistic talent scale than myself), allow me to give you my perspective on it.

Artists want to make a decent wage for their work rendered. I understand that. I grasp it. I fully comprehend it. Also, I have no problem with it. More power to those who embrace it.

It is at this point that reality intervenes.

There is supply, and there is demand.

There always exists a demand for art of all sorts. Likewise, there always exists skilled and talented individuals able to meet existing demand. The key, I believe, lies in pairing up the right supply with the right demand.

Those both WILLING and ABLE to pay top dollar for artwork, particularly commissioned artwork, will likely do just, exactly that - with the caveat being that they will also likely seek out what they consider to be top tier talent for the job or whim at hand.

If one is willing to pay top dollar, but simply doesn't have top dollar to pay, then they aren't a viable target for top level pay, if you're an artist seeking pay commission work. To transform this sector into actual money will require accommodating less than top dollar.

As a person who has no artistic skill or talent of note, I can - and do - appreciate the fact that art talent is a commodity of value. I weigh that against the fact that any desire for commissioning art that I might develop, at any given point in time, must - and should - be weighed against COMPETING INTERESTS.

You know, bills and such. Most artists are likely familiar with that concept, since it is a reality that most of us tend to share.

In America, at least, it wasn't so very long ago that we had what was being touted as "the worst recession since the Great Depression." So, for many aspiring artists, I suspect that what they perceived as their reality was going from being underpaid for their work, to being even less likely to be paid more for their work.

To use myself as an example, let's say that I have decided that I want to commission some artwork to be done, but that I haven't yet decided on an artist. Who do I choose? An artist that is flexible on their price, or one who isn't?

Pretty simple, isn't it?

Well, not exactly. Even with flexibility on the par of the artist factored in, while it is one thing for me to agree on a given price point for a particular piece of artwork, wouldn't it be nice if life was that uncomplicated? Will the artist's price point also be acceptable to my wife? Or to a business partner, if it's someone else interested in commissioning artwork for a particular project?

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a centralized website where artists could get commission work, and be able to keep most of the money being paid? Then, give it a little time, and have more and more artists flock to it, thereby increasing competition amongst the supply portion of the equation, effectively ensuring that the price that an artist can earn will be driven down by the laws of supply and demand.

From my perspective, demand for art, particularly art that is commissioned, is omnipresent. That demand always exists. It will likely always exist.

The biggest obstacle? Price point.

The Internet makes it easy to get your art talent in front of potential paying customers. Likewise, the very same Internet makes it equally easy for millions - tens of millions - of other artists, also.

Unlimited demand meets unlimited supply.

The biggest challenge? Matching the right supply with the right demand. The Internet is a big, Big, BIG place. It's easy for an artist to get lost in it, and it is equally easy for a potential art buyer to get lost in it.

If I am going to commission art, in this day and age, then the simple fact of the matter is that I am exceedingly likely to look at more than one artist's portfolio. The more that I look at, the less likely that it is that I will pick any particular one.

As an artist, you are free to demand any price point for your art talent rendered. As a potential buyer of your services, I am free to accept it or to reject it, for any reason - or for no reason, at all.

One thing that both artists and those looking to commission art have in common is that both tend to value their time. Not having to sift through forty-six thousand artists as potential candidates is a plus for the potential buyer.

Not everyone who has an interest in getting commissioned artwork created for them is doing so, as part of a business project. Accordingly, no expectation exists on the part of such individuals for them to recoup part or all of their "investment" in your artwork, either over the short term or over the long term. As such, in many instances (if not in most instances), commissioned art for personal whims may well fetch less money, on average, than for business-oriented projects, as a matter of comparison.

The world of art is not a singular-faceted thing. Rather, there are multiple facets to it. There are many things to consider, and to take into account, for any aspiring artist seeking to hawk their wares and their talents. There's nothing wrong with having a single price point to operate from - aside from the fact that you may well end up screwing yourself out of work that you otherwise might actually want (or need, depending on the respective artists and their respective situations).

On a purely personal level, I really have no preference for who creates artwork for me - provided that I like it, and that it meets whatever my need or whim is that led me to commission it, in the first place.

I don't consider an unknown artist to be a disadvantage to me. I am quite willing to consider the new guy. Likewise, I am willing to consider an established name. The actual end product is where the majority of my interest lies.

If an artist has a portfolio, then that is a plus. If they don't have a portfolio, but they do have a way for me to view some of their past work, then by and large, that's fine, too. That one has a portfolio, in and of itself, doesn't make their art talent more valuable to me. Rather, it simply serves as a mechanism to enable me to view whether they might be a viable choice or not.

In the course of their everyday lives, people routinely shop using price comparisons as a basis for making their purchasing decisions. A penny or two can make the difference in where they stop to buy gas for their car. Relatively small amounts often prove to be determinative of where people buy their groceries - or even their preferred luxuries of life. The world of aspiring artists is not immune from the prospect of comparison shopping.

Ultimately, perceived value can make a decisive difference. It's not all about the art talent, itself, and it's not all about the price point. Many different factors come to bear in the art purchasing process.

The rapport with the prospective artist quickly comes to mind.

The medium of communication can make a difference, too.

The aspects of communication surrounding a potential art transaction can be many - and they can have great bearing on whether the artist ultimately succeeds or fails, in any given instance of a potential art sale to a prospective customer.

How a given artist sizes up the market for their handiwork can make a big difference, also. What do you perceive the actual market for your art skills and talent to be? From my perspective, you likely underestimate the potential market for your work.

But, are you willing to adjust? Are you willing to adapt? Just exactly how flexible are you? What difference does it make? Well, if you're interested in doing art for a living, or just as a handy and reliable source of second income, then in my considered opinion, it can make quite an enormous difference.

But, then again, that's just a mere personal opinion of one - namely, myself.

For whatever it may be worth. . .

[GrimFinger]

It really is hard making money when you're an artist isn't it. I mean how much of a living can you really have with just commission, and that is if you're lucky.

I clicked on your site user profile, just now, to look for a link to your art portfolio. Notably, there isn't one.

Tell me this, GreyBubbleGum - why do you make it unnecessarily difficult for the masses to view your art talent?

You chose to keep it invisible. How many sales do you think that you will achieve, that way?