I hope I got the right forum.
I have an idea for a poster (ish) piece of art in a very simple black frame. I’m thinking it would be about 11x15 or so.
But I have zero artistic skills, so I’m thinking maybe I could hire an artist. I have no idea whatsoever how to go about doing this or even if it’s affordable.
Can anybody shed any light on this for me.
Thanks all.
grr. that should be commission AN artist.
No direct experience, but when my friends and I visited the Chicago Comic Con a few months back - my buddy spent a large amount of time talking to the artist vendors about commissioning something for him. Some of the artists even had commission rates posted on their table. I don’t think he ended up working with any of them, but he had no shortage of artists willing to do the work for him.
Just to see what would happen I googled “Artist for hire” and got 43 million hits, so that might be a good jumping off point.
If you’re on any kind of a budget, I recommend checking out the local art schools and posting a job offer.
A moderate option may be to look around deviantart for a style you like and commission the work to be done.
If you have some bucks to spare, Illustrators are artists who do work for clients professionally. You can check some out at The Directory of Illustration,the i-Spot and Workbook.
If you live near any art galleries, check around to see if you like the style of anything on display. The gallery might be able to put you in touch with the artist. Sometimes restaurants, cafés or framing shops have works by local artists on display, too. An art fair would be another place to look, though it’s not exactly the season for them around here.
I guess I should have tried google first. Sheesh, who knew.
One more question though.
I’d wish to hire the Artist not only to do the print, but to also help flesh the idea out. Would that affect what particular type of Artist I should look for.
I’m totally ignorant about this topic.
The one experience I have with this was when I already knew the artist that I wanted to commission. It wasn’t hard to find her e-mail address. (I think I had her business card.) I asked her to do an abstract painting, when all I’d seen of her stuff was representational. I was willing to pay the price she quoted. From that point on it was just a matter of e-mailing ideas back and forth, and every now and then she’d send a miniature sketch. I was very happy with the final result.
I’ve commissioned a number of pieces from various artists over the years, and this is basically how it works:
Find an artist whose works you like. You should look locally to make your life and any meetings easier. Wander around your city and look at local art on display.
Contact artist and determine if they’re willing to do commissioned pieces. It would be VERY odd for an artist to turn down a paid commission. I had it happen once, because the wife of the artist was nuts.*
Negotiate what you want, what you can afford and what they’re able to do. With the artist that I work with the most often, I call him and say I want a piece. He’ll ask a few details - how big? Subject matter? Colour preference? Occasion? and then he’ll do whatever the hell he wants. This works because I always love his work and he’s a professional - he wants to keep repeat customers happy.
It’s not really that hard - finding an artist whose work you like who you can afford is the tricky part, but generally people will work with you as to exactly what you want when it’s a custom piece. Regarding pricing, explore what the artist charges for gallery pieces. You should expect to pay that amount or a bit more. It’s incredibly gauche to low ball the person, or expect some sort of deal just because you have limited funds. Unless you’re buying multiple pieces or you’re a repeat customer, it’s just not something typically done.
*Weird story, but not really on topic. I’ll share if anyone cares. I suspect they don’t.
Come on Alice, you know better’n that.
Give with the crazy art spouse!
Naw, we hate good stories!
Artists are pretty conceptual in general, so I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility. If the artist is really excited about the idea, they might throw that in for free, but in general, the more you ask of someone, the more you’ll pay.
Unless you can get more specific, I’d recommend starting to look for someone who’s visual approach is compatible with your idea.
Thanks everyone. Alice, yes please.
So, I walked into a brand new gallery this afternoon. The artist was the only one in the store when I first walked in.
He’s brand new so I asked him if he does this sort of thing. He said yes, maybe, but before we could talk anymore, another guy walked in, so our conversation was interrupted.
I’m going to go back and talk to him after he’s officially open. This piece I have in mind is friendly towards the GLBT community and this is a pretty conservative town, so I’m trying to be careful. It would be really awkward if I had to call someone a bigot to their face. He’s young and his art is very modern so I’m hoping he’s evolved. Thanks guys.
Humm - it think it’s not a very exciting story - it was just weird.
I knew the wife and she’s really a piece of work, constantly running her husband down and bitching about how they have no money and she has to work so hard, and that’s what you get for marrying an artist, etc.
The husband very talented and does custom carpentry - furniture typically, but also installations. I had approached him about doing a custom piece for me and he was a bit weird about it, so I mentioned it to his wife the next time I saw her (we worked in the same building) and she went off. ‘Hubby doesn’t do that type of work! He’s not interested in doing something for you! How dare you! etc.’
So, I’m confused thinking that I’ve said something to horribly offend him - I’m not sure how ‘I really like your work and I would be interested in purchasing something.’ would be horribly offensive, but, hey - what do I know?
Well, I came to find out that the wife won’t let him do ANY private commissions - only corporate ones, because she doesn’t want people to feel like they own a piece of her husband, or are above her or superior to her because they’ve purchased something her husband made.
So, she bitches and complains about him not making enough money, but then shuts down what would be a very lucrative source of income. I mean, I think he gets corporate contracts, but there are a lot of very wealthy (and not so wealthy - like me) folks in this neck of the woods that would pay very handsomely for one of his items and he’s not allowed to do it.
Like I said, she’s crazy. Also one of the most annoying people I’ve ever met. After about 3 minutes talking to her about anything you just want to cover your ears and go 'Shut Up! Shut Up! Shut Up!"
Wow, that is all sorts of crazy.
Wow, I would love to divorce someone like that.