Post by Ann @ frabjous fabrica on Sept 20, 2021 13:20:43 GMT
This was the question raised by Lindsay in her Studio post feltingandfiberstudio.com/2021/09/20/do-you-take-commissions/#comment-88274
As I said in my reply to Lindsay, her post really made me think.
I’ve always jumped at the chance of a commission without thinking much about it. Situated where I am, off the tourist routes, I haven’t had that much success with selling my work, so commissions struck me as the ideal way to get my name out there and perhaps boost sales. (Craft fairs usually make me a loss rather than a profit.)
I do work from photographs, usually my own, although my first commission was based on a very old sepia tint photo. A friend asked me to make a felt “painting” which she could give as a wedding present to a couple who were running a local, very old, pub. She had purchased some of my pictures before and now wanted me to do one of the pub in question. I took a lot photos of the pub, but because of constrictions of space, I couldn’t get the angle/view that I thought would make a good picture. I looked at the website of the village where the pub is and found the old photo, which was decidedly blurred. My customer agreed that this would be the photo to work from. My palette was restricted to the sepia shades, most of which I had to blend myself. I did find it interesting to work to a restricted palette.
The picture turned out well and was much appreciated by my client and by the pub landlord and his new wife. It has been on display in the pub’s dining room since the wedding. I can’t remember what I charged, but it was a very low price considering the work involved.
This eventually lead to a second commission – customers of the pub liked the picture and asked to be put in touch with me. The couple wanted me to make a felt picture of their house.
Having agreed to come and talk to them, I visited their house and thought “urgh” – it was anything but pretty and I really didn’t want to do it. So I thought “ think of a figure and double it – that should put them off”. Hah – no such luck. Anyway, they were a nice couple and were prepared to pay what I thought of as an exorbitant price so I said I’d give it a go. As this was winter, and they had a very nice garden with a lovely weeping tree which would need to be in the picture, it was agreed that I’d go back and take the necessary photographs in the following early May. I did this and took instructions on what to leave in and what to edit out – like the small football goal, the basketball hoop, and a couple of ugly(!) neighbouring properties.
When I was at work and had to record my time. I was working to 6 minute periods, so that an hour was divided into 10 slots. Keeping track that way it was easier to work out daily totals. I used this method to keep track of the time that I spent on the picture from then until I gave that up at around 140 hours!
Anyway I finished the picture, the customers liked it and paid up without a murmur. Despite the fact that I was working for peanuts in the end, I did enjoy working on the picture.
My last commission was much more to my taste. My nephew had seen the needle felted otter which I had made for my late sister, who had loved them, and he asked me to make a felt model of a highland cow for his wife - who loved them. He wanted to give it to her for Christmas. I agreed, and finished it in plenty of time and he was pleased with it. How to charge a nephew though? In the end I asked him to make a donation to the Cats Protection League, which he did. I think his wife liked the cow, but I never actually got any feedback until I asked if it was ok – apparently yes.
So I repeat my comment to Lindsay: I think that the answer is – it depends!
Here are links to the three commissions I completed. There is in fact another one which I did last year, but details of that one will be in a future Theatre Textiles Post (one day).
White Horse Hinton www.dropbox.com/s/fult08fdfoe7tzw/White%20Horse%20Hinton.jpg?dl=0
Commission Pic www.dropbox.com/s/2i4g10v5s61nw23/Commission.jpg?dl=0
Highland Cow www.dropbox.com/s/b0d6yuqkcohncm2/Morag.jpg?dl=0
There is in fact another commission which I did last year, but details of that one will be in a future Theatre Textiles Post (one day).
As I said in my reply to Lindsay, her post really made me think.
I’ve always jumped at the chance of a commission without thinking much about it. Situated where I am, off the tourist routes, I haven’t had that much success with selling my work, so commissions struck me as the ideal way to get my name out there and perhaps boost sales. (Craft fairs usually make me a loss rather than a profit.)
I do work from photographs, usually my own, although my first commission was based on a very old sepia tint photo. A friend asked me to make a felt “painting” which she could give as a wedding present to a couple who were running a local, very old, pub. She had purchased some of my pictures before and now wanted me to do one of the pub in question. I took a lot photos of the pub, but because of constrictions of space, I couldn’t get the angle/view that I thought would make a good picture. I looked at the website of the village where the pub is and found the old photo, which was decidedly blurred. My customer agreed that this would be the photo to work from. My palette was restricted to the sepia shades, most of which I had to blend myself. I did find it interesting to work to a restricted palette.
The picture turned out well and was much appreciated by my client and by the pub landlord and his new wife. It has been on display in the pub’s dining room since the wedding. I can’t remember what I charged, but it was a very low price considering the work involved.
This eventually lead to a second commission – customers of the pub liked the picture and asked to be put in touch with me. The couple wanted me to make a felt picture of their house.
Having agreed to come and talk to them, I visited their house and thought “urgh” – it was anything but pretty and I really didn’t want to do it. So I thought “ think of a figure and double it – that should put them off”. Hah – no such luck. Anyway, they were a nice couple and were prepared to pay what I thought of as an exorbitant price so I said I’d give it a go. As this was winter, and they had a very nice garden with a lovely weeping tree which would need to be in the picture, it was agreed that I’d go back and take the necessary photographs in the following early May. I did this and took instructions on what to leave in and what to edit out – like the small football goal, the basketball hoop, and a couple of ugly(!) neighbouring properties.
When I was at work and had to record my time. I was working to 6 minute periods, so that an hour was divided into 10 slots. Keeping track that way it was easier to work out daily totals. I used this method to keep track of the time that I spent on the picture from then until I gave that up at around 140 hours!
Anyway I finished the picture, the customers liked it and paid up without a murmur. Despite the fact that I was working for peanuts in the end, I did enjoy working on the picture.
My last commission was much more to my taste. My nephew had seen the needle felted otter which I had made for my late sister, who had loved them, and he asked me to make a felt model of a highland cow for his wife - who loved them. He wanted to give it to her for Christmas. I agreed, and finished it in plenty of time and he was pleased with it. How to charge a nephew though? In the end I asked him to make a donation to the Cats Protection League, which he did. I think his wife liked the cow, but I never actually got any feedback until I asked if it was ok – apparently yes.
So I repeat my comment to Lindsay: I think that the answer is – it depends!
Here are links to the three commissions I completed. There is in fact another one which I did last year, but details of that one will be in a future Theatre Textiles Post (one day).
White Horse Hinton www.dropbox.com/s/fult08fdfoe7tzw/White%20Horse%20Hinton.jpg?dl=0
Commission Pic www.dropbox.com/s/2i4g10v5s61nw23/Commission.jpg?dl=0
Highland Cow www.dropbox.com/s/b0d6yuqkcohncm2/Morag.jpg?dl=0
There is in fact another commission which I did last year, but details of that one will be in a future Theatre Textiles Post (one day).
