This is how you can charge more on your commissions

If it took you four hours to complete a $35 commission, you just made $8.75 an hour (before taxes). In US, you're basically working for almost below most state's minimum wage. Is that really what your skill, your time, and your effort are worth?

Many artists start their freelance journey underpricing themselves because it feels like it's the safer route to take when starting. But that $35 price tag? It doesn’t just hurt your wallet. It chips away at the perceived value of creative work everywhere. I'm sure you've probably thought at least one of these before:

“It’s just a hobby.”

“I don’t want to scare off potential clients.”

“I’m not good enough yet.”

“Everyone else charges this, so I guess I should too.”

It's all good, I did too in the past. But we learn from it. The thing is: these thoughts come from fear, not strategy. And fear-based pricing is unsustainable. Bills don't pay themselves! Pricing isn't about where you are. It's about where you're going. Underpricing hurts more than just you. When artists consistently undervalue their work, clients start expecting creative work to be cheap. That leads to devaluation of the craft, exploitation by clients, and I know you've felt this at some point, the dreaded burnout. This wrecks expectations for the whole industry.

Replace the “Tier” System With Complexity-Based Pricing

Instead of segmenting your prices by body parts (which really sounds weird when you think about it), start with a base price. This is your minimum to even consider the job. Then build upward based on time, effort, and complexity. There's a formula out there that designers use indirectly to determine prices that you as an artist can use as well. Michael Janda came up with it relatively recently. It goes like this:

(Hourly Rate x Production Hours) + Hard Costs = Production Cost

You can check more about pricing in design in this conversation between Chris Do and Michael Janda:

If we were to translate that to illustration work and put it in a conversation setting, where you'd be telling this to someone who asked for your commission prices, you could end up with something like:

“Commissions start at $250+. Final price depends on the complexity of the idea, character design, and desired rendering style.”

This could translate to you spending 10 hours at a $25 hourly rate (implying your Hard Costs are $0 and you have already paid for your software, drawing tablet, etc). This also frames the conversation as collaborative. You’re not vending art. You’re designing a solution.

But Isn’t the Market Oversaturated?

Yes. And no.

There are more artists online than ever before. AI is flooding social media with fast, flashy imagery. And with the economy being what it is, many clients are tightening their budgets. It's the reality we're living in. But none of that means you don’t have a place in this. The market isn’t saturated with your taste or perspective. Oversaturation hurts generalists. It forces specialists to rise.

If you're vague (“I do anime art”), you'll disappear in the noise. But if you're clear (“I create character-centric illustrations with cyberpunk and horror elements, designed for streamers or TTRPG lovers”), you stand out. This is called niching down, which simply means "focusing your content on a specific, well-defined topic." (this definition was taken straight out of Google). I'll talk about niching down on a future article. And the funny thing is: people pay more when they feel like you’re exactly what they were looking for.

Low Prices Invite High-Stress Clients, and they're not looking for quality: They're looking for deals. They're the ones who are most likely go to AI to get their hit of serotonin. And when you sell your services at clearance prices, you attract clients who ask for endless revisions and scope creepers. You’re an illustrator, not a servant.

How to Raise Your Prices Without Burning Bridges

If you’re afraid to suddenly double or triple your prices, that’s fair tbh. Here’s how to do it gradually:

1. Track your time: know how long things actually take you. CSP has a feature for this.

2. Set a base rate that reflects your minimum time investment.

3. Use “starting at” or “$XXX+” to signal flexibility.

4. Talk to your clients. Listen, interpret, and price based on their ideas, not a rigid chart. The conversation will reveal the way to make it easier for you.

You may have started drawing for fun. But if you’re accepting money for your work, you’ve stepped into the world of business. That doesn’t mean you have to become a corporate drone. It means you respect your time, your energy, and your skills — and expect others to do the same. So the next time you feel the urge to undercharge “just this once,” ask yourself: Am I building a sustainable practice or just surviving from commission to commission?

You deserve more than survival.

You deserve a creative career you can grow with.