Artwork prices

[kris_hm]

Hi Guys,
Can you advice how much can cost a nice design for t shirts??
I understand that prices vary a lot. But maybe you've got some examples as you've bought some designs before??
I can get my hands on some paintings and drawings (A4 size) but don't have a clue how to price it up :/

[accdave]

Do you mean how much to pay the artist ?

[kris_hm]

yes. or rather how much would be a fair price or how much you pay to your artists??

[Justin]

I got qoutes from many artists before finding the ones I wanted, you get what you pay for but can get artists from all over the world. In a country where the average wage is £25 per week an artist charging you £50 for a design will be very happy :-)

I used a couple in Canada and the US simply because they had experience in the styles I wanted. I set a price for a number of designs up front and agreed unlimited revisions on everything as well as full copyright sign over at the end. I spent several thousand pounds getting all of my designs, some designers only wanted £25-£50 and they were fine, other designers I paid a few hundred due to the complexity involved.

There's no real definitive answer, get an idea of what you want and get some qoutes, they'll vary wildly, don't assume the most expensive will be the best and don't assume someone wanting a few quid will be lousy....it often isn't the case!

[kris_hm]

thanks Justin. I want to start my new venture :) Want to sublimate different gadgets (mainly tees and polo) with unique artworks. I don't want slogans or funny pictures as market is full of that. So I found 5-6 artists who agreed to cooperate and share their arts on commission basis. I know it would be better to buy copyrights from them but I don't want to risk cash. But some are willing to sell also, so that's why I've asked :)
I think my idea is nice ;P but I'm so worry about finding right market :/

[John G]

If the commission paid to the artists is a small amount of the selling price, it would be a good deal to test the market. If it doesn't work you're not going to be out of pocket, if it is successful then buy the designs outright or search for a better deal with another artist.

[accdave]

Do you all advertise for artisits or do they come to you. Where will I find them :)

[Justin]

http://www.bobex.co.uk

http://www.designoutpost.com/

http://www.guru.com/

[DREAMGLASS]

Having a natural disposition to not parting with money, I took an alternative route and taught myself design, illustration and art. Whilst working with vectors initially had me pulling my hair out by the roots, I persisted with things and gradually got to a point where I am totally independant of others.

The whole problem with having artists on a commision basis, is that they will will typically have higher expectation of sales, than is generally achieveable. Sublimation garments suffer from limitations of containing polyester (not the sexiest of materials) and only being available in light colours. Although I sell subli tees myself on a commercial basis, I myself wouldn't wear a white tee, even though it presents the best 'canvas' for colour reproduction. Black cotton tees are by far the number one seller by a long margin and those are the ones that sell in volume.

[kris_hm]

Do you all advertise for artisits or do they come to you. Where will I find them :)

try to look in artists communities. for example deviantart.com
so many (millions) of young artist looking for any opportunity. many of them from abroad where british pound is very strong currency !! find them, contact them, make an offer and wait for reply !! easy as that ;)

[smitch6]

Black cotton tees are by far the number one seller by a long margin and those are the ones that sell in volume.

And here lyes the main factor in this business
black sells better yet we all struggle to print a decent image on black
unless you are one of the fortunate ones who can afford a aDTG

how i so envy you ppl

[DREAMGLASS]

If you are REALLY serious about printing full colour images onto dark garments, then I guess you'd save up until you could afford a DTG machine. Whilst white is the ideal colour for getting some really vibrant and colourful images onto fabric, you only have to look around on any reasonable warm day to realise that white tees are not that popular. My own subli designs are highly detailed to take full advantage of that white 'canvas'. My designs onto darks are all premium grade cut vinyl, as that is the only 'dark' print method that lasts as long as the tees themselves. They are highly detailed so weeding is a real pain.

The whole limitation with artwork onto garments, is using a process that not only suits your designs, but is also a cost effective solution to create in small quantities, till you establish the demand for your product. The last thing you want is a garage full of unsold stock.

[kris_hm]

dreamglass - could you show me some examples of your t shirts (especially detailed vinyl) ?? Looks like you know what you're doing and it would be value for beginner like me to know what quality should I aim to. I know that it should be always the best quality but thinking that way I'll be always too scared to go on deep water

[uk1simon]

If you need some T-shirt designs let me know. I made about 10 designs, there is my logo on them but I can remove it.
Or if you need something new, drop me a line.

[Stitch Up]

You could always sub-contract your shirt printing to me :smile: We only use 100% cotton shirts chosen for their good printing quality. I didn't try re-inventing the wheel in my choice of DTG shirts, I just researched what others were using!

Not wishing to bore you but here's just a couple of actual shirt picture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/datasafe/Printing%20and%20Dye%20Sub/Neoflex/DTG%20Examples/SkullwithRoses1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/datasafe/Printing%20and%20Dye%20Sub/Neoflex/DTG%20Examples/blindTiger1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/datasafe/Printing%20and%20Dye%20Sub/Neoflex/DTG%20Examples/Meerkat.jpg

This is a mixed media shirt we did for a local band. It's made up of printed ink and rhinestones.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/datasafe/Printing%20and%20Dye%20Sub/Neoflex/DTG%20Examples/Umbra.jpg

More here http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v111/datasafe/Printing%20and%20Dye%20Sub/Neoflex/DTG%20Examples/?start=all

These were all printed on my NeoFlex DTG printer and I've just trained Angie on it to relieve the strain :)

As far as cost is concerned, I just had to produce a wholesale price list as I'm crap at pricing 'on-the fly'! I've attached a wholesale price list in .pdf format. I'll probably refine it with time and also welcome any comments.

John

[uk1simon]

can you please send me that pdf file?

[Stitch Up]

I'm sure I uploaded it to the forum - dunno where it would have gone!

Let me have your email address and I'll get it over to you. My email is john@stitch-up.biz

Thanks

John

PS Max file size for a .pdf document is just 19k so I guess with mine at 160k, it didn't work :smile:

[Paul Richards]

Lots of designs for sale on Ebay but I would make sure they are legitimate or you could find you have broken copyright rules