How to Set Up Art Commissions: A Step-by-Step Guide for Artists

To set up art commissions, work through five steps in order. Build a focused portfolio that shows the kind of work you want to be hired for. Name a price using your usual rate plus a small markup. Take a deposit before you start, never after. Put the details in a short written agreement covering the work, size, price, and timeline. Then send progress updates, collect the final payment, and ship. That is the whole process, and none of it requires a gallery, an agent, or a big following.

Here is the thing most artists get wrong: they treat commissions as something that happens to lucky people, when it is really just a repeatable system you can set up on purpose. A commission is deeply personal to the collector, which means professionalism matters more than fame. Get the steps right and a stranger who admired one painting becomes a repeat collector. Skip the steps, especially the deposit, and a single bad job can sour you on commissions for good. Let us set yours up so that does not happen.

How do you set up art commissions step by step?

Setting up commissions comes down to a clear sequence: prepare, price, agree, create, deliver, follow up. Each step builds trust and protects your time, and skipping one is where most commission problems begin. Here is the full process from first inquiry to final delivery.

1. Build the foundation before you open. Establish your artistic identity and a portfolio that shows your best, most representative work. Your identity is what sets you apart and draws clients in, and it forms through study, experimentation, and steady refinement, not overnight.
2. Announce that you are open. Tell your audience plainly that you are accepting commissions, and tell them more than once. Most artists never say it at all, then wonder why no one asks.
3. Respond professionally to inquiries. When someone reaches out, acknowledge their interest, state your availability, ask for project details, and set clear expectations from the first message.
4. Agree on price and put it in writing. Name your fee, then capture the work, size, medium, price, payment plan, and timeline in a short written agreement you both sign.
5. Take a deposit, then begin. Collect a deposit before any paint goes down. This single rule prevents most of the ways commissions go sideways.
6. Create, update, and deliver. Work to the agreed timeline, send progress updates at set points, collect the final payment once the piece is done, and ship only after that payment clears.
7. Follow up. After delivery, check in, ask for feedback or a testimonial, and keep the door open for future work.

The rest of this guide walks through the steps that trip people up most: building the portfolio, pricing, the deposit, the contract, and turning one client into a repeat collector.

What do you need before you open commissions?

Before you take a single request, you need a clear artistic identity and a portfolio that shows it. Your identity is what makes a collector choose you over the thousands of other artists they could hire, and it is not something you manufacture in a weekend. It evolves through study, experimentation, practice, and continual refinement until your work looks like yours and no one else’s.

Your portfolio is how that identity reaches people. Whether it lives on a full website or a single well-kept social profile, it should make commissioning you feel easy and obvious. A strong commission portfolio includes a few specific things.

1. Your best, most representative work. Show the kind of pieces you actually want to be hired to make, not everything you have ever painted. If you show it, you will be asked to repeat it.
2. Clear descriptions of your style and technique. A short, honest description of what makes your work distinct helps a collector imagine their own piece in your hands.
3. High-quality images. Photograph your work so the color and texture read accurately. Blurry or badly lit images quietly cost you commissions you never hear about.
4. Obvious contact information. Make it effortless for someone to reach you. A buried email address ends more inquiries than a weak portfolio does.

If your portfolio still feels thin, our guide on how to build an art portfolio walks through assembling one that actually brings work in. The goal here is simple: when someone lands on your page, the next step should feel like sending a message, not solving a puzzle.

How do you find clients for commissions?

You find commission clients by telling people you are open and then showing your process where they can see it. Even the most gifted artist has to market, and for commissions that marketing is mostly visibility plus a clear invitation. Here is how to create steady demand instead of waiting for it.

1. Say you are accepting commissions, out loud and often. This is the step almost everyone skips. Announce it, pin it, and repeat it regularly. People cannot hire you for something they do not know you offer.
2. Show your process on social media. Post works in progress, time-lapses, and finished pieces. Watching how you work lets a potential collector picture commissioning their own piece, which is most of the decision.
3. Network in real life and online. Go to art events, meet other artists, and build a genuine community. Referrals and collaborations open doors that cold marketing never will.
4. Collaborate to widen your reach. Joint exhibitions and projects with other artists combine your audiences and put your work in front of people who would not have found you alone.

Visibility is a long game, so treat it as a habit rather than a campaign. For a fuller plan on getting your work seen, see how to promote your art. The artists who stay quietly visible, week after week, are the ones whose inbox slowly fills with requests.

How do you price a commissioned painting?

Price commissions by starting from your normal rate for original work and setting them slightly higher. A commission asks more of you than a piece you make on your own terms: more communication, more direction, more revision. Charging a premium for that is fair, not greedy. Here is how to land on a number you can defend.

1. Understand your costs first. Add up materials and the time the piece will take. Size, style, and complexity all push these up, and they all belong in your price. Our step-by-step guide to how to price paintings gives you a formula to start from.
2. Use your original rate as a baseline, then mark it up. If you price originals at roughly two dollars per square inch, a commission rate of two and a half or three dollars per square inch is reasonable. The markup covers the extra back-and-forth.
3. Be transparent about the full cost. Spell out the price of the painting plus any extras like shipping or a rush fee. Clients trust artists who make the math visible, and surprise costs are how trust dies.

Pricing confidently is as much a mindset as a calculation. If you undercharge to feel safe, you will resent the work halfway through. State your number plainly, explain what it includes, and let the client decide. For the bigger picture of earning from your art, how to make money as an artist puts commissions in context with your other income.

Should you take a deposit and write a contract?

Yes, always. Payment is the single most common reason commissions go wrong, and the deposit and the contract are what protect you. Dimitra Milan, who has taken many commissions, is blunt about this: never accept a commission without a deposit paid in advance. A deposit proves the collector is serious, lowers the chance they cancel, and protects you from pouring days into a piece nobody pays for.

Here is how to handle the money and the paperwork without making it complicated.

1. Take the deposit before you start. A common deposit is around 20 percent of the total, and anywhere up to 50 percent is acceptable. The right amount depends on your supply costs and the size and complexity of the piece. The rule that matters most is simple: no deposit, no painting.
2. Write a short, clear agreement. It does not need to be fancy. It just needs to capture what you both agreed to: a description of the work, the size, the medium, the final price and payment plan, and a timeline. You make it official when you both sign it.
3. Set a transparent payment plan. Use secure payment methods, and make the schedule clear from the start. The final balance comes due when the piece is finished and the collector has seen a photo of it.
4. Collect the final payment before delivery. Only ship or hand over the painting once that final payment clears. This one habit removes the most painful way a commission can end.

A contract feels formal the first time, but it is really just a record that keeps you and your collector on the same page. It protects the relationship as much as the payment. Skip it and you are relying on memory and goodwill to settle any disagreement, which is exactly where commissions tend to fall apart.

How do you manage the commission once it starts?

Manage a live commission by treating it as a collaboration with clear checkpoints, not a blank cheque for endless changes. The stretch between agreement and delivery is where you earn a repeat collector or lose one, and most of it comes down to communication and boundaries. Here is how to run it well.

1. Set realistic deadlines and report progress. Agree on an achievable timeline, then keep the client informed as you go. Regular updates manage expectations and head off anxious check-ins.
2. Build revision points into the contract. Name specific moments when the collector can request adjustments. This reassures them they will get a piece they love while protecting you from an unending stream of tweaks.
3. Keep some creative ambiguity. Take direction on subject, palette, and key elements, but avoid promising an exact, pixel-level image in advance. If the client engineers every detail, you lose your voice and they are more likely to be disappointed by the real painting.
4. Offer visual updates as a feature. Consider including a photo or short video package so the collector watches their piece come to life. Tell them in advance when each update will arrive so the waiting feels intentional, not silent.

Boundaries here are a kindness, not a wall. A clear timeline and defined revision points actually make the client feel safer, because they know what is coming and when. Vagueness is what breeds worry, and worry is what produces the dreaded request to “change just one more thing” for the fifth time.

How do you turn a commission client into a repeat collector?

You turn a one-time client into a repeat collector by making the whole experience feel personal and finishing it with care. The painting is only half of what they remember. The other half is how it felt to work with you, and that is entirely in your control. Here is how to make the experience worth repeating.

1. Communicate openly the whole way through. Honest updates, clear explanations of your process, and genuine openness to feedback build trust that outlasts the single piece.
2. Deliver with a personal touch. Package the work properly so it arrives safe, and consider adding a handwritten note or a small gift, like your initial sketch for the piece. Small gestures turn a transaction into a memory.
3. Follow up after delivery. Check in once the piece is hung. Ask for feedback or a testimonial, or simply thank them. This is also how referrals are born, because delighted collectors tell other people.
4. Handle revisions and red flags professionally. Stay respectful when feedback comes in, and watch early for warning signs like poor communication or unrealistic expectations. When friction appears, stay solution-oriented and protect the relationship.

Remember that taking commissions makes you a business owner as much as an artist. That means leaning on communication, negotiation, and organization, not just brushwork. Commitment, a strong work ethic, and real kindness to your clients create the kind of experience people come back for, and tell their friends about. For the wider world of selling your work, how to sell your art sits right alongside commissions as a way to build a real income.

Quick answer

To set up art commissions, build a focused portfolio, name a price using your usual rate plus a markup, and take a deposit before you start. Write a short contract covering the work, size, price, and timeline. Send progress updates, collect the final payment, then ship. Follow up to turn one client into a repeat collector.

Commissions reward structure, and the fastest way to build the skill and confidence underneath all of this is to simply make more work. Our free Two Week Challenge is a guided way to do exactly that, so your portfolio has pieces worth commissioning. When you are ready to go deeper on the business side, the rest of the sell and price your art collection is here whenever you want it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set up art commissions as a beginner?

Build a small portfolio that shows your style, decide what kinds of work you will take, and tell your audience you are open for commissions. When someone inquires, ask for project details, name a price, and take a deposit before you begin. A short written agreement covering the work, size, price, and timeline protects both of you, and it does not need to be fancy to be real.

How do I start taking art commissions?

Find your niche, build a portfolio, and promote your work, then say plainly that you are accepting commissions. Say it more than once. Share your process on social media so people can picture commissioning you. When a request comes in, respond professionally, agree on the details in writing, and collect a deposit before any paint goes down.

Should I take a deposit before starting a commission?

Yes. Payment is the most common reason commissions go wrong, so always collect a deposit before you begin. A deposit proves the collector is serious, lowers the chance they cancel, and protects your time. A common range is 20 to 50 percent upfront, depending on the cost of supplies and the size and complexity of the piece.

How do I price a commissioned painting?

Start from your normal pricing for original work, then set commissions slightly higher because they involve more communication and direction. If your originals run two dollars per square inch, a commission rate of two and a half or three dollars per square inch is reasonable. Factor in materials, time, and complexity, and state your fees clearly so the client understands the full cost.

How do I accept payment for art commissions?

You can use online payment gateways, email invoicing, mobile payment apps, third-party marketplaces, eChecks with ACH processing, or bank transfers. Choose whatever is secure and easy for both you and your client. Take the deposit at the start, collect the final balance once the piece is finished and the collector has seen a photo, and only ship after that final payment clears.