#i'm out here calculating how many hours of work at minimum wage it would cost to pay for these

[starrstruckcanuck]

Quick, someone de-influence me, my stupid overconsumption monkey brain somehow managed to become obsessed with the two most expensive jackets sold by Vanbase 😭😭😭

[invinciblerodent]

I'm very sad and disappointed that so many people think that the price difference is arbitrary, or simply because of the material cost, and therefore decide based on that that actually, it's not ethical to charge more, and that prices should be equalized. Honestly, I think quite a few people in the notes are fundamentally misunderstanding how fiber arts work, or how much of a difference there is in the amount of time differently sized pieces might take to make.

I'm a crocheter. I wear a size large, and make clothing for my personal use. I've also sold some of my work before, and have spoken to many people who handmake and sell clothing items and toys. The absolutely overwhelming majority of those I know calculate their pricing based partly on material cost, yes, but the biggest part of the price is made up by the cost of their manual labor, which is often calculated based on an hourly wage- not an arbitrary clothing size assigned to the finished item.

Understand this in a way like... if, say, a cardigan or whatever in a small-ish adult size takes maybe (guesstimating here) 5 skeins of yarn and 20 hours to make, the creator would buy the yarn for the project, charge for the cost of that, see how long it took to complete the project, and multiply a previously agreed upon hourly wage by the number of hours, which in this case is 20. If another item made in the same design takes 10 skeins and 40 hours (which would be a fairly large piece, but still fairly average imo), the price is calculated based on the same metric. If the smaller item is a more intricate design and takes more time to make, but the same amount of yarn, the price is changed according to how much more time it takes. (Though I only ever sold amigurumi which is easier to price, I personally used to calculate time based on stitch count: with my average of 18 sc/minute, I could calculate roughly how many stitches an item was, and give what I think is a very fair estimate for the amount of time it took to make, which didn't even include a bathroom break or anything- I didn't even round up to full hours; all I charged for was the amount of time it would have taken if I had sat down, and cranked the thing out like a machine without stopping for as much as taking a sip of water.)

Buying/commissioning handmade clothing is not at all like going to the store, and buying a machine-knit sweater from a large retailer. An individual creator who makes each stitch by hand (many of whom already severely undervalue their own skill and labor, often charging far below minimum wage for the utterly stunning, very skilled work they do) can't swallow the cost difference like a big business can, if they charge the same for all items. We don't crank out hundreds of the same sweater in a wide range of sizes, and shrug off cost differences because the bulk of the labor is done by a machine, and the sales of the smaller sizes easily make up for the small increase in material costs for the larger ones. No, most individual creators can maybe make 1-2 comparable sweaters per month, unless we want to absolutely annihilate our joints- and those aren't even sure to sell, unless they were made to order to begin with. (I already need compression gloves to work for longer periods of time without pain because I pushed myself too far a few years ago, and I'm not even 30 yet.)

Yes, it's perfectly ethical to charge more for a handmade item in a larger size. Not because of the greater material cost (although that may factor into the pricing), or because of some twisted fatphobic sentiment, not because the creator wants to punish the customer for the crime of having a larger body to clothe, but because more fabric just takes that much more labor to make by hand.

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[popo-licious]

Calculating Your Worth as a Freelance Artist

Hi all, I originally posted this on Reddit but wanted to share it here as well.

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There are many different approaches you can take to charge for freelance work, and I'm sure every artist will have slightly different advice. Here is what has worked well for me personally. :)

Method

I bill my clients by the hour as opposed to billing for the entire project upfront. I used to bill a flat fee when I was just starting out, but discovered that I was undercutting myself significantly. Here is the formula I use:

(Hourly Rate x Hours Worked) + Materials = Total

Rate

Determining your rate is tricky because you're essentially defining what you think you are worth. Most of us artists tend to undervalue ourselves, especially when first starting out. As a starting point, figure out the absolute lowest acceptable rate that you would be willing to work for. Ideally this starting rate will be equal to or exceed minimum wage. You and your art are worth it and you shouldn't be expected to work for pennies. <3

Once you determine your baseline, you can add markup to your rate based on your skill level, years of experience, and any additional benefits you bring to the client. Markup is important because it allows you to a) make more money and b) have some wiggle room to negotiate with your client.

Below is a handy formula for calculating markup.

Minimum Rate + (Minimum Rate x Markup) = Final Hourly Rate

For example, lets say the lowest amount you are willing to work for is $20/hour. Additionally, let’s assume for this example that you're a reasonably skilled artist with several years of experience. If you were to markup your minimum by 75%, your hourly rate would be $35/hour. Here is the math:

$20 + ($20 x 0.75) = $35

or

$20 x 1.75 = $35

In this scenario, you can present your client with an hourly rate of $35, and if that isn't in their budget, you have the flexibility to negotiate down as low as $20 without feeling cheated.

Estimating Hours

In order to accurately estimate your hours, its important to ask questions that will help you determine the scope of the project and what will be expected of you.

Here’s an example: a friend has asked you to design the cover art and packaging for their new album. Some good questions to ask are: 

- Do you already have a concept in mind for the design? 

- Will the art be needed for future projects such as merch? (This will dictate the final size you provide.)

- Will you need assistance with setting up the files with the print vendor? 

- Will you need assistance with adding any text to the packaging?

- When is the deadline?

Once you have that information, it will be much easier to determine realistically how much time it will take you to fulfil the request. (Also, build in some time for edits as well!)

Materials

Materials includes any expendable supplies you need to purchase specifically to complete this project. If you are painting, this would be your canvas, paints, brushes, etc. If you are sewing, this would be your textiles, thread, needles, etc.

Make sure to let your client know about these added costs ahead of time, as they are separate from your hourly rate. 

Additionally, I normally wouldn’t charge clients for any non-expendable materials that can be used infinitely, such as software. You can expense those to your business.

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I hope this helps, good luck! :D