[MR] Question on pricing a scroll commission

[M. Coty Kannon]

HAHAHA How was that for 2 pages of rambling with out
answering your question.  :o) 

Obviously not a lot of professional scroll makers at
work outside of recreation groups.  My suggestion
would be to base your approximate rates on what you
consider to be a closest approximation to what it is
we do and make it something that your customer will
understand.  My assessment is that the closest
approximation to what it is you do would be a portrait
Painter, a little internet searching seems to show
that around here in NC the going rate for a portrait
painter is about 35 - 45 bucks an hour.  I found a
couple of calligraphers here in NC that run about the
same cost for doing invites and the like.  You may
think the professions I picked for comparison are way
off, but hopefully this will give you an idea of where
to get a more concrete figure 



--- Joshua Thomas <joshua.r.thomas at gmail.com> wrote:

> I would up charge due to rush nature of the job. A
> week is unreasonable
> request and you should take whatever you find a
> reasonable price and double
> it.
> Materials are a guesstimate and will probably be
> negligible:
> Bristol Board (10 for pack of 20) = 50 cents.
> Gouache ($8 a tube x # of tubes (20 in this example
> estimate) /20(estimates
> of number of scrolls you will use a tube on) = $8
> Ink (Sumi 6.95 /20 scrolls usage)= 35 cents
> Imatation Gold (10 for a booklet of 10, used 2
> sheets) 2
> 
> Grand Total of materials: About 11 dollars
> 
> Doing appraisal of labor is a little more tricky.
> Your skill and time
> alloted sets your price. If you have an emotional
> investment in seeing the
> commission done your price probably drops. I would
> say a scribe can ask
> between 50 and 1000 dollars for a comission based
> off their skill and time
> allotted. You may also find mudania undervalues your
> skill, which may drop
> the price more. All in all what do you think the
> comissioner is expecting to
> pay. Are you will to do it for that? If so go for
> it.
> 
> 
> On 1/24/06, Marybeth Lavrakas <katrous at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > I hope some of you can give me advice on a
> real-world
> > commission I've received to produce an award
> scroll
> > for a retiring professor.
> >
> > The item will be quite large (11x16), but have
> minimal
> > illumination of one large and two small capitals
> > utilizing imitation gold leaf, and  acanthus
> leaves in
> > the borders to bracket the upper left and lower
> right
> > corners. A lot of text.
> >
> > The commission is from my boss, who said he'd pay
> me
> > and never asked me for an estimate! I don't have
> the
> > vaguest notion of how to come to a price above the
> > cost of materials. Oh, it's also got to be done
> within
> > a week. Suggestions???
> >
> > Lady Kateryn Rous, CP
> > House Broussard
> > Windmasters Hill
> > http://sca.livingpast.com
> >
>
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> 
> 
> 
> --
> --
> Joshua Thomas
> (c) 757 537 6395
> joshua.r.thomas at gmail.com
> ---
>
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