How much does the perfect gift for someone we do most love cost? How much money would you spend to make someone you love happy by having a unique and original present that lasts almost forever?
Well, maybe it depends on the person you are thinking about, it depends if you have feelings for that person or maybe it depends on the situation, if you wish to make it remarkable.
Anyway, I could list a great number of reasons but, in general, the truth is, there is no pattern for putting value on things.
I mean, for some people certain things are just priceless, for some others on the other hand, the same things are considered a complete waste of money or time, in general things that collectors and fans like according to some people's judgment, for instance.
I want to make a very clear state here that I DO NOT think collectors or fans are
futile people that spend money buying useless items. And I could never ever say something like that because I myself also am a collector and fan since I was a kid.
I used to collect comic books, pinup's posters and action figures. At that age, in the 70's and 80's, in my home country it was difficult to find good issues as we have today. Just as example, Conan is one of my favorite movies and comic's character. When Conan the Barbarian was released in Brazil I went to the theater to watch it and later when The Savage Sword of Conan was released I started collecting it. I had 124 or 126 issues, plus special editions for the movies, and other colored issues from different adventures.
The same with Sandman from Neil Gaiman, I had all issues, and other graphic novels like Dark Knight Strikes Again, Spawn, Ronin, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and so on. By the end of my entire comic book collection I had around 1,600.00 issues. Yes, believe me, I had around 1,600.00 comic books.
How much did all those issues cost? I had no idea, but for me it was priceless.
For reasons that I do not want to remember I had to give up my collection..., 12 years of work.
But, when I had the chance again, when I was 30 years old, with better financial conditions, although against some familiar complaints I restarted very slowly my collection and at that time most of the old stories were available in special editions, hard cover, etc., a little more expensive than before but by the end of the time it was worthy, because I would had all issues from one story or saga in one hard cover volume, like Dark Knight Strikes Again story. The first time it was released it was composed of four issues and there was no extra content.
Again, I had to leave my collection behind, when I came to Canada, but this time I left it at my parents’. At least the issues are safe. I have nowadays around 900 issues, computing, Batman, Sandman, Spider Man, X-Men, Spawn, Hulk, Teen Titans and many other graphic novels.
Perhaps you are a little confused about this thread while reading it and thinking: what the heck is the title about? Where is the connection between sunglasses and gifts and so on?
I will tell you the reason of this subject.
In one of the live chats I do with Cris De Lara in It's'Art website, about pinup art and fan art, there was a point of discussion that was related to prices for original art, commissioning job, how to quote an inquire and etc.
By working with such talented and versatile artist like Cris De Lara in our company, Artepixel Studio, I am the one that is responsible for dealing with the clients while she is the responsible by producing the artistic works.
Trying to make things easier for my clients I developed a flat rate table for Pinup art and Fan Art services, this way they have the price for images within certain conditions. That was the best ratio I found between a very good quality service and a very affordable price for anyone to get a pinup.
However, it is surprising the amount of clients that ask for different kinds of pinups every time which forces me to make another quotation that not always becomes a sale.
I was asked how I deal with some clients and situations in which I need to negotiate or make quotations and my criteria for achieving the prices, etc. I explained some of my main ideas, considering workload, researching time, exchanging e-mails and sometimes making calls to my clients, preparing the internal documents that are a sort of work order, for Cris' job, and the most important thing: having a cutoff price very tempting, so that my client, for sure will have the money to buy my service.
Another surprising issue is that for many times clients still think that my price is not good enough. WOW, I do not know what to do anymore, because there are technical and business issues that are impossible to ignore when building the price for those services.
Just as an example of my work:
When I plan a promotion /sale to offer to my clients, within my "promotion plan" I spend some good hours to get details ready, to write texts, design and layout Cris website's page, to make samples of images or banners to post in forums, galleries and so on, calculate production time and prepare a sort of WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) which basically is compound of task assignment and ownership, task duration and project schedule. After all Cris and I work in more than one project at the same time (we need to get money and just some pinup's commissions a month are not enough to pay my bills, but it helps a lot).
Let's consider that part of the job, my tasks in Artepixel are really to develop services and products, so all my time and services for preparing everything will be diluted through the pinup promotion’s /sale’s final price.
Since I receive one e-mail inquiring about pinup's commission, I answer it explaining the technical requirements to achieve the best result, I also explain about the photos and references I need, about payments, pencil and speed painting sketches, and lot of other details.
Until I receive everything necessary to start the job, I mean for Cris to start up the job, I very easily spend around five or six hours. let's suppose that my rate hour were CAD 10.00, that means I should receive CAD 50.00 by dealing with my client to support, guide and even "educate" him/her about the hired job.
Now, let's think about Cris’ part of the job in a very simple and summarized way. Since she receives all the references and instructions, directions, etc., to do the job, she starts to do the pencil sketch. She spends at least around 2 hours to produce the first pencil sketch. After that she refines it and it takes another 2 hours at least. Remember that sometimes the pose or references the client asks is not that easy and she needs to do a second or even a third sketch until she gets some good results.
Assuming that for the Pencil Sketch she spends three hours and let's suppose that her rate is also CAD 10.00/hour. To get the pencil sketch is CAD 30.00.
We submit the pencil sketch for client's evaluation and approval. Some clients ask for changes that have no relation to their original specifications (and they think that new work is for free).
I need to explain that we do the sketches following their directions precisely, if they ask for something different, that means Cris needs to do another sketch and for that new job they have to pay an extra fee.
Ok, just to simplify, let's imagine that the sketch is approved without any update. So Cris can go to the speed painting sketch's step. This step is important to show the client how the colors will be on the pencil sketch and we save lot of time on the painting process by doing the speed painting. This step takes around three or four hours at least. Considering only three hours to produce the speed painting sketch, the cost for doing it is also CAD 30.00.
Again we submit the speed painting sketch to client's evaluation and approval. Let's imagine that everything is OK and we have no update on it. We can start the final color rendering process and that takes around four hours, that means more CAD 40.00, at least.
By the end of the job I need to print the digital art that costs me around CAD 8.00 at least, considering the print cost, the fees and my transportation to the print house.
My dear friends, I am not computing here costs with equipments hardware and software, energy and other fees that must be calculate, after all we have a business and to maintain the business, even without any client, we have costs.
Adding the costs of the pieces to produce one pinup I have:
1) Dealing with clients (my share) => CAD 50.00
2) Pencil Sketch (Cris’ share) => CAD 30.00
3) Speed Painting Sketch (Cris’ share) => CAD 30.00
4) Color Rendering (Cris’ share) => CAD 40.00
5) Printing Pinup (my share) => CAD 8.00
Total: CAD 158.00
One pinup production's cost is, at least, CAD 158.00.
To achieve that cost I assumed that my rate hour as well as Cris’ is CAD 10.00 that is the same rate hour of someone that works as McDonald's attendant. I am not telling that being attendant at McDonald is something bad or less important than other professions. But a high school student can work at McDonalds without having any "specific" or "technical" skills like the ones we do need in our work.
Cris is an award-wining artist, very talented, versatile and skilled professional illustrator and painter in traditional and digital environment, and she’s also a teacher.
I am graduated as Web Designer in one of the best colleges in Canada and I have years of experience in project management, in telecommunication and computing area and I am also a teacher. I guess our rate hour should be around CAD 30.00 at least.
But prices are in a dangerous time nowadays, and we need to survive by "fishing" our clients with the lowest price and highest quality (what a dilemma).
Anyways, back to the sunglasses and gifts.
One of my best deals, in my opinion, is one print digital art, commissioned pinup 8"X11" size, full body, signed by Cris De Lara that cost only $65.00. That means, my client will receive one exclusive print, a digital pinup an art print, done by Cris for only $65.00.
Imagine your girlfriend receiving one pinup which she was the model and that can last for decades. You can make your girlfriend a pinup and depending on what you want, the image will be so creative that she will love it; there won't be another gift like that in the entire world. Or if you are a girl, you can make yourself a pinup and offer it to your boyfriend.
I think, one present that is a unique piece of art, done exclusively for me is amazing and I would love it. But perhaps, the fact of liking to collect things makes me think like that, and I would rather say that everybody likes a present that last for decades.
Maybe, because I work producing high quality and outstanding images and I also deal with clients to achieve a deal in which my work fits their budgets, I believe that it is always possible to sell my services to anyone. And when I am working on a pinup, it does not matter if it is a $650.00 or a $65.00 budget, I work with passion, doing my best, because I love what I do and I have to care about my reputation, my company's name, my partner, etc.
Another important point is that my clients are my best advertisement; they will recommend me to their friends or other clients.
So, why sometimes clients do not buy my pinups that are so well done and cost less than $100.00, but buy, for instance, sunglasses that are more than $100.00 to give as gifts to someone?
Well, I have already answered that question before, because they prefer buying sunglasses. Maybe they like sunglasses more, or they collect sunglasses, or they think the girlfriend will prefer another sunglasses instead of an original piece of art for the next 40 years at least.
When I check my online store reports and I notice that sales do not achieve my monthly expectations I always remember that point of discussion in the live chat, in which some clients do not buy one wonderful original pinup art for less than $100.00 or complaint about paying something like that but days later maybe they buy a $200.00 sunglasses.
What can I do? Well, from my part I will produce better, impressive, outstanding and more appealing pinups to attract more clients. Some wonderful, seductive, sexy and charming women wearing sunglasses too.
