How to price and quote a mural and other street art projects

One of the most common questions that I get about euros and street art is how does an artist Price the work. Giving a quote to a potential client about a possible mural and street art project can be difficult. I highly avoid pricing based on the square footage solely. Rather, Square footage is one of many factors that I account for I'm quoting a price. I usually account for the following:
1. Size of the space
2. The textures of the wall
3. How tall is the wall or space
4. Possible special equipment needed
5. Obstacles in and around the space
6. Time frame of installation(can I work on it whenever I want to?)
7. Completion date
8. Resources and supplies around the space for resupplying purposes
9. Resources at the space(do they have electricity and equipment)
10. How far away is it from my home and studio?
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[@panamafred1]

This was an excellent breakdown of the intricacies of pricing. The list is almost endless! As a carpenter, I knew how long a job would take working at ground level. But any time I had to work off the ground, I would double or triple (at least) the time of working at ground level. Just getting ladders, scaffolding, tools, and electricity off the ground takes more time than one first thinks. Does the job require safety equipment? Who supplies the orange cones? Do I need a helper? Also, asking for an upfront deposit is important, more so if you have a large initial outlay. Remember to add in the hours it takes to make an estimate and presentation. And with a job this large, a written agreement is something to seriously think about. I had a written checklist because breaking even is not fun when you are trying to hustle a living! Thanks for your excellent content!

[@iamdetour]

Soooooo many things to account for.

[@wendellwiggins3776]

all well and good but WHAT DID IT COST THEM or HOW DID YOU CALCULATE A PRICE?

[@janburch3923]

Love driving by this mural!

[@iamdetour]

Awesome!!!!!!

[@ArtByRizzo]

You’re always dropping gems!!!! THANK YOU

[@iamdetour]

Aye!!! glad you did the vids

[@lucybell3444]

This video is so helpful and it’s an amazing mural! Thank you for this

[@iamdetour]

I'm super glad it was helpful.

[@deniserobinson6571]

Excellent insight as always!

[@benjoestrella20]

Thank you for the great tips, man! I'm about to paint x3 60ft high rounded pillars, and it is SOOO DIFFERENT from pricing huge flat walls. This video helped a lot. Thanks again! Glad I found your video.

[@iamdetour]

Glad I could help!

[@FilomenaJackStudio]

Allll of this is true! I’m asked a couple times a week to price something but can’t do that without a site visit etc. Thanks for the vid! Keep ‘em coming :)

[@iamdetour]

I used Behr Paint, as well as Golden and Montana 94 Spray paint

[@chanaykamadison]

Beautiful work!! Thank you for your information. Blessings!

[@iamdetour]

Anytime!

[@giulias.5104]

That's an amazing work! Really, bravo!

[@iamdetour]

Thanks a lot!

[@summer.clouds]

Excellent mural.

[@Sexinating]

Great explanation. My friend is looking to start doing them, and this is really helpful to figure out a quote. I love your stuff. 💜

[@iamdetour]

Thanks a lot!

[@Jamy7734]

Do you do any workshops or teach classes?

[@finawatsonart]

Another very helpful video for a beginner thinking of my first mural

[@iamdetour]

Have fun! Murals are always fun to paint.

[@JulisseHopmann]

This is so incredible

[@iamdetour]

🙏🙏🙏

[@bellaluce7088]

So helpful! Thank you! : - )

[@iamdetour]

Glad it was helpful!

[@smckinney2482]

Awesome info bro i need to get into murals

[@iamdetour]

You should!

[@melanieryan2631]

What type of top coating would you use with a mural in “full sun”

[@iamdetour]

muralshield.com/ they make good coating for mural in the sun all day.

[@adivettearroyo7960]

Hi!! Thank you so much for your videos, they help a lot!! I’m an artist from Puerto Rico. These last two years I’ve been working with murals and I always use acrylic liquid painting in gallons, but i don’t know about air spray paint. Why was it better for this type of work that you did?

[@bellaluce7088]

Because the surface is corrugated a roller wouldn't work, and spray covers nooks and crannies faster than brushes. : - )

[@olivegeo7702]

Thank you for the video! It is very helpful! I'm new to painting murals and am just starting out with it. Do you ever apply, or advise having, written contracts when working for clients? Have you ever dealt with clients who decide they don't like what you did and then they try not to pay you?

[@olivegeo7702]

btw your mural is AMAZING

[@4legdfishman]

Great explanation! Question: How long did this take (start to finish) and did you finish within your quoted time-line? Also, I watched another artist explain his method of quoting that I found helpful. He charged by square foot or meter but he had 3 different charges per square foot in one mural. One for high detail, one for medium detail and one for small detail. It was also interesting. Is this how you go about a mural quote? Thanks for sharing your knowledge and amazing skill!

[@iamdetour]

It took about a week to paint. I usually give as high detail as possible. i never slack on the quality because the mural is so public that it represents me like a billboard. This is where turning down low paying jobs come in. it's ok to say no so that you're not compromising quality.

[@dmongosa]

Great mural and video information! But my "Just Right OCD" so wants to move the woman to her left more, to avoid the window... lol.

[@eddiek3616]

Hey Mr. Detour, what kind of sprayer did you us, and was it hard to operate? I know how to work on various aerial lifts with no issue. I'm starting up my business, and learning a lot from invoices to paints. New to you and will be around. Amazing work!

[@iamdetour]

It was the Graco Magnum 5x. It was great. I had the long extension cord so i put it on the lift and drove around with it. The only thing was i accidentally drove over the extension cord and broke it. this sprayer was easy to use and durable for its price. And light weight.

[@ellatomblin3001]

I'm painting a mural on a bus... do you have advice on kind of paint to use?

[@kpopgigachad]

Before we talk about pricing let's make a video on "How to get a mural client."

[@iamdetour]

I'll do a video on that soon.

[@oilpainter9069]

Awesome work! What brand and type of paint did you use on this masterpiece?

[@iamdetour]

I used Behr Paint, as well as Golden and Montana 94 Spray paint

[@IcdOutTV]

I’m a muralist how do you go about charging for travel

[@claireonlinex]

Could you please give a ball park figure of what price you would charge for something of this size (considering the complexities mentioned or not), just so that I can gauge if I am charging enough? I am new to the game so would really appreciate it. Love your channel!

[@iamdetour]

I would say 15k -50k depending on the artist demand, composition of the work and the type of business it is.

[@claireonlinex]

@@iamdetour thank you so much for your insight!

[@bellaluce7088]

@@iamdetour Thank you for sharing! Pricing guidelines are so helpful and sometimes hard to find!

[@katiemary]

Hi, great video thank you for all of the information. How long did this project take to paint? I am learning to have a realistic expectation of myself and how much I can do per day as I gain more experience with murals.

[@iamdetour]

This took about 10 day to complete. it snowed in the middle so i had to take a break for a about 2 days.

[@katiemary]

@@iamdetour amazing, thanks for the information. 10 days seems fast to me for such a big image!

[@bobbygranito9475]

When you are asked to do a mural do you charge for the design time of the image if the client has an over all idea but past that is clue less?

[@iamdetour]

It just depends but i usually account for that in the overall price. it makes the client feel like there is less nickle and diming. i usually have one all-inclusive price.

[@mandeepP]

How to draw so big drawing outline exactly???

[@brittanyn2609]

So how much did you charge

[@ECHONWC]

How much did you charge for this wall?

[@iamdetour]

I can disclose exact figures but a wall like this, I suggest any artist start at $25k and go up from there. It depends on the time, resources, and expenses that the artist will have to go through.

[@ECHONWC]

@@iamdetour I figured as much but not easy to find people with a budget like that. God bless.

[@iamdetour]

Usually its developers and business in bigger markets that have these budgets like this. They are becoming more familiar with handing out those budgets so its been a little easier year after year.

[@ECHONWC]

@@iamdetour awesome. You're killin it.

[@cheezypotatoez5177]

Soooo how much did u actually charge for this mural

[@iamdetour]

Won't be able to sat the exact number because of agreements but its above 20k. I made another video where is talked about the exact number and why i quoted the client that number. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXecaoOXmp6Sprc

[@JohnBread-bj1cr]

So how much did you charge?

[@iamdetour]

can say exactly but it was for sure 5 figures

[@romenpheonixx7005]

Ok, that’s great advice. But the only thing is “what did you charge for this job”? The only real way we can fully understand is to have something to compare the price to. Maybe, show us a old picture from when you started so we know a actual price range at least. Not trying to get ALL UP in your business, but it would help.😂😂

[@orbnoxious442]

Materials + Day rate per artist. Work out how much you want to get paid an hour for 8 hours a day.

[@orbnoxious442]

Each job you do increase your day rate.

[@iamdetour]

Every job is different. So different that i can't put a standard rate on it. it usually depends on a bunch of factors that change all the time. i go off of effort.

[@momo-xh3bm]

Useful information that what you take into account. But the way you say the script, could you rehearse before you record it? Soooo annoying that you keep “uhhh.. hmmm… ahh.. “ , cant really focused on your content. 😅

[@iamdetour]

Definitely an early video before i started being more concise. 😅 I'll have more vids with some good info coming soon that are way better to listen to. 🙏

[@wowKyl3]

Spent 8 minutes saying everything except for how much you charged. wtf.

[@iamdetour]

Here's the video that you want. It has all the cost breakdowns that i think your looking for. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXecaoOXmp6Sprc

[@LeoMeraz-wl5ym]

Like most you never help us out .never give a price so thanks for nothing yo.

[@aaronsmith733]

He didn't say any actual numbers, which would have been helpful.