Pattern Commission Advice

[glacidea.livejournal.com]

Guttentag, first time poster here. I was asked today for a commission I never have been asked for before. Now I am no stranger to commissioning and have been taking them for a few years now. I've had my fair share of screw-ups and becoming overloaded, making all the usual commissioning mistakes, but I've gotten into a good tempo now. Recently, I've been making and selling patterns, just to try something new. I made a MLP one and a dino and such. I just do it as a side hobby to bring in some extra money every now and then.

I received an email today asking to commission a pattern from me. I had never thought of taking pattern commissions before and so I am baffled as to what to do. I was thinking cost for how many pieces it would be, extra cost if I am unable to sell it normally, there should be something about commercial use, etc etc. I've never done anything like this before, so I would greatly appreciate advice and tips, plus pricing information and such.

I make plush, which is obvious from the above paragraph (examples here: loneplushieinfo.webs.com/ so you can judge based on my skill for like...pricing). My commission prices are usually in the 150 to 300 range and obviously a pattern won't be NEAR that much. So yes, just all advice and everything will be GREATLY appreciated <3

Comments

[pinkpuppybelly.livejournal.com]

Eveshka has a point - you're basically going to need to build the plush to make sure the pattern works.

There are a few options: Tell the client that they're welcome to buy the plush that you have to make along with the pattern. OR tell the client that you will be selling the plush of their character to recoup the time, materials, and effort put into it.

If they argue or hassle you, you're always able to say 'nope, sorry' and decline the project.

[glacidea.livejournal.com]

very true. There's more effort put into making a pattern followable by everyone (I free-hand things often) than just one for myself. And I don't want to lose out on material and my own time making something cheap, and if the pattern will only be exclusive to one person, I'll have to make a charge for that.

I'm loving all this amazing advice!