If you are a Nigerian artist still pricing your work by gut feeling, by what you think the client can afford, or by what you saw someone else charge on Google, this post is for you. It is also for clients who want to understand why professional artists charge what they charge.

This is not a theory post. It is the honest account of how I went from undercharging and second-guessing myself to building a pricing structure that lets Beo Art Studio operate as a real business.

Where I Started: Fear, No Portfolio, and Google Prices That Felt Unreachable

When I started out, I had no idea what other artists around me were charging. The only reference I had was what came up on Google and those figures felt very high compared to what I believed clients in Bayelsa could actually afford at the time.

So I charged low. Not because I calculated what was fair. Not because I understood the market. But because I was afraid of losing the client before I even had them. And because I did not yet have a portfolio strong enough to back up a higher number with confidence.

That combination — fear and no proof of work — is exactly what keeps young artists stuck at rates that do not reflect their skill, their time, or their cost of living.

The Shift: Moving to a Structured Pricing System

The move to per square foot pricing for murals happened when I properly branded Beo Art Studio. It was not a sudden revelation, it came through research. I discovered that pricing murals per square foot is a standard method used by professional mural artists worldwide. It creates transparency for the client and consistency for the artist.

My rates are still lower than international standards. I am honest about that. But I also know that as my portfolio grows, my expertise deepens, and my body of work becomes undeniable, the rates will reflect that. Pricing is not static. It grows with you.

How I Price Art Commissions Today

For portrait and fine art commissions ( pencil, charcoal, oil paintings ) I no longer price by feeling. I use a four-part structure:

Base cost — the foundation rate for the type of work, regardless of anything else.

Material cost — the actual supplies consumed by that specific piece. Pencil work uses different materials than oil painting, and both are factored in accurately.

Cost per hour — my time has a rate. Every hour spent on a commission is accounted for, including planning, sketching, and execution.

Profit margin — this is what makes it a business and not a hobby. After covering costs and time, there has to be a margin that allows the studio to grow, restock supplies, and operate sustainably.

Size is also a factor because a larger piece requires more materials and more hours — both of which feed directly into the calculation.

If you are an artist and want to apply this same structure to your own work, use our free Art Cost Calculator here. It walks you through base cost, materials, hourly rate, and profit margin so you can price any commission with confidence.

Current starting rates at Beo Art Studio for Nigerian Clients:

  • Pencil artwork — from ₦85,000
  • Oil painting — from ₦120,000

Delivery and framing are quoted separately. These are artwork-only prices.

The Same Price That Scared One Client Didn't Bother the Next

Since moving to structured pricing, I have worked with significantly better clients. I have also lost potential ones, people who felt the price was too high and walked away.

Here is what I have learned from that: the same figure that one client complained about, another paid without hesitation.

That tells you everything you need to know. The issue was never the price. It was the fit. The client who complained was not my target audience. The one who paid without hesitation was. When you undercharge to keep every client, you end up attracting the ones who value you least and losing the headspace to serve the ones who would have valued you most.

On Discounts: Where I Stand

I do not offer discounts as a standard response to negotiation. If a client asks me to come down on price, my answer is no, unless it is family, a close friend, or a limited promotional period I have deliberately planned.

A discount given under pressure is not generosity. It is a signal that your original price was not real. And once a client knows your price is negotiable, it will always be negotiable.

If the budget genuinely does not match the work, the honest conversation is about scope, what can we do within your budget, not about reducing the value of what was already proposed.

What Undercharging Actually Costs You

It costs you more than money. Here is what I have seen it cost artists,  including myself in the early days:

You finish a project and have nothing left. After materials, transport, time, and energy, the number in your hand does not reflect the work you put in. It feels like you did it for the love of it. And while we do love this work, love alone does not pay for supplies, does not cover studio rent, does not fund the next project.

Undercharging keeps you stuck. You cannot accumulate materials. You cannot grow your catalogue. You cannot practice and develop because you are always starting from zero after every job. The work becomes survival rather than growth.

Your pricing structure needs to be flexible enough to serve different client budgets, but it also needs to be built in a way that gives you potential to grow, to save, to invest back into your craft.

Turning Down Jobs: The Decision That Used to Keep Me Up at Night

I have turned down jobs many times because the budget simply did not make sense for the scope of work. Early on, I used to question those decisions. Was I being too rigid? Was I losing an opportunity?

Now I see it differently. If I take a job at a rate that leaves me with no means to show up properly — no energy, no resources, no motivation — the client does not get my best work anyway. Everyone loses.

The client who cannot meet your minimum is not your client. That is not a harsh statement, it is a business reality. They may be a great person with genuine intentions, but if the numbers do not work, the project will not work either. I move on, and I do it without guilt.

What I Would Tell a Young Nigerian Artist About Pricing

Build your structure before you need it. Do not wait until you have a portfolio, a brand name, or a big client to start thinking about what your time is worth. Start calculating now your material costs, your hourly rate, your minimum margin. Even if the numbers are small at first, having a system means you can grow it deliberately.

Stop pricing based on what you think the client can afford. You do not know their budget until they tell you. Quote what the work is worth. Let them respond. You will be surprised how many people who seemed like they could not afford you, can.

And remember: undercharging keeps you stuck. This is your job. A job has to pay the bills. We do it for the love, but love alone is not a pricing strategy.

If you are a client reading this and you want to understand what goes into commissioning a portrait or mural, read our full mural pricing breakdown here.

Ready to commission a piece? Start your project with Beo Art Studio here.