A teenager walks up to your table and asks if you can draw their OC for $15. You say yes, because you feel bad saying no. Three hours later you have finished one sketch, missed five print sales, and priced your time below minimum wage. Welcome to artist alley commissions.
Commissions can be one of the best revenue streams at a convention, or one of the biggest time sinks, depending entirely on how you set them up. This guide covers when to offer them, how to price tiers, how to run the queue without losing print sales, how to handle deposits and payment, and how to deliver the commissions you cannot finish at the table.
Should You Offer Commissions at Artist Alley?
Commissions are not a universal yes. They work for some artists and actively hurt others.
When commissions make sense
- Your style is fast enough to make the math work (bust sketch in 15 to 30 minutes)
- Your booth has slower traffic between print buyers, so live drawing fills downtime
- You are still building print inventory and want direct-commission revenue to supplement
- Commissions drive people back to your table later (a pickup moment is a second chance to sell prints)
- You enjoy drawing live and it is part of your brand
When to skip commissions
- This is your first or second convention and you are still figuring out print sales
- Your booth runs high-volume print traffic where every minute at the table matters
- Your style is slow (45+ minutes per piece) and you cannot hit a usable hourly rate
- You do not enjoy live drawing or feel pressured when people watch
- You already have a full slate of online commissions and do not need more
The opportunity cost math
If you can sell $80 of prints in the 30 minutes a commission takes, your commission needs to clear $80 to break even on time. Many artists underprice commissions so much that live drawing actually loses money compared to standing at the table pushing prints. Do the math before you decide.
Types of Convention Commissions
Commissions are not one thing. There are four formats, and knowing which one you want to offer changes pricing, queue, and delivery.
On-site sketches (fastest)
Pencil or ink, 10 to 30 minutes, delivered before the buyer leaves the booth. The most accessible price point ($15 to $50). Highest throughput, lowest price. Good for drawing crowds around your table.
On-site digital
Drawn on an iPad at the table, printed or AirDropped to the buyer before they leave. Slightly slower than pencil sketch because of print time. Lets you offer color without losing the same-day delivery.
Take-home commissions
Higher complexity (full body, multiple characters, color, rendering). Buyer pays at the convention, you deliver by mail or email in the weeks after. Priced higher ($80 to $300+) because of the time investment.
Pre-con commission queue
Open commission slots a week or two before the con. Buyers pay and send references in advance. You draw them before or during the con and deliver finished work at the table. Lets you price higher because the work is done offline and delivery becomes a photo op that drives buzz at your booth.
How to Price Your Con Commissions
Pricing is where the biggest mistakes happen. The goal is not to price for the cheapest teenager in the aisle. It is to price for the hourly rate that makes commissions a real revenue stream.
The hourly rate baseline
Target at least $30 to $60 per hour of actual drawing time. Below $30/hour, you are working for less than most jobs pay. Above $60/hour, you need a style and reputation that supports the price.
Start at $40/hour for a first commission menu. Raise it over time as your queue fills faster than you can handle.
Tier pricing
The standard structure:
- Head sketch / chibi: $15 to $25 (10 to 15 minutes)
- Bust: $30 to $50 (20 to 30 minutes)
- Half body: $50 to $80 (30 to 60 minutes)
- Full body: $80 to $150+ (60 to 120 minutes)
Digital color adds 30% to 50% to each tier. Traditional color (markers, watercolor) usually adds $10 to $25 per tier.
Add-ons
- Extra character: +50% to +75% of the base tier
- Full color upgrade: +30% to +50%
- Rendered background: +$20 to $50 depending on complexity
- Rush fee (same-day pickup when queue is full): +$10 to +$25
- Inked and cleaned version (vs. pencil only): +$10 to +$20
The most common underpricing mistake
Artists benchmark against other artists instead of against their own hourly rate. If another booth charges $10 for a sketch and it takes you 25 minutes, you are making $24/hour. That is not a sustainable rate. Your commissions should reflect your drawing speed, not someone else's.
For broader pricing strategy see how to price art at conventions.
Setting Up Your Commission Menu Board
Your menu does more selling than you will. Buyers will scan it from across the aisle and self-qualify before they ever walk up.
What to display
- Tier names and prices (clear, not clever)
- Sample commissions at each tier (visible from 4 feet away)
- Estimated turnaround ("30 min at the table" vs "ships within 4 weeks")
- Payment methods accepted
- Deposit or full-payment policy
- Current queue status (closed, accepting, or wait time)
Show high-tier and low-tier samples together
Anchoring matters. If a buyer sees a $200 full-body render next to a $25 bust, the bust looks like a deal. If they only see the $25 sketch tier, they default to wondering if that is too much for a sketch. Show the ceiling so the floor looks reasonable.
Physical menu vs. digital tablet
A printed menu board beats a tablet almost every time. A physical board is visible from across the aisle, does not sleep or turn off, and buyers can scan it while you are drawing. Use a tablet if you rotate commission samples or if you are also using the tablet to draw.
For more on booth layout, see the artist alley table display guide.
Managing the Queue Without Losing Print Sales
This is where most commission setups break. A full queue can actually reduce your table's total revenue if it blocks print sales. The fix is queue discipline.
Cap the queue each day
Decide how many commissions you will take per day before the con starts. Use your average time per piece and leave buffer for print sales, meals, and bathroom breaks. Once the cap is hit, close the queue for the day.
Use a signup sheet or intake form
A clipboard with a simple form beats verbal agreements every time. Collect name, contact method, tier, character description, and payment status. Saves arguments later.
Give specific pickup times
"Come back in an hour" is vague. "Pick up at 3:15, I will text if I finish early" is concrete. Buyers who know when to return will leave and come back. Buyers who are told "check back later" stand at your booth waiting, blocking other customers.
Offer text or DM notification
Ask for a phone number or Instagram handle. Text or DM when the piece is ready. Buyers wander the floor, you fill the queue, everyone wins.
Pause the queue during peak hours
Saturday afternoon at a major con is not the time to be head-down on a commission. Pause accepting new commissions during your peak print-sale windows. Push anyone who asks toward Friday morning or Sunday afternoon instead.
Taking Deposits and Payment
Payment policy is where a lot of artists lose money after the fact.
100% upfront vs. 50% deposit
For on-site sketches, take 100% upfront. The piece will be done before the buyer leaves. For take-home commissions, 50% non-refundable deposit with the balance due before shipping is standard. Some artists do 100% upfront even on take-home work; it is more common and more defensible than artists assume.
Non-refundable deposit policy
Put the policy on your menu and on the intake form. A buyer who backs out after you have started the work has already taken your time. A deposit is the cost of that time.
Payment methods
Square, Stripe, Venmo Business, PayPal Goods and Services, Apple Cash. All of these create a record. Avoid "friends and family" transfers for paid work: they break platform terms and remove your buyer protection.
For the full payment setup, see how to accept payments at artist alley.
Receipts
Give or email a receipt with every commission. Even a simple handwritten note with name, tier, price paid, and your email. It protects both sides if something goes wrong between the con and delivery.
The Commission Intake Form
A one-page intake form takes 90 seconds to fill out and prevents most post-con arguments. Collect these fields every time.
- Buyer name
- Email or Instagram DM for delivery and updates
- Phone number (optional, for text-when-ready)
- Tier and add-ons selected
- Total paid and payment method
- Character description or reference (photo, printout, or URL)
- Special requests (pose, expression, background)
- Delivery method (pickup, mail, or email)
- Mailing address if shipping
- Signature and date confirming deposit policy
A tablet with a Google Form works. So does a printed carbonless form (the buyer gets the yellow copy, you keep the white). Both are fine. What matters is that you have something in writing.
Handling Difficult Commission Requests
NSFW or explicit requests
Most conventions have explicit rules against NSFW work being drawn or displayed in artist alley, even if requested. Read your vendor contract. Have a stock line ready: "I don't take NSFW commissions at conventions. Happy to do it online afterward if the show allows it."
Copyrighted characters
Fan art is the norm in artist alley, and legally it is a gray area. Each artist draws their own line. Some only commission fan art for private use and not for resale. Others will commission anything. Decide your rule and stick to it across buyers.
Unrealistic deadlines
"Can you finish it in 10 minutes?" No. "I need it by 5pm." Check the queue honestly, quote a real time, and decline if it does not fit. Buyers respect a firm "no" more than a "maybe" that turns into a late delivery.
Haggling and lowball offers
"Can you do it for $10 instead of $25?" Politely: "The $10 tier is the head sketch." Or: "My prices are set. Here is what fits your budget." Dropping your rate once invites a day of lowball offers.
When to decline
You are allowed to say no. Request that feels off, style outside your range, buyer being rude, queue is full, character concept you are not comfortable drawing. A calm "I'm not taking that commission, thanks" is complete sentence.
Working Efficiently During the Con
Batch similar poses and characters
If three commissions are all bust-shot OCs, draw them in sequence rather than bouncing between tiers. Your hand and brain stay in the same mode, speed goes up, quality stays consistent.
Schedule break times into the queue
Do not accept commissions across your lunch break. Your signup sheet should show a block that reads "12pm to 1pm: lunch, not accepting". Buyers will plan around it.
Communicate wait times clearly
Write the current wait time on your menu. "Next pickup: 2:45pm". Update it as the queue moves. Buyers hate vague wait times more than they hate long ones.
Delegate table coverage
If you are with a table partner, one person runs commissions while the other handles print buyers. If you are solo, pause the queue for 90 seconds every time a print buyer walks up. Close your sketchbook, look up, sell, then back to drawing.
Delivering Commissions After the Con
Shipping physical commissions
Pack in a rigid mailer or toploader with cardboard backing. Track every shipment. Email the tracking number to the buyer the day you ship. Most artists bake shipping cost into the commission price rather than charging separately, but either works if you are clear on the menu.
Digital delivery
Export at print-ready resolution (300 DPI, at least the original canvas size). Email as a PNG or send via WeTransfer if the file is large. Include a short delivery note with the invoice number and what the buyer paid for.
Set a hard deadline you can actually hit
"Ships within 4 weeks" is a promise. Pad it. Convention weeks are tiring, and post-con follow-up always takes longer than expected. Six-week deadlines with early delivery create delighted buyers. Four-week deadlines with late delivery create angry tweets.
What to do if you fall behind
Email every affected buyer the moment you know. Apologize briefly, give a new honest deadline, and hit it. Silence is what makes late commissions go nuclear in public, not the lateness itself.
Tracking Commission Revenue Separately from Prints
Commissions look like print sales on a Square report but they are a different business with different margins. Keep them on their own line.
Why the split matters
A $200 commission with four hours of labor is a different product than $200 in $25 prints. Mixed together, they hide the fact that your commission hourly rate might be much lower than your print sales per hour. Split them on your post-con report so you can see the truth.
Time tracking for your real hourly rate
Note start and end time for each commission. At the end of the con, divide total commission revenue by total drawing time. If it is under $30/hour, raise your prices for the next con. If it is over $60/hour, consider pushing higher-tier options because the demand is there.
Profit calculation
Commission COGS is usually low (paper, a sleeve, maybe an envelope and postage for take-home) but real. Subtract materials and payment processing fees. The remainder is commission profit and it deserves its own line in your post-con summary.
For post-con profit math, see how to analyze convention performance.
Let your table run itself while you draw.
Conventory tracks inventory and live sales per convention, so the print side of your table stays organized even when you are head-down on a sketch. Works offline when the Wi-Fi does not.
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Tax Considerations for Commission Income
Commission income is self-employment income. It is reported on Schedule C the same as your print sales, and it is subject to the same self-employment tax.
Commission cost of goods sold looks different from print COGS: less bulk production, more per-commission materials (envelope, postage, sleeve) and processing fees. Track them per-commission if you can, or batch them monthly if per-commission is too granular.
Sales tax on commissions is state-specific. Some states tax custom artwork as a service (usually not taxable), others tax it as a tangible good (usually taxable), and a few treat digital-only commissions differently from physical delivery. When in doubt, check your state's department of revenue.
See the artist alley tax deductions guide for the broader deduction categories, and the sales tax guide for collection and remittance.
Run the rest of your booth with less friction.
Conventory tracks inventory, live sales, and expenses per convention, so you know exactly what each show earned at the table. Works offline. Built for how artist alley sells.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I offer commissions at my first artist alley?
Usually no. A first convention is already full of unknowns: pricing, setup, crowd energy, payment flow. Layering commissions on top often slows your print sales without a clear upside. Get one or two shows under your belt first, then add commissions if you want to.
How much should I charge for con commissions?
Work backward from your hourly rate. Target $30 to $60 per hour minimum. A 20-minute bust sketch at $40 per hour is $13, round up to $15 or $20. A two-hour full body at $40 per hour is $80. Add 50% to 75% for each extra character. Add 20% to 40% rush fees for same-day pickup.
Should I take a deposit or full payment upfront?
Full payment upfront is simpler and protects your time. It also reduces no-shows at pickup. For higher-tier commissions (take-home pieces or complex requests), a 50% non-refundable deposit with the balance due at pickup or before shipping is a reasonable middle ground.
How do I keep commissions from hurting my print sales?
Cap the queue each day, pause accepting new commissions during peak hours, and give specific pickup times (not vague "check back later" directions). If commissions take you away from the table or slow your interaction with print browsers, the opportunity cost starts to exceed the commission revenue.
What should my commission menu show?
Price tiers, turnaround time for each tier, payment methods accepted, deposit policy, and a few sample pieces at each price point. Keep it readable from across the aisle. A $15 sketch menu that is visible from four feet away will get more interest than a detailed $60 tier explained on a tiny card.
The Short Version
Commissions at artist alley can be a solid revenue stream or a time sink, and the difference is operational discipline.
- Price for your real hourly rate, not the cheapest booth in the aisle.
- Cap the queue each day and give specific pickup times.
- Full payment upfront or 50% non-refundable deposit, every time.
- Use a one-page intake form with everything in writing.
- Track commission revenue and drawing time separately from print sales.
Do those five things and commissions become a real business stacked on top of your table, not a drag on it. Start your 30-day free trial if you want per-convention inventory and sales tracking from day one.
How to Price Art at Conventions
The pricing framework your commission menu should build on.
How to Track Convention Sales
Per-convention tracking that keeps commission revenue separate.
Artist Alley Table Display
Where to put your commission menu so it sells for you.
Artist Alley Tax Deductions
Commission income is self-employment income. Here is what to write off.
Conventory is an inventory and sales tracking app built for convention artists. Questions? Reach out at hello@conventory.com. Learn more