Art Commission & Licensing Calculator

Based on Graphic Artists Guild Standards

Art Commission & Licensing Calculator

Calculate fair, legally sound commercial pricing multipliers, protect against the “work-for-hire” trap, and generate instant contractual clauses for your invoices.

1. Project Parameters

$

The cost covering your time and labor for non-commercial personal enjoyment.



Compensates you for lost marketing value while you cannot display work in your portfolio.

2. Quote Breakdown

Base Creation Labor:
$150.00
Commercial Licensing Multiplier:
+ $112.50 (1.75x)

Recommended Client Quote

$262.50
Recommended 50% Milestone Deposit: $131.25

3. Protective Invoice & Contract Clause

Paste this exact clause into your client invoice, proposal, or terms agreement before receiving deposit.

Legal Note on 17 U.S.C. § 101 (“Work-for-Hire”):

Under United States federal copyright law, an artist inherently retains full copyright to their creation the moment it is fixed in a tangible medium. A client paying for a commission does NOT own the copyright unless an express, written Work-for-Hire agreement is signed by both parties. Never grant full copyright buyouts without charging the appropriate 200%–300%+ industry standard multiplier.