A client sends a description of a character who doesn't exist yet. Before you can draw the final pose, you have to decide what that character looks like. Silhouette, clothing, proportions and color all need a direction, and finding it is paid work. Your character design commission price should cover that exploration separately from the drawing. These published sheets show how artists sell the design, what they include and where they charge extra.
The short answer. A character design commission costs $125 at the median across 8 artists' published entry prices, with listed offers spanning $50 to $250+. Full turnaround or multi-view packages run $100 to $275. Those packages differ in finish and scope. Price inventing the character separately from documenting an existing one, then add views, outfits, props and usage rights.
Character design commission price calculator
Start with your design price including a front view, then build the deliverables around it. The base defaults to the sample median. Extra views and outfits start selected; set their counts to zero for a front-only design. The extra-view default uses a published back-view price. The prop or detail field starts at the detail-shot price, so replace it for a different deliverable. These are editable examples, not a package offered by a single artist.
Gig page rows add the plan fee on completed orders to card processing on your own Stripe link. The monthly plan price is not included.
The commercial option applies a published minimum of 3x the full price, including extras. It represents one artist's direct-profit license policy, not a standard markup. The expression option uses the published $50 sheet with up to 4 expressions and no color. Fee rows assume a single payment on the total.
How much does a character design commission cost?
Here are the 8 public price lists behind the sample. Descriptors identify each offer without implying that matching prices buy matching work. These are asking prices, not records of completed sales.
| Seller descriptor | Entry price | What it includes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color/shading designer | $50 | Base-color design | Shaded $75; with sheet $100 |
| Story artist/designer | $50 | Design by inquiry | $50 to $180; 4 to 6 thumbnails |
| Design-fee illustrator | $100 | New character design | Drawing priced separately |
| Custom character artist | $200+ | Character design | Starting price |
| View/finish artist | $60 | 1 flat-color view | Optional ref included |
| Reference designer | $200 | Full-body ref, prop close-ups, transparent PNG | Complexity +$10 to $50 |
| Collaborative designer | $200 | Unshaded front/back, palette, short description | $200 to $250+ |
| Concept artist | $150 | Flat front full body, palette, 1 simple alternate outfit/prop/accessory | Extra views separate |
The sample size is 8 artists, all using public USD lists on Carrd. It isn't a representative survey of US sellers. The $125 median uses the entry price from each list, including design-only fees and bundled deliverables. Use it as a comparison point after matching scope, rather than a target every artist must hit.
Character design vs reference sheet, and why design costs more
A reference sheet documents decisions already made. A custom character design commission makes those decisions from the client's description. You may deliver both together, but a polished sheet doesn't reveal the discarded silhouettes or costume studies behind it. That invisible work still belongs in the quote.
An illustrator adds $100 for a never-designed character on top of the drawing price. Another artist treats concept art and design as an entirely separate commission. A minor-design add-on to an existing reference is a narrower service. Our reference sheet commission price guide covers documenting a character once the design is settled.
Read the brief for unresolved choices before you estimate. A client may know the character's personality while having no preference for its shape, clothing or palette. Ask which features are essential and which you can explore. That conversation defines the design task and gives you a reason for the fee beyond the appearance of the final file.
How much should I charge for a character design?
Estimate your hours for reading the brief, gathering references, exploring thumbnails, developing the chosen direction, taking feedback and preparing files. Multiply by your own sustainable hourly rate, then account for the payment fee. Track those stages on actual jobs so your next quote reflects the work you do. The wider guide to art commission prices explains the hourly approach without making the cheapest published sheet your ceiling.
Charge for the thumbnail round within the base design service. A rough concept may be quick to draw, but choosing between shapes and solving a weak brief takes judgment. If you sell only the finished drawing, you leave that stage unpaid. State what exploration the base includes and quote further directions separately before starting them.
Include the time you spend writing feedback and explaining choices. A character design can look simple because you have removed distracting details after testing them. The client still benefits from those decisions. Keep a private record of exploration and delivery time so you can tell whether a tier pays for the whole process or only the final drawing.
Build tiers around views and finish
The view-and-finish artist offers a useful worked example. A single flat-color view is $60, two cel-shaded views are $110, and a rendered full turnaround is $190. Those can anchor Basic, Standard and Premium descriptions because each upgrade changes the deliverable. They are that artist's prices, not evidence that your hours fit the same amounts.
The full ladder makes the difference clearer. Flat color costs $60 for one view, $80 for two and $100 for a turnaround. Cel shading runs $80, $110 and $130; rendering runs $100, $140 and $190. Separate coverage from finish on your art commission sheet so clients can choose a useful design document without buying rendering they don't need.
Describe the handoff for each tier as carefully as the artwork. Say whether the buyer receives a character sheet, a transparent image or a palette, using only the formats you actually provide. Explain what happens if the brief changes during development. A tier should make the boundaries easy to understand before you are working against a deadline.
What to charge for extra views, outfits and props
Use an add-on when the deliverable is clear enough to quote separately. A back view, a new costume and a close-up are different tasks. Keep their labels distinct, and check the package contents before charging for something already included.
| Published offer | Price | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Concept artist, back view | +$50 | $150 front-view base |
| Concept artist, side view | +$75 | Front/back/side $275 |
| Concept artist, prop/pet | +$70 | Extra item |
| Concept artist, costume | +$70 | Alternate outfit |
| Concept artist, detail shot | +$50 | Close-up |
| Concept artist, expression sheet | $50 | Up to 4 uncolored expressions |
| Reference designer | +$10 to $50 | Design/prop complexity |
| View/finish artist | +$5 | Post-sketch linework change |
| Minor-design artist | Up to +$30 | $120 to $150 ref; one concept sketch |
That minor-design offer doesn't price a character invented from scratch. Ask whether the client wants an adjustment to an established look or a new visual identity. The answer decides whether you quote a limited add-on or the full design service.
Should a character design include commercial rights?
State the usage explicitly and list commercial rights as their own line. The full-body reference designer counts using the character as a VTuber design as commercial use. Another sheet sets a minimum of 3x the full price for direct-profit use. These are separate artists' policies, not a combined industry rule.
Ask how the character will be used before quoting. Explain what your license permits, then show the design subtotal and the usage charge separately. A character concept also isn't a rigged avatar. Point clients planning a streaming model toward the scope explained in VTuber model commission prices before they assume the design includes production files.
Separate permission from production requirements in that discussion. Commercial use changes what the buyer may do with the character; additional views or detailed construction notes change what you must deliver. If both are requested, show both in the quote. A license charge shouldn't silently promise extra drawing work, and a larger sheet shouldn't leave usage undefined.
How many revisions come with a character design commission?
These notes don't establish a shared revision allowance. The story artist includes 4 to 6 thumbnail samples in the first concept phase, which describes exploration rather than repeated revisions to a finished design. The view-and-finish artist charges +$5 for a linework change after sketch.
Write your own boundary between choosing a direction and changing an approved one. Request feedback at the sketch stage, record approval and explain how later changes are quoted. If a client arrives without a clear idea, ask them to generate a few dozen character concepts and identify the traits they like before you agree the brief. Treat those references as conversation starters; developing the final character remains your design work.
Make feedback specific enough to act on. Ask the client to identify what feels wrong about the silhouette, expression or costume before you redraw it. When their request changes the agreed direction, describe the extra work and get the revised quote accepted first. That keeps the conversation tied to scope rather than whether a change feels small.
Where to sell character design commissions
Compare fees against the same sale. This table uses a $125 design paid in one payment, with Stripe processing on VGen and the gig page rows. It excludes monthly subscriptions and assumes the listed US card rates. A plain Stripe payment link keeps the most on this order.
| Payment method | Fee basis | Fees on $125 | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe payment link | 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.93 | $121.07 |
| PayPal invoice | 3.49% + $0.49 | $4.85 | $120.15 |
| Gig page, Studio, card link | 3% plus Stripe | $7.68 | $117.32 |
| VGen | 5% plus Stripe | $10.18 | $114.82 |
| Gig page, Pro, card link | 5% plus Stripe | $10.18 | $114.82 |
| Gig page, Starter, card link | 8% plus Stripe | $13.93 | $111.07 |
| Fiverr | 20% | $25.00 | $100.00 |
Starter costs $9 per month plus 8%, Pro $19 plus 5%, and Studio $49 plus 3%. The percentage fee applies only to orders marked completed. After ordering, clients pay on your own Stripe, PayPal or Square card link. The table uses Stripe for comparison; your chosen processor determines its own charge.
A gig page earns its fee when you sell designs every month and want the tiers, brief and deposit in one place. Compare the service you need alongside what you keep. Our VGen fees breakdown explains that platform's charges, and the art commission invoice tool helps price a deposit and balance when you collect separate payments.
Publish the design service you can deliver
Put the base design, thumbnail stage, included views, finish and license into each tier. Show the extras beside them and make the approval points visible before anyone orders. Then sell art commissions on a gig page with those tiers ready to choose. A clear offer lets you charge for inventing the character as well as drawing it.