How to Price a Painting on a Used Surfboard?

12 Nov How to Price a Painting on a Used Surfboard?

We got this question from an artist in Hawaii:

Hi. I’ve been asked to paint on a used board. I’m just not sure how to price it. Can you recommend a starting range. Should I just price it like a regular painting? Thanks for your help!  Aloha, Kara

Kara, this is a great question, and I think that surfboard artists everywhere should somehow format a similar pricing structure.

First, make up a price sheet for yourself.  Second, be sure to charge extra for used boards, because more time is involved to prepare them for painting.

And to answer the part of the question about “Should I price it like a regular painting?”:  We have two different price sheets for painted surfboards.  One for real art, and one just for board decoration.

REAL ART TO HANG ON THE WALL: The first price sheet is for true pieces of art that will be hung.  These are priced like any painting and pricing begins at $3,500.00 (includes the board) and goes up to $20,000, depending on the size and complexity of the subject matter.

BOARD DECORATION: This second price sheet is for all surfboard paintings that are meant to decorate a board that will be ridden.  The board is supplied by the customer.

Pricing for this starts at $75.00 and can go up to $2,000, depending on the size of the board, the painting, and the complexity.

What you get for $75.00 is what we call a small board “tattoo”.  Usually a little “hit” painted on the rail, or a small character or wave on the nose of the board.

What you get for $120 is a larger painting, still on the nose or a small section of the board, but of greater complexity, like a beach scene or a sexy mermaid.

Most of our customers ask for a $250 paint job, which covers about a third to half of the surfboard and is a beautiful painting that they can proudly show off when surfing.

A full board painting, of course, will cost in the $500 – $2,000 range.

REGARDING PAYMENT: Make sure that payment is made at the time that the board is picked up.  No board leaves our studio unless I’ve been paid in full (cash preferably).

CHARGE EXTRA FOR USED BOARDS: We require that they bring it with wax completely scraped off.  We also add $20.00 for used boards, because even with the wax cleaned off, it takes a lot of extra time prepping it for painting to remove the residue.

MAKE A PRICE SHEET that details the different painting prices for different types of board decoration.

I wish you the best of luck!  Please, feel free to ask any other questions on this topic.  We’re here to help.

Maria “Spunk” Brophy xxoo

PS:  Check out my business blog for artists www.mariabrophy.com