Painting a mural can be an expensive away. There are many mural artists who are around that you can look for in painting a mural either for your wall or designated place. But like it or not, the charges can be quite exorbitant.
Why the high cost
One thing for sure, painting a mural is expensive not really because of choice. Most established artists do not do murals. They are mostly done by mural artists which mean that they are mostly specialists. In fact, mural artists are expensive not because they want to but because it is somewhat required. So, what makes them expensive? Here are some pointers.
- Amount of paint – A mural will need a lot of paint, so that’s a lot of money needed to buy them
- Preparation – unlike canvases, you need to prepare the space
- Equipment – special equipment is needed besides paintbrushes and paints
- Risk – painting a mural has risks. It requires the artist to climb up and down
- Art – at the end of the day, it is one-of-its-kind and is the artists’ own expression
Below are tips on how to save cost when you are engaging a mural artist
Get to know the price per feet
Every artist has their going rate. For murals, they usually charge according to square feet. If you engage the more established ones, they will have higher rates per square feet. This is natural if you compare the price for a new artist. As a rule of thumb, the market rate is between RM10 and RM100 per square feet. Anything more than that would be too expensive.
Find out the size of the wall
There is no point in talking to an artist without knowing what you have. You need to have an accurate measurement of the wall you want to be painted on. It might not be the entire wall but could be just half or a fraction of it. Once you know the measurement of the wall you want to be painted on, you can then start the negotiation with the artist concerned.
Decide on a theme
The theme of what you want to be painted is crucial here. That will help you to decide which artist to work with. That will then lead you towards working on the final cost. In most cases, you tell the artist what theme you would like and then the artist will come up with the artwork. There is no point in asking the artist to paint what you want. For that, you only need a painter.
Affordable and quality material
There are many types of art material that you can use. Sprays are quite common if you are going for graffiti art. Most artists like to use wall paints. In whatever situation, you can find affordable ones as well as high quality ones. You just need to do some research.
Location-based services
Try as much as you can to engage the artist from a nearby location. If you ‘import’ an artist, you will need to bear the cost of travelling and accommodation. You do the math.