Art commissions are a great way for artists to create a sustainable stream of income. However, they can also require more administrative work upfront.
Here is how you can manage your art commissions in Artwork Archive:
Create a new piece record for the commissioned artwork.
Don't have an image yet? No problem. Add a sketch as the initial placeholder image and then update it as the commission progresses. You can even add up to 30 additional images per piece record to keep track of the entire life of the artwork.
Save Piece Record + Click "Register Sale"
Once you have created and saved the piece record for the commissioned artwork, you will need to Register a Sale in order to send an invoice for the piece to the buyer.
Associate the piece with the buyer's Contact Record
Connect the commissioned artwork with a Contact Record in Artwork Archive. You can choose from an existing contact or create a new contact for the buyer. From there, you can easily keep track of important information like phone number, email address, shipping details and any shared invoices or Reports.
Note: You need a Contact Record to create an Invoice in Artwork Archive.
Create an Invoice to collect a downpayment or partial payment
After Registering a Sale, you can create an invoice for any payments related to the piece like a downpayment, shipping or framing.
Keep track of any payment plans in the "Notes"
Change Invoice Payment Status to "Partial Payment"
Choose "Allow Partial Payments" from Online Payments section
Note: You must be on the Artist Professional or Master account plan to include payment buttons that will allow your buyer to make online payments directly from this invoice.
Click "Save Invoice" and then immediately Preview or Send Invoice
Once saved, you are able to send your invoice immediately to your buyer to accept payment.
Keep Track of Partial Payments
Your buyer can make a "Partial Payment" online or send the payment via other methods like Cash/Check or Venmo. You can keep track of these payments in the by editing the invoice's "Payment History."
Add any additional Invoice Line Items to your final invoice
Once the piece is completed, you can add additional line items to the invoice like framing or shipping.
Note: You can also create and send a separate invoice for these items if you do not want them to all appear on the same invoice
Update Piece Record Image + Complete the Sale
Once the commission is completed, update the Piece Record image and re-share the invoice with your buyer to receive the final payment.
Example of client view if sent via the web:
Example of client view if PDF was created and sent:
