Putting a price on art

Pricing your own art work is horrible and, because I absolutely adore what I do, it actually makes it ten times harder. Trust me, if I could paint for free then I would! It seems silly to say this now but I used to get so anxious when customers contacted me. Even if their message had nothing to do with the cost of my work, that sickening feeling in my stomach was inevitable. I think a major factor in this was self-doubt; it was impossible to believe that what I do is worth anything and whilst I am very lucky that my job is also my passion, the bills still need to be paid. I realised that if I was going to make The Sole Collections a real, full time business then I would need to get over this...and quickly!

I've taken a lot of time behind the scenes to work out a price plan and I'm not ashamed to admit that a lot of it has been down to trial and error. How else are you supposed to know how long a commission will take if you don't try it first? In the beginning, I sold myself short. A lot! And I'm only human, it still happens... Only last week I painted a Disney inspired, canvas beach bag. I hadn't painted anything on this scale before and as soon as I was asked if it was possible, I absolutely adored the idea and my mind ran away with it. The bag painted beautifully and I had ambitious thoughts about launching a similar range in the summer. I emailed my customer, explained that it was taking much longer than I originally thought and, whilst I didn't want any more money, could I possibly just take the bag to a whole new level and use it as a source for the future. This bag is now my entire inspiration for new ideas next summer and, most importantly, I know the preparation involved to make a bag like this work, how long it takes to paint and exactly how much it is going to cost.

When I started painting shoes, I made the decision not to communicate my prices publicly. Often I'll get comments on social media enquiring about cost and I always ask the customer to contact me directly. I work very closely with every customer on their design and it is much easier to explain the way The Sole Collections works and ask the relevant questions I need through an email. More often than not, customers don't actually know what they want, so I try to make the experience as personal as possible. Some might think that not displaying prices is very secretive, though I feel I have very valid reasons. Firstly, every pair of shoes I paint is completely unique and I do not paint the same thing twice. Therefore, it isn't necessary to display the prices openly as they cannot be ordered. I also don't think it's fair to the paying customer to display how much their shoes cost, especially as a lot of my shoes are ordered as gifts. Finally, and most simply, there just isn't one fixed price. Every single pair of shoes is different and an awful lot of thought and consideration goes in to making sure that the cost reflects exactly what the customer has asked for.

When you are an artist, what you see is most definitely not all that you get. After a few months, I broke down how much everything cost individually, I was shocked to discover that I was actually funding a very expensive hobby rather than a business! To name a few: the hours each shoe takes, the cost of the materials, the tiny details, the colours used, the size of the design...not to mention all the added extras: metallic paints, glitter paints, custom laces, crystals...and what about the necessities? Preparing shoe surfaces, protective sealant, the postage and packaging...the list goes on. This just scratches the surface. Behind the scenes I am researching, designing, photographing and constantly seeking inspiration; as well as bringing up a two year old, helping to run our family business and trying to have a little bit of a life on the side!

So, with Christmas approaching I am busier than ever and, with more enquiries on a daily basis, I actually wanted to write this post so that you can view my starting prices as well as some examples of shoes I have painted previously. My website still won't be up and running properly until the New Year so I thought this was the next best way to communicate a 'price guide'. Please note that this is purely a guide and the designs featured, unfortunately, aren't for sale. These figures have been calculated taking into account all of the factors above and I hope, for anyone interested in The Sole Collections, that this will give you more of an idea of the price range you can expect for the design you may have in mind.

'Heart and Sole'

Hand painted shoes for your special occasion. Prices start from £50 for Christening shoes and £100 for wedding shoes (including converse).

One colour calligraphy and dates- approximately £60

 Low wedding converse with one colour calligraphy and small details- approximately £150 
(Please note that rhinestones are charged as an additional extra, see below)

Low wedding converse, featuring metallic paints and floral details- approximately £200

Wedding shoes with full coverage- from £250

'Happy Soles'

 Hand painted shoes for kids. Prices start from £60.

Stars and personalised details, featuring metallic and glitter paints- approximately £60

Cartoon design and personalised tongue- approximately £85

Monogram and floral design with black outline- approximately £100 

Realistic florals- approximately £180

'Sole Mates'

Hand painted characters. Prices start from £80 for children and £100 for adults.

Peppa Pig and background, with personalised name- approximately £80

Scooby Doo and logo- approximately £120

In The Night Garden huaraches featuring front, back and side details- approximately £180 

Monsters Inc hi-tops- approximately £200

                                                            

 The Grinch plus logo- approximately £140

    Harley Quinn hi-tops- approximately £160                                  

'Bare Your Sole'

Hand painted shoes for women. Prices start from £80.

Abstract floral wedges- approximately £90

Freehand painted vans, front and back- approximately £170

Realistic floral huaraches- approximately £200

 Rhinestones

Prices start from £20

Scattered rhinestones throughout the design- from £20

 Back panel- from £30

 Toe caps- from £60

 Full panels/whole shoes- from £150

So, that's it! A full break down of my price structure and some examples, which I hope will really help anyone looking to order. I currently have just three spaces left for Christmas orders and the closing date is Monday 9th November. For any order enquiries, please email rhiannongrace@thesolecollections.com. 

Rhiannon Grace x

The Collections

One of the hardest decisions I've made since starting The Sole Collections was the name itself. I touched upon it in my last post; how I was completely ready to launch 'Solely For You' and, with less than 8 hours to go, I nervously told my web designer (and luckily, my very best friend!) that I'd changed my mind. Choosing a name is difficult as there are so many things to consider. Not only do you need to make it memorable, you need it to represent everything that you've worked so hard to put together. It has to stand out, it has to make sense and it has to be something that you feel 100% happy to put out there. After all, it's your brand. 

I wanted to include the word 'sole' because it's something that every shoe has, but it also represents 'soul'. I love that word; it's deep, meaningful and creative and it's also the part of every person that makes them who they are. The idea of having different names for different styles of shoe worked because I didn't always want to paint the same thing. I wanted the customer to choose whatever they wanted and take on a variety of orders, creating something personal for each and every one. I had a few ideas, with 'Solely For You' as the overall name for the whole business. If I'm being honest, there was something I wasn't completely happy with but, because I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, I put it down to nerves. I'd worked so hard with so many people to get everything together and I was finally going to put myself out there...that was always going to be a little scary! 

Everyone knows that Sunday evenings are made for Pinterest and it's an amazing way of discovering new trends and getting inspiration. Whilst getting lost in a world of street style and new season prints, I realised that all the sub-categories I had created were, in fact, my own little collections. Something just clicked and I felt like I'd finally found the answer to what was bothering me. It was simply 'The Sole Collections'; the perfect and most simple description of everything I had envisioned. And so, here they are, featuring some of the commissions I've painted so far...

Bare Your Sole

'Hand painted shoes for women'

Happy Soles

'Hand painted shoes for kids'

Heart and Sole

'Hand painted shoes for your special occasion'

Sole Mates

'Bringing your favourite characters to life'

As well as these, I have a men's collection; 'Sole Man' (a very cool pair of Nike huarache's are about to become it's first new arrival!), and I'm working on some SS15 prints behind the scenes. I think now would also be a good time to start announcing what I have been so secretive about...The Sole Collections has teamed up with the beautifully talented Cara Couture and, not only will some of my shoes be displayed in Cara's gorgeous new shop, we are also working on something really special together too! I can't wait to share more with you all.

Rhiannon Grace x

Let's start from the beginning...

Anyone who knows me will tell you I have always been an 'artist'. I inherited the gene from this wonderful woman, my Yaya. 'Yaya' is Greek for Grandma- I'm not Greek by the way, that's a very different story... 

I was the one constantly drawing, with my head in a sketch book, making endless pictures that my mum would have to find more space to display. I'm still the same, just a lot more creative these days; the sort of person that's adamant she's going to paint her bedroom black (I did!), has a notebook next to her bed in case of a sudden burst of midnight inspiration and countless 'unnecessary things' (as my boyfriend calls them) are scattered in every corner of our home.

The concept of painting shoes had never crossed my mind until nearly three years ago when one of my dearest friends was getting married. I'd worked with Char for years before I moved to Leicester, she knew how much I loved drawing and painting and she was fully aware of my need to do something creative. As my manager, she loved me because I would take great pleasure in starting a shift at 3am to rearrange the entire shop floor! She'd seen some wedding shoes on the internet that had been hand painted and she asked if I thought it would be something I'd be interested in trying for her. I instantly said yes, without a second thought.

We got planning. We had a brainstorming session where Charlotte told me all of the things she wanted incorporated into the design, I sent her photos of sketched ideas and she got me some old shoes, in the same material, to test different paints on. I researched the best ways of making them durable; dunking them in buckets of water and smearing greasy fingers over them. Then, her shoes arrived and the reality kicked in. These were her actual WEDDING SHOES and they were sat on my living room table, surrounded by fifty shades of blue paint. My hands were shaking- not what you want when you're about to let loose on one of the most important pairs of shoes in a girl's life!

 After only a few minutes, the initial fear moved aside and I loved every second of creating these shoes. Once they were finished, I gift wrapped them and headed over to meet Charlotte. She hadn't seen anything of them; said she trusted me and wanted a surprise! No pressure... But I needn't have worried. She was overjoyed by the finished result and just seeing her face made it all worthwhile. They were hers and no one else in the world had a pair like them. That's the moment I realised that this is what I wanted to do.

A year went by and I found myself discussing the concept with my work girls in the Topshop canteen. I trialled a cute daisy design on a pair of girls converse, just to see how people would react to them. At this point I was pregnant and it was a much needed creative escape from morning sickness and chilli sauce cravings. I started making them as presents, using each one as an experiment. Testing different paints, different sealants, spending hours painting and then throwing them straight in the washing machine, only to establish that no, they shouldn't be washed!

When I realised I couldn't go back to work after having Charlie, I was able to devote a bit more time to the ideas I'd had. I bought some different style shoes to try, my friend Rachael helped me set up a website, different social media accounts and we'd even come up with a name: 'Solely For You'. But something wasn't quite right and I wasn't 100% happy. The night before the launch date I lay awake for hours, trying to figure out what it was that just wasn't working. My problem was that I wanted to paint everything; wedding shoes, kids shoes, characters, my own designs, taking inspiration from here, there and everywhere. It was all a bit of a mess and I realised I needed to separate each idea but bring it all together at the same time, individual collections if you like. So, with only 7 hours left to go, I nervously messaged Rach to tell her that I'd changed my mind...luckily, she is one of my very best friends and an absolute genius on a computer, so it literally took her ten minutes to turn everything around. 'Solely for You' became 'The Sole Collections' and now, here we are. 

Charlie started nursery about a month ago so I took the plunge and announced that The Sole Collections was to become my full time business venture. And I am loving every minute of it! There are still areas I want to work on, such as establishing a clearer price structure and communicating this to my customers,  but I am definitely heading in the right direction. I've invested in better materials and a wider selection of paints, I've got some really amazing custom orders coming up, I'm in the process of creating a SS15 collection and, launching in March, a very exciting new venture will all be revealed. So, that's it! That is the story behind The Sole Collections. Here's to the future and (hopefully!) many more stories to tell...