24 Sept 2015, 00:23

So here is something I have been dealing with lately, and since most around this forum are around the same place as me career-wise I thought I would ask your thoughts.

Do you ever do art for someone else for free?
If not, why not?
If you sometimes do art for free, what kind of situations will you do it for? Or do you just say yes to everything?
Have you ever done a piece for free and then regretted it?
Have you done something for free and felt that you really gained a lot from it, either in experience or exposure or something else?

I am not looking for a client complaints type of discussion, just thoughts on your policies, if that makes sense.

To answer my own questions, I have done free work once in awhile, but I generally avoid it. When someone I am close to has needed an image (immediate family or very close friends), I don't usually charge. There have also been just a couple projects that just sounded interesting to me that I did because I wanted a piece for my portfolio. But if someone I am not close to approaches me about doing artwork, I usually ask to be paid. (And often they are scared off.)

What about you?