How To Write A Great Professional Artist Invoice The Right Way

Heads up: This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.

Make Sure You’re Paid For Your Work By Using A Great Artist Invoice

One essential aspect of building a successful art career is invoicing your clients for your work. As unexciting as it may sound, knowing how to write an artist invoice can save you from potential conflicts with clients, help you keep track of your finances, and establish you as a professional in the eyes of your customers.

In this blog post, we’ll show you why an artist invoice is a vital step towards your success, when to use them, and what to include in them. Plus, we’ll provide a handy artist invoice template and a checklist so you can get started straight away.

What is an artist invoice?

Essentially, an artist invoice is a bill (physical or electronic) that you send to the clients who have used your goods or services. It should be a clear document that outlines what exactly the client has received, the outstanding costs and how to pay for it. For example; if an individual has reached out to you for a commissioned painting – you would send them a painter’s invoice for the piece. The same applies to all forms of art and creativity including: illustration, graphic design, sculpture and more.

When it comes to registered business and companies – the law requires you to include certain details, like VAT for example. In this case, always check your local rules and regulations for sales tax information.

Do artists need to use invoices?

artist invoice

An artist invoice is important for several reasons.

Firstly, invoices serve as a formal record of a transaction, providing important documentation for both the artist and the buyer when it comes to accounting and tax purposes.

Secondly, art invoices outline the details of the artwork or service sold, including the price, payment terms and any additional fees or services. This ensures that both parties are clear on the terms of the sale. It helps to avoid any confusion down the line.

Thirdly, invoices help establish a professional image and build trust with clients, as they demonstrate a level of organisation and business acumen. If a client has a positive experience with you – they’re more likely to recommend your services within their network.

Lastly, invoices can be used as evidence in case of any disputes or legal issues, protecting the rights and interests of the artist. It helps the artist get paid in those difficult circumstances when a payment is overdue. Overall, invoices are a crucial tool for artists to maintain financial clarity, professionalism, and legal protection in their art transactions.

How To Write And Use An Artist Invoice

artist invoice

What to Include in an Artist Invoice

Creating an artist invoice is simple when you know how; so we’ve made this art invoice checklist to help you get started. Once you’ve made your first copy, save it as a working document and make adjustments accordingly.

Art Invoice Checklist:

◯ Artist name/business name and contact information

◯ Client name and contact information

◯ Description of work (materials, hourly rate, etc)

◯ Payment amount and due date

◯ Payment terms and conditions

◯ Method of payment

◯ Late payment fees and interest

◯ Signature and date

How to Create an Artist Invoice

Now you have a checklist – creating your own artist invoice should be straightforward. If you haven’t got time to create one from scratch; we’ve made our very own template to help.

Artist Invoice Template

Access the template here

When to Use an Artist Invoice

You should send an invoice to a client any time they buy a product or service from you. If you require paying – then an invoice is going to be important.

Commissioned work

With all commissions, you should send an artist invoice. It’s up to you when you send it over, but usually, payment won’t be made until after the commission has been completed. It’s also likely that you won’t know the final price until completion, as an artist commission invoice contains all the associated costs. However, with larger commissioned projects, it’s better to send the invoice before work begins. This allows you to request that a small proportion is paid upfront – to protect yourself as the working artist.

Exhibition sales

When a sale is made through a gallery, the invoice is usually sent by the sales team on your behalf. This is because they add their own gallery commission as part of your set price. When you come to an exhibition agreement with a gallery – their commission percentage will be discussed, so it’s your job to price your work accordingly.

Licensing agreements

An artist typically sends their invoice for licensing their artwork after the terms of the licence agreement have been negotiated and agreed upon by both parties. This usually occurs prior to or upon the start of the artwork licence, and may be billed on a rolling basis.

Tips for Using Artist Invoices

★ Send both an electronic and paper invoice

It’s your choice as to what type of invoice you send and definitely depends on the mode of communication you have with the client, however, we recommend that you send both a physical and electronic copy of your artist invoice. Send the electronic copy via email after discussion with the client – and they can use that copy to make payment. The physical art invoice can be sent with delivery of the artwork for the record of the client. Make sure that both invoices are identical and that you mark as ‘paid’ on the physical copy.

★ Use file names and efficient storage to help you

Once you accumulate lots of sales and projects – your invoice folder may start to become quite messy. Save yourself the hassle by including a couple important details in your file names, such as invoice number, client name and date. That way, you can easily search your documents to find the particular invoice you’re after. It also helps to organise your files in labelled folders, perhaps by years or months.

★ Have open communication and clarity with your client

Sometimes, discussing money, fees and pricing can be awkward. To avoid these situations, it’s best to keep a clear, open and honest dialogue with your clients at all times. Try to be upfront about how much your work will cost, when you expect to be paid and when the completed work will be finished by. No one wants any unexpected surprises further down the line!

★ Establish and maintain good relationships

Similarly to the point above; sending an invoice is a way of communicating to a buyer or client, which means you’ll want their experience to be a positive one. Getting paid for your work doesn’t need to feel impersonal and dry – in fact, use this opportunity to thank the client for their support and state how you hope to work with them again in the future. This should help you establish those important professional relationships and maintain them going forward.

Conclusion

It’s never too early to start using artist invoices. If you’re being commissioned for creative work – it’s time to start acting professionally. Setting up an artist invoice is a quick process that can drastically level up your artistic career in the long run. It’s better to prep an artist invoice now then have to scramble when the time comes. Help your future self out by using the invoice template above and making it your own.

HAVE YOU USED AN ARTIST INVOICE BEFORE? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.

Don’t forget you can always share your art with us! Become the next Artist of The Month or tag us on Instagram @darkyellowdot.

Thank you for reading and if you found this article useful, share it around, that makes us happy. To receive more posts like this and updates, join our mailing list, everyone is welcome.