THE FIRST QUESTION, whether from a wedding couple or a corporate event organiser, is usually “How much does it cost?” Pricing is obviously key, but for such a specialist arts entertainment it isn’t always easy to determine. So here’s an honest attempt to explain the factors which influence it.
My own costs vary considerably depending on whether it’s a wedding or corporate enquiry, whether I’m dealing with the end client or an event professional, and even whether or not it’s a busy day.
How silhouette artist pricing works
If you ask a number of silhouettists to quote for the same event, you may receive a wide range of prices. Here are some things to bear in mind when comparing the various quotes:
- How many years professional experience does the artist have?
- What’s included in their quote? For instance, did they include corporate branding or travel costs?
- How long will the artist stay, and how many guests can they cover in the time?
- Is the event local to them, or will they need to spend a long time travelling?
- Is the artist is a full-time professional, or a part-time artist?
- Is the artist VAT registered? If so, is VAT included in their fee?
- What does the price tell you about the quality of the artist’s work?
All these factors may help you decide which quote represents the best value for you.
Corporate and private event pricing
Silhouette cutting is a rare and hard-to-learn art. For these reasons fees are a little higher than you might expect to pay for another roving entertainer, such as a magician or caricaturist. In general you should expect anything in the range from £600 to £1800 for a silhouettist to attend a typical evening event.
Prospective wedding clients will find that my own costs to attend a wedding are published on my Wedding Artist page. These costs all include VAT.
Corporate clients will find no such easy answer, simply because corporate events vary far more in scope. My policy for these events is to find out a bit more about the event: the hours involved, the number of guests, whether branding is important, and whether you might need more than one artist. I will then offer a number of options, each with a VAT-exclusive price.
For overseas events, whether corporate or private, VAT is not chargeable and my quoted fees will reflect this.
If you would like to receive a tailored quote for your event please contact me by email or using the form on the Contact page.
Where my prices sit in the market
My own rates sit at the upper end of the market. This reflects my thirty years of full-time professional practice, my own rigorous and demanding approach to the silhouettes themselves, and a list of sitters which includes various royal households and heads of state, as well as a whole host of TV celebrities and sporting personalities. I aim to make the booking experience as simple and stress-free as possible for the couple or event organiser.
I make no apology for this. I know there will always be silhouette artists who charge less. In fact, I’m always happy to recommend such an artist if you feel they may be more suitable for your event. I understand that if budget is the primary consideration, I may not be the right choice. However, if the experience you wish your guests to take home with them is the primary consideration, I’d like to think I am.
Of course, it’s always possible that I may one day encounter a silhouettist charging more than I, perhaps in Europe or the United States. If ever I do so, I might take it as a signal to review my fees.
Is a silhouette artist worth it?
In the end, successful events are all about memories. Any event needs to be well organised and stress free (which I hope I contribute to by making the booking process easy) but the very best events are those which the guests remember for years afterwards.
I’ve been cutting silhouettes for so long now that it’s normal for me to encounter at least one person who has met me before – at some event many years ago – or whose silhouette I’ve actually cut before. One thing I often notice about such encounters is that the person can aways tell me when and where the event took place, and what the occasion was, even if the event took place twenty years before. Quite often they still have their silhouette (complete with printed event details) propped on a mantlepiece or fixed by magnet to their fridge. That kind of long recollection is rare in the events world, but is something a skilled silhouettist can perhaps offer.
In 2016 I was fortunate to encounter Queen Elizabeth at an event in St James’s Palace. When I explained what I was doing she said:
“I rather think you’ve done me before.”
I expressed some surprise, since the event she referred to took place over eight years earlier. To this she replied (with what I felt to be the faintest hint of approbation):
“Well of course I remember, it’s in my bedroom!”
If you have any questions at all about fees, or any aspect of silhouette art, I would love to hear from you.
