Susan Washington

One of the best ways to grow your art business is by accepting commissions. But sometimes the entire process can feel overwhelming, especially setting expectations, documenting them and also handling the payments. You also want to be sure you outline the commission and expectations and receive a deposit before beginning the work. It seems like a lot of work before you even get to the canvas.

The good news? Cohart makes it incredibly easy to handle commission payments professionally. Here’s exactly how I do it:


### Step 1: Create an Invoice for the Deposit

Once my client agrees to move forward with a commission, I immediately create an invoice on Cohart. Right on your phone, select the blue **Quick Sell** button. This will take you directly to **Create Invoice**. Here you can enter the buyer's information.

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### Step 2: Add a custom item

Select the **Add Custom Item** button. This will give you a box to add the name (Commission 1 of 2 (this will indicate that it’s the deposit), and the artwork title if you have one) add the price and any discount you might want to extend (totally up to you). For the payment in the **Price** section, I add half the cost of the commission as the deposit.

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### Step 3: Tax

You have the option to toggle local sales tax on and off. Learn more about sales tax [here](https://support.cohart.com/local-sales-tax).

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### Step 4: Flexible Shipping

Cohart gives you the flexibility to set your [custom shipping costs](https://support.cohart.com/shipping). You can select Ship by Cohart, and a flat fee will be auto-applied based on artwork size. If you want to handle shipping yourself, toggle **Custom Shipping Base** on and enter your own fee. Or, you can have your buyer choose **Invoice Only** to skip shipping fees for commission deposit,  and add them when the commission is complete. 

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### Step 5: Save, Collect Payment, or Send

When you select **Continue**, your invoice will automatically be created and on the next screen (Preview Invoice), you have several options. Here you can **Save** the invoice, **Collect Payment** if the buyer is with you, or **Send** to the buyer.

1. If you **Save** the invoice, later you can simply go to **Sales > Invoices** section in your dashboard, where you can send it directly to the buyer. 
2. If the buyer is with you, select **Collect Payment** and the invoice will open with the option for them to pay with card or tap to pay. 
3. Select **Send** to send this invoice to your buyer via email for them to pay on their phone. 

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### Step 6: Complete the Work and Collect Final Payment

Once the artwork is complete, I send final photos for the client’s approval. After they sign off, I create a second invoice on Cohart. You can create this invoice just as you did the first (adding 2/2 to the artwork title to indicate final payment). Process the invoice as you did previously.

### Why This Matters

Handling commissions this way has made my process smoother, more professional, and faster. Clients appreciate the clarity, and I appreciate the security of having deposits in place before I start working.

Commissions aren’t just an “extra” - they’re an important part of growing your art business. And with tools like Cohart, it’s easier than ever to say yes to customized opportunities while protecting your time and creativity.

If you’ve been hesitant to take commissions because of the payment logistics, trust me, once you set it up like this, you’ll feel much more confident and in control. 


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Susan Washington shares step-by-step guide to processing commissioned artworks with Cohart.

An Artist's Guide to Processing Commissioned Artworks on Cohart

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