Wait why does Tier 2 start lower than Tier 1. I've commissioned artists before. In my experience if you give them a usable, detailed spec and pay what they ask you tend to get great work. If you're a good customer with reasonable expectations (especially if you have multiple projects you might need their skills for) they'll go out of their way to get you exactly what you need and even more, sometimes. Nobody wants to work with an asshole. Show yourself to be someone who's enjoyable to work with and they'll prefer you over other projects that might pay more but be a pain to communicate with, ask for constant revisions, play mind games with the billing, etc. They're the one who knows how much they need to make the work worth it. Honestly, most artists I know lowball themselves. It's a difficult craft and highly competitive. Takes years of investment before you can even think of making money off of it. Artists (in general) do art because they love it, and we should encourage that. Everyone benefits from a culture rife with creative people exercising their skills to their best ability.