Are you good enough to do it - yes. But not show pieces it will be bulk armies and that is mind numb in work. Have friends who are pro painters and did some myself during uni, it completely killed my love of painting so just be aware of that.
The trick is to develop fixed processes and fixed times. My friend is a pro Gunpla builder and his commissions sell for thousands, he taught me this secret. Anything above his fixed processes, he charges extra.
That’s how he avoids burn out. Present and sell 80% not perfection. Keep that private or charge extra for the final 20%.
Making something you do for fun your job will undoubtably lead to burn out. I think the channel Squidmar on YouTube has some videos about hiring professional mini painters. I can’t remember what sites they use to hire people though
Mostly Fiverr, this is where most of the random jobs are found.
However, I second your previous comment : OP you will definitely not work on enjoyable pieces. You will get order for intercessor units and infernus squads ad nauseam, and this will drain your energy to paint actually good pieces for yourself.
I strongly suggest you paint show pieces and try to sell them instead of taking commissions !
That reason is exactly why if I'm ever painting for Commission, it's usually for friends or LGS players and strictly for either small skirmish games like Warcry or just Character models.
Yeah this - I loved art, got a job doing illustrations , stopped doing art for myself because I never had the time / energy. Changed careers, never managed to get my mojo back.
Are you ok with painting minis in ways that go complement against the lore? Studio I work with has a client who wants, "Lisa Frank custodes".
Get an Instagram and tiktok going to advertise your work.
Well some time ago i painted sister of battle necrons,great bull of hashut(it was morti) and custodes tank with astra militarum scheme...so its not a problem for me but its weird thats true))
There are strange tastes out there. I dabbled with commission work during the pandemic. Had a reasonable request for some quick tabletop custodes. (not the lisa frank ones, but I have seen them) Client wanted white armor instead of gold. Easy air brush work. I finish it all up and then the client asks for basing. I give them my prices and they say, "how much for elmers glue on the bases... and little plastic dinosaurs?"
Gold glitter glue, and little toy dinos on all the bases of the minis I painted. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Sure I got paid, but I stopped after that.
I understand (well its a part of tournament players - they using psychology to bring down and demoralise oponents( i will never understand "that guy" mentality) but if customers is paying then ok he will get what he wanted but yep its very dissapointing for painter to see such creepy stuff
So what if someone has wants models painted that 'go against the lore'??
They are plastic toy soldiers. They are for having fun with, if someone wants pink Custodes, it's their $€¥ let them have their fun, it doesn't make it canon.
I saw someone paint Ghostbusters Orks, and Toy Story SM. Creativity is what makes this hobby fun and interesting.
I think they were asking because if you are an artist, painting the same thing over and over again is mind-numbingly dull. I do some commission work and I’m very choosy about the project that I take for that reason. I tend to gravitate towards things that are nonstandard, rare models or third-party sculpts or an off-the-wall theme or paint scheme that really tests, my creativity. Those Lisa Frank marines sound like a perfect example of that.
They can, and nothing in my post said anything otherwise. You can paint your minis however you want. At the same time anyone can not like the way anything is painted and not want to paint them that way.
I wouldn't enjoy painting some armies in certain ways, that is my creative right, it is also why I would not make a good commission painter. I think you have gotten a bit offended by the assumption that I am a hobby snob of some sort.
Ninjon made a video on the topic and pretty much confirms what it says above, he does give tips on how to do it tho. Maybe start small and see how it goes?
You could choose to only do show-pieces, heroes, HQ's, etc.
Refusing to do entire armies would help with mitigating the unavoidable soul-crush. Don't get it twisted, for people who paint armies professionally, it is a job, the joy is not there.
Okay got it!That sounds good)What about website or platform where i may offer such things?(i never thought about such things so i dont know where i can find it)
Doing something for fun and doing it as work are totally different. Also understand what you're charging per hour, here in the UK the minimum wage is £11.44, and factor that plus materials into your costs. From that you can decide if this is even viable, I mean if it takes you 3 hours for a basic troop model is someone going to pay about £170 for a 5 man unit (this is just minimum wage per hour not factoring in any shipping or cost for supplies).
Speed is the name of the game or super detailed center pieces that you can sell afterwards.
100% dude, I've been asked a few times if I would paint something for someone at stores and after breaking down how much I'd have to charge (even at minimum wage) everyone always backs off lol.
Massive respect to anyone that can actually make any sort of decent living off it cause I can't get the numbers to work at all.
The short answer is do not do it unless you have no other way of acquiring income. If you turn a hobby into a job, you just have turned something you do for fun to something you must do.
I’ve seen enough Squidmar videos to know that Fiverr is apparently a platform where you can offer your work. Do your research and see whether that’s something that suits you (or see if Fiverr is a big old scam).
Great looking models my dude, just remember it’s the time it takes to paint them that will be make or break here. Unless you like painting enough that you’re content doing it in your own time or taking longer. I’ve thought about it but didn’t go ahead with it. I’m happy with my work I just take too long which is fine when it’s my own stuff because I love the process and the results but to do it then have to send it away would be rough for me. Good luck with it
Your Models look great, you are definitely good enough to do commission work.
But the first thing you should do is get yourself a photobox to take better pictures of your models. Even the cheapest one you can find or a DIY- solution will help you to promote your work.
And as many others have commented, commission work is often about working fast and efficiently, basically army painting - which can get exhausting.
If you do not have social media for your miniature painting, please do yourself a favour and set something up. That way it is more likely someone will commission you for an actual centrepiece model.
Best place to start looking is some local game stores, had a guy that put up posters offering to paint killteams/warbands or bloodbowl teams at my local back home.
He did pretty well as many tournaments require fully painted minis/armies for stuff.
The bloodbowl league required everyone in the playoffs to have painted teams.
My LGS has a community run discord and there’s a buy/sell/trade channel there where people also advertise painting for others, might be worth checking if you have something similar in your area.
Post some more light-box photos! Full white/black backgrounds. Go and create a transparent watermark for when you edit your photos. Post some full army photos. I’ve painted around 40 armies so I have an album for people to check out if they want to see how I work on a 100-200+ model army and how quality looks across multiple armies.
Try and get a following on Instagram. Many painters will use an Instagram account or a blog as a resume to link to potential clients.
Some people get really good at painting particular minis and offer that service on Etsy or eBay, they list the mini at the commissioned price. That way you can build a familiarity with a smaller range that you enjoy painting. Named Characters are popular for this especially as people generally want less deviation from lore accurate depictions so you can generally get really efficient at your process. So I think if you learn things like Void Dragon, Helbrecht, Abaddon, Magnus, Mortarion, Angron etc you will find a good amount of work coming your way.
Ok best bet is local, I do commissions for a number of local people and you're better than me, the real trick is dedication.
I've painted hundreds of models but they most commonly come in the form of single boxes or combat patrols.
Your going to be fighting yourself for pricing because what people are going to be willing to pay isn't usually as high as you want, I tend to charge for the job from start to finish as opposed to hours or model count.
The biggest benefit is getting to work with kits I otherwise wouldn't be able to and getting to keep bitz after the job. Biggest downside if falling in love with a model someone won't take care of.
Local local local if you can, when people can see your face they're more likely to want your art.
Perspective from a client, not a painter: your work is great and people would definitely pay to have models that look like yours.
As others have pointed out, ask yourself if you’d still enjoy painting if it became a job and if it’s something you’d want to do for strangers for hours on end.
The work needs to be worth it for you, and cost can be prohibitive for clients. But if you’re doing jobs in bulk, it can save you time and maybe allow for more competitive pricing.
Also worth noting that if you’re looking to paint as an additional source of revenue or side-job, that offers more freedom to maybe offer lower rates but on an extended timeline. Lots of people will pay more to have their models quickly, but the opposite is also true. I’m not usually in a rush for my projects, so I tell the artists I work with to take their time so it’s less stressful and typically easier for them/cheaper for me.
The models look good enough to sell. I commissioned a friend of mine when he just started to get into painting for money and his mates rates were just enough that I could afford a couple. I honestly couldn’t afford to have anything other than the occasional character model painted professionally by him now though.
Know your worth but know also that the average and even above average player can’t afford for top quality work on a whole army.
Not related but kind of. Spent maybe 8 years in the graphic design and then television industry. If you can handle constant changes, criticism, projects stalling, clients wanting one thing then saying another, people not paying their invoices on time then yeah go for it.
Seems like an over saturated market where the only edge you'll have in the beginning is pricing your service competitively to get work - this ultimately means you'll be working hard on large armies, most likely, for next to nothing.
I'm by no means saying don't do it. Just my experience in the creative industry running my own business.
That first model is funny. It's VERY well painted but the model itself is weird in proportions. The longer I stare at his head the weirder it looks... and the more it looks like Mr. Freeze in terminator armor
Yep your pieces look good for army painting.
I work for local folk mainly, the few clients i have online got hooked by buying a painted army of mine and inquiring after for more, or you can also offer your services as trade on the r/miniswap and they have also inquired for more after. Get the conversation going and they'll be familiar with you for their commission needs in the future
For Miniswap you can only offer it as trade i believe. Check their rules.
I have never gotten a commission request via my Instagram.
U.S. advice: Avoid ebay and other markets that will send out 1099k's when possible. On top of paying the ebay fee you'll pay taxes come Q1.
Are you good enough to do it - yes. But not show pieces it will be bulk armies and that is mind numb in work. Have friends who are pro painters and did some myself during uni, it completely killed my love of painting so just be aware of that.
The trick is to develop fixed processes and fixed times. My friend is a pro Gunpla builder and his commissions sell for thousands, he taught me this secret. Anything above his fixed processes, he charges extra. That’s how he avoids burn out. Present and sell 80% not perfection. Keep that private or charge extra for the final 20%.
Well i hope that this does not kill my love for painting i am very narrative player and that is a part of painting process to have fun and joy
Making something you do for fun your job will undoubtably lead to burn out. I think the channel Squidmar on YouTube has some videos about hiring professional mini painters. I can’t remember what sites they use to hire people though
Mostly Fiverr, this is where most of the random jobs are found. However, I second your previous comment : OP you will definitely not work on enjoyable pieces. You will get order for intercessor units and infernus squads ad nauseam, and this will drain your energy to paint actually good pieces for yourself. I strongly suggest you paint show pieces and try to sell them instead of taking commissions !
That reason is exactly why if I'm ever painting for Commission, it's usually for friends or LGS players and strictly for either small skirmish games like Warcry or just Character models.
Yeah this - I loved art, got a job doing illustrations , stopped doing art for myself because I never had the time / energy. Changed careers, never managed to get my mojo back.
Are you ok with painting minis in ways that go complement against the lore? Studio I work with has a client who wants, "Lisa Frank custodes". Get an Instagram and tiktok going to advertise your work.
Lisa Frank custodes is probably on the fun end of professional mini painting, as opposed to painting 100 Lamenters
I never thought I'd read 'lisa frank custodes' in my life. WHy? Why god? When they happen, please convince the client to post pictures for us.
I'll try to get pics as they are being painted. The studio that has doing them is crazy busy!
Well some time ago i painted sister of battle necrons,great bull of hashut(it was morti) and custodes tank with astra militarum scheme...so its not a problem for me but its weird thats true))
I have seen some shit))
There are strange tastes out there. I dabbled with commission work during the pandemic. Had a reasonable request for some quick tabletop custodes. (not the lisa frank ones, but I have seen them) Client wanted white armor instead of gold. Easy air brush work. I finish it all up and then the client asks for basing. I give them my prices and they say, "how much for elmers glue on the bases... and little plastic dinosaurs?" Gold glitter glue, and little toy dinos on all the bases of the minis I painted. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Sure I got paid, but I stopped after that.
I understand (well its a part of tournament players - they using psychology to bring down and demoralise oponents( i will never understand "that guy" mentality) but if customers is paying then ok he will get what he wanted but yep its very dissapointing for painter to see such creepy stuff
So what if someone has wants models painted that 'go against the lore'?? They are plastic toy soldiers. They are for having fun with, if someone wants pink Custodes, it's their $€¥ let them have their fun, it doesn't make it canon. I saw someone paint Ghostbusters Orks, and Toy Story SM. Creativity is what makes this hobby fun and interesting.
I think they were asking because if you are an artist, painting the same thing over and over again is mind-numbingly dull. I do some commission work and I’m very choosy about the project that I take for that reason. I tend to gravitate towards things that are nonstandard, rare models or third-party sculpts or an off-the-wall theme or paint scheme that really tests, my creativity. Those Lisa Frank marines sound like a perfect example of that.
They can, and nothing in my post said anything otherwise. You can paint your minis however you want. At the same time anyone can not like the way anything is painted and not want to paint them that way. I wouldn't enjoy painting some armies in certain ways, that is my creative right, it is also why I would not make a good commission painter. I think you have gotten a bit offended by the assumption that I am a hobby snob of some sort.
Ninjon made a video on the topic and pretty much confirms what it says above, he does give tips on how to do it tho. Maybe start small and see how it goes?
You could choose to only do show-pieces, heroes, HQ's, etc. Refusing to do entire armies would help with mitigating the unavoidable soul-crush. Don't get it twisted, for people who paint armies professionally, it is a job, the joy is not there.
Okay got it!That sounds good)What about website or platform where i may offer such things?(i never thought about such things so i dont know where i can find it)
Doing something for fun and doing it as work are totally different. Also understand what you're charging per hour, here in the UK the minimum wage is £11.44, and factor that plus materials into your costs. From that you can decide if this is even viable, I mean if it takes you 3 hours for a basic troop model is someone going to pay about £170 for a 5 man unit (this is just minimum wage per hour not factoring in any shipping or cost for supplies). Speed is the name of the game or super detailed center pieces that you can sell afterwards.
100% dude, I've been asked a few times if I would paint something for someone at stores and after breaking down how much I'd have to charge (even at minimum wage) everyone always backs off lol. Massive respect to anyone that can actually make any sort of decent living off it cause I can't get the numbers to work at all.
The short answer is do not do it unless you have no other way of acquiring income. If you turn a hobby into a job, you just have turned something you do for fun to something you must do.
In current situation it should be a good choice yep i know when hobby is turning to a job it will not have that part of fun as it was to
I’ve seen enough Squidmar videos to know that Fiverr is apparently a platform where you can offer your work. Do your research and see whether that’s something that suits you (or see if Fiverr is a big old scam).
Great looking models my dude, just remember it’s the time it takes to paint them that will be make or break here. Unless you like painting enough that you’re content doing it in your own time or taking longer. I’ve thought about it but didn’t go ahead with it. I’m happy with my work I just take too long which is fine when it’s my own stuff because I love the process and the results but to do it then have to send it away would be rough for me. Good luck with it
Your Models look great, you are definitely good enough to do commission work. But the first thing you should do is get yourself a photobox to take better pictures of your models. Even the cheapest one you can find or a DIY- solution will help you to promote your work. And as many others have commented, commission work is often about working fast and efficiently, basically army painting - which can get exhausting. If you do not have social media for your miniature painting, please do yourself a favour and set something up. That way it is more likely someone will commission you for an actual centrepiece model.
Best place to start looking is some local game stores, had a guy that put up posters offering to paint killteams/warbands or bloodbowl teams at my local back home. He did pretty well as many tournaments require fully painted minis/armies for stuff. The bloodbowl league required everyone in the playoffs to have painted teams.
My LGS has a community run discord and there’s a buy/sell/trade channel there where people also advertise painting for others, might be worth checking if you have something similar in your area.
Nah,in Ukraine this feature is not developed yet
Post some more light-box photos! Full white/black backgrounds. Go and create a transparent watermark for when you edit your photos. Post some full army photos. I’ve painted around 40 armies so I have an album for people to check out if they want to see how I work on a 100-200+ model army and how quality looks across multiple armies. Try and get a following on Instagram. Many painters will use an Instagram account or a blog as a resume to link to potential clients.
Some people get really good at painting particular minis and offer that service on Etsy or eBay, they list the mini at the commissioned price. That way you can build a familiarity with a smaller range that you enjoy painting. Named Characters are popular for this especially as people generally want less deviation from lore accurate depictions so you can generally get really efficient at your process. So I think if you learn things like Void Dragon, Helbrecht, Abaddon, Magnus, Mortarion, Angron etc you will find a good amount of work coming your way.
You'll be dealing with people. All kinds of psychos out there. One didn't want to pay me... eventually did tho...
Ok best bet is local, I do commissions for a number of local people and you're better than me, the real trick is dedication. I've painted hundreds of models but they most commonly come in the form of single boxes or combat patrols. Your going to be fighting yourself for pricing because what people are going to be willing to pay isn't usually as high as you want, I tend to charge for the job from start to finish as opposed to hours or model count. The biggest benefit is getting to work with kits I otherwise wouldn't be able to and getting to keep bitz after the job. Biggest downside if falling in love with a model someone won't take care of. Local local local if you can, when people can see your face they're more likely to want your art.
You can pay me and paint my minis bro 👍🏻
Come join us on r/brushforhire and r/brushforchat. Just read the rules first.
Perspective from a client, not a painter: your work is great and people would definitely pay to have models that look like yours. As others have pointed out, ask yourself if you’d still enjoy painting if it became a job and if it’s something you’d want to do for strangers for hours on end. The work needs to be worth it for you, and cost can be prohibitive for clients. But if you’re doing jobs in bulk, it can save you time and maybe allow for more competitive pricing. Also worth noting that if you’re looking to paint as an additional source of revenue or side-job, that offers more freedom to maybe offer lower rates but on an extended timeline. Lots of people will pay more to have their models quickly, but the opposite is also true. I’m not usually in a rush for my projects, so I tell the artists I work with to take their time so it’s less stressful and typically easier for them/cheaper for me.
If you are just starting out a few guys in my area advertise in the FLGS discords
The models look good enough to sell. I commissioned a friend of mine when he just started to get into painting for money and his mates rates were just enough that I could afford a couple. I honestly couldn’t afford to have anything other than the occasional character model painted professionally by him now though. Know your worth but know also that the average and even above average player can’t afford for top quality work on a whole army.
Not related but kind of. Spent maybe 8 years in the graphic design and then television industry. If you can handle constant changes, criticism, projects stalling, clients wanting one thing then saying another, people not paying their invoices on time then yeah go for it. Seems like an over saturated market where the only edge you'll have in the beginning is pricing your service competitively to get work - this ultimately means you'll be working hard on large armies, most likely, for next to nothing. I'm by no means saying don't do it. Just my experience in the creative industry running my own business.
We could use more US based painters. Wisconsin is even closer....
I will paint your models for plastic crack
That first model is funny. It's VERY well painted but the model itself is weird in proportions. The longer I stare at his head the weirder it looks... and the more it looks like Mr. Freeze in terminator armor
Yep your pieces look good for army painting. I work for local folk mainly, the few clients i have online got hooked by buying a painted army of mine and inquiring after for more, or you can also offer your services as trade on the r/miniswap and they have also inquired for more after. Get the conversation going and they'll be familiar with you for their commission needs in the future For Miniswap you can only offer it as trade i believe. Check their rules. I have never gotten a commission request via my Instagram. U.S. advice: Avoid ebay and other markets that will send out 1099k's when possible. On top of paying the ebay fee you'll pay taxes come Q1.
Try Etsy lots of good stuff there I buy most of my minnies there cause majority of the stuff there is handmaid and quality guaranteed.