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Single Wolf Guard Terminator i finished Recently, at Level 2

I can barely make out those pictures they're so dark.

Hate to say but if that's your level 2 then I dread what your level 1 is like.
Clunky highlights, no attempt at colour transitions and 1 foot a completely different blue to the other..?

Actually a bit confused as to why you posted these images when you seem to have some decently painted models on your facebook page...unless ofc it's all a trick and you're testing the Dakka forums to see if we're all "nice"

Maybe it's a test of 'does it look ok at a distance... in the dark... with my glasses off'?

I don't understand why you'd show this as a supposed pro, personal piece or not.

Once again a bit sloppy. Sorry but, you're going to get a bit more criticized showing these as commission painter. Your bases aren't even done.

Going to have to agree with a lot of the other posts in this thread. Just owning an airbrush does not automatically make you a commission painter. You've got a long way to go before you can get there. Read up on techniques, practice a lot, and put a lot more patience into your models. Get a few hundred good models out of the way, and come back and amaze us then.

Actually that is where you are wrong, i have been a commission painter for 2 years now, been doing commissions for plenty of people, work with White Metal Games. I am a commission painter, but if you dont' like my work thats fine, i have plenty of other people who message me about commissions and plenty of people who i provide my services to who enjoy my work and come back to me. Granted im still new with an airbrush only been using it for a year now so my skills are not quite up there like the pros yet, so you got me there lol.

You need to up your game, seriously.

It is very much worth cultivating a positive image when posting your work anywhere. This means taking feedback on the chin, and generally presenting your best work at all times.

This does NOT necessarily mean competition worthy finish - lower end work has its place (and price) IF YOU PROVIDE CONTEXT.

There's that famous triangle - quality, speed, price. People want to know where your service sits. Some folks need 1000 pts of stuff painting in short order for a tourny and as long as it's '3 colours min and based' they're not too fussed by the finish. Some folks hand you a pile of resin and say 'go crazy, I've got this budget'.

Over the years, I found that most of my enquiries and clients come looking for what I call 'high end tabletop'. It's not competition worthy, but it's equally at home under the display lamps or on the table. Acceptable (ie takeup is sufficient to be working enough hours) turnaround and pricing for that standard rolls at about 10-15 figures a (35-45 hour) week at around £25-£40 each. A good 75% of my work is churning out stuff at that level, with the remainder being to higher standards or involving more detail than 'normal'. I actually find it very difficult to work below that level, which limits me a bit. It's just as hard to 'dial back' as it is to push the quality up.

I've had to go digging to find that a 'level 2 HQ' (lets assume that's what this is) runs $25-$45 from sprue.

I think this is not up to par for that pricing at normal turnaround times, mate. Pretty far from it. The only way I can see this sort of level shifting at that sort of price is if the deadline demand is there. That means you need to be demonstrably fast, and your selling point is the speed, not the quality.

This said, what you do, should still be done well. Achieving similar results with simpler, faster methods is pretty much the mantra of commission painters. We're not doing this for fun, we're doing this for cash.

If you're airbrushing, do so cleanly, neatly. Finish edges by hand. Clean up overspray. Den of Imagination do this extremely well, for reference.

If you're edge highlighting, make them consistent (not necessarily super thin, it's inconsistency that draws the eye).

If you're doing/offering OSL, do it well - don't just spray vaguely in the area of the light with one colour then again with white.

A year with an airbrush is more than sufficient time to understand how to use it and avoid runs / spatter, and where hand finishing is required.

Layer by hand cleanly and smoothly (where appropriate). Thick clunky paint is not attractive, and won't help good results.

I notice a change of business name, but no real explanation of why. Either remove all previous references or explain this. There are only a few reasons to change an established name, and most of them aren't going to fill your customers with confidence.

Fix the logo, or remove it. Anything that shows poor attention to detail (from spelling to capitalisation to grammar in posts) is not going to help you.

If I wasn't clear - mention your timing. For this sort of finish, it's definitely the timing that you're selling.

To be fair, winter has pretty much summed it up.
The fact that your advertising a painting service will make people look at it a lot more harshly than if it's a model you painted for yourself.

I feel the key points of basic painting have been missed, which is what causes the issues here.
Paints need thinning, thick paint is easily noticeable.

Painting within the lines is the most essential thing going.
That will be the first thing people notice about a model and it will lead the the main body of criticism.
No level of commission painting should be consistently painting outside of the lines.

I feel it's another case of commission painting just because you own an airbrush.
As winter said, a year is more than enough time to get the basics of using one.
That is however, only if you want to improve with it.


Personally?
I'd go through some youtube videos and pick up the basic essential points of using an airbrush.
Just owning one and using it a few times teaches you very little in how to use it effectively.


Last point and a very big one, photography.
Your pictures need to be fully visible to people if your showing them off.
A black background that's bled into the model makes it almost impossible to see.
This also picks out key areas like the foot, that is a completely different colour altogether from the rest of the model.

If your advertising a painting service, people will want to see your work.
Blurry or dark photos are really no good for this atall.




I think honestly (without trying to sound rude or harsh) you need to revisit the basics in painting again, as it's those that are letting you down.

I think your photography is letting you down.

I'm not a commission painter (or even a good painter!) so I'm speaking from limited experience. I would say that if you price your work appropriately and people know what they're getting, that's a big thing.

If you were advertising as offering a much higher quality than you were actually producing, that would lead to some real issues.

I would mirror what the others have said in that improving basic skills is never a bad thing and will only help you gain more clients.

Completely unrelated to the paintwork itself...perhaps consider spending a few minutes to make a genuine logo (instead of some shapes and text from Microsoft Paint). I know it sounds silly, but an icon like that would put me off immediately - doesn't indicate professionalism on any level.

Guys, you are wasting your time. He is a "local" and NC gamers and commission painters have given him advice - none of it really seems to have been taken. Not sure he listens, so much as just spams his work and hopes for the best.

winterdyne nailed it though, for those who are looking for advice in the business. Spot on!

From what I can see of the model, its pretty poorly done, but really the only thing that I /can/ see is his mismatched foot.

Everyone here has given awesome advice. This forum is very tough on commission painters, but I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing.

The reason people post in P&M Showcase is for criticism, and everyone has provided great criticism, so take it to heart and attempt to improve, instead of using anecdotal evidence and "" faces as a defense

Omg guys this is just getting brutal it is like looking at a gang beating. The poor guy is trying to get easy commissions if someone likes it, good if not oh well he will put more into it. But at this point it is not even beating a dead horse it is beating the ground where the dead horse was.

He left it so dark for a reason, let's just leave it at needs work and move on.