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Hey guys so I think my painting skills are high tabletop quality at least and I want to start offering commission.

As I'm currently an apprentice and here in Britain the pay is terrible, so subsidising my income would be beneficial, just wondered if you had any advice for someone looking to get into this kind of "business".

If it helps have a browse in my dakka gallery:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-48521-19883_Crys%27%20Gallery.html

i would say its just like any other form of artwork. you would need a portfolio, and someone willing to pay you to do it to start.

There are usually a lot of opportunities locally to do some commission work. I know at my FLGS they have a dispaly case (good for the store) where people can showcase their models and leave a note to contact people for commission work (also good for you!).

I would get some pieces setup with the level of detail you are interested in and do some painting. It also helps to be visible, and if you are working on a commission army (or your army) during normal gaming time there is a good chance someone will approach you to ask about your work, look at it and maybe have an HQ or special model done.

From the Dakka pictures I think you could definitely do commission work, the real question is whether you can keep a good standard of painting while moving at a fast enough rate to make it worth the money (an airbrush helps in that category!)

Ebay is a good place to sell painted miniatures and can lead into commission work.

I think the first thing you need to do is get a better photography setup so you can really make your models stand out. It doesnt have to cost very much money to do this

calypso2ts wrote:From the Dakka pictures I think you could definitely do commission work, the real question is whether you can keep a good standard of painting while moving at a fast enough rate to make it worth the money (an airbrush helps in that category!)

This, right here, is the kicker. I'd suggest starting small, working locally on a single model basis, perhaps vehicles and single squads to build up a bit of credibility and a small customer/reference base without overloading yourself. This will also give you a better sense of your speed:quality ratio, pricing scheme, maximum workload/ability to meet deadlines, etc. Unless you think you can really go big (and, even, then, I'd suggest starting small), I wouldn't wager on your earnings supporting much beyond this hobby, itself.

There's no rule saying you can't just sell the odd model you bought for the sake of painting, perhaps taking the odd request, every now and again. Sometimes, focusing too much on setting things up like a real business can be a detriment. Test the waters gingerly and you're guaranteed not to drown (as so many others have, sadly).

You could also try different models like orks, eldar and various races from fantasy.

If you are planning on working online, you need a better photography setup. You need some more models for your portfolio as well. Those 3 models are nice, but how long did they take you and how much did they cost to make? If you can produce a steady supply of similar quality I'd say you can do tabletop commissions, but you'll find your best success at your local store, showing off minis, networking during events and so on. I do commissions but I had no plan on doing them, I just met people and brought some minis to local events and it sort of picked itself up.