Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I am relatively new to the hobby but I have found that I really enjoy the painting part and less so the playing part (not to say I don't enjoy it but I only have one person to play with so it is not reliable). As a college student I am, generally, looking for ways to get money especially to fund me buying models, paints, brushes, etc. Is there generally a "correct" or recommended way to go about being paid to paint other people's models?

Photos, photos, photos.
That's all there is to it. Your online presence is your shop window. After that you just need contact details.

However, to stand any chance of being successful you need to be neat and fast.

I networked with local shop owners, brought in minis I'd painted and left pricing/scheduling info. I'm fortunate in that there's been a surge of interest in 40k in my area, and there don't seem to be any other local artists for hire.

If you're new, I recommend being honest with potential clients about your skill level. Some people want their minis to look amazing with shading and effects, and some just want table top quality (generally 3 colors).

Agreed. Post your work and self promote.
Keep in mind though, many people expect top notch work for their money. To many, their money and time are very valuable. For the most part, only people with no time and a fair bit of expendable income will succumb to paint services, otherwise they paint themselves. With this in mind, know where your talents and painting skills are, use them, and charge fairly. Nothing worse than saying "pro painted" and charging 15$+ for what a 10 year old can do.

Pretty much what everybody else said. The more and better you market yourself, the better you will do. It will also help if you paint well and paint quickly.

I'm about to start painting full-time (starting in February). When I started out there's no way I could have done it, but over the past several years I've made an effort to get my name out there with my YouTube channel, on various forums, by creating a website, and any number of social networking channels. The marketing is a lot of work but the more you do the more it pays off.

Is there a market for people, like me, who are really more interested in painting small amounts of miniatures (such as HQ's) as opposed to lots of troops?

There's a market for anything if you're good enough. Post pictures of painted models, look at other commission painters to get an idea of what prices should be for the quality of work you do, and try and seek out folks. What I did back in the day was set up a commission painting thread and if I saw somebody mention somewhere that they wanted painting done I'd PM them. I don't do it anymore since the time vs. money ratio is usually pretty heinous, and my painting was suffering once I figured out that I was doing it for $3/hour.

ojiarichards wrote:
Is there a market for people, like me, who are really more interested in painting small amounts of miniatures (such as HQ's) as opposed to lots of troops?

Depends on how talented you are.

A lot of the well-known, award winning painters typically don't do armies, they do single miniatures that can pour hours and hours in to.

If you just chat up strangers in your FLGS and show people pictures of models you've painted on your phone, there will be interest.

I get at least a half dozen people a year who ask if I'd paint a miniature/squad/army for them just because I often show pics of my models in conversation, or happen to have some miniatures on me. Sadly, I decline because there's just no way I could make even a tenth of my salary by painting (or... hundredth? thousandth?! I'm not that fast a painter, lol). Besides, I don't want it to turn into a job. I got me one of those

There is some "reasonable" money in it though, if your skills are decent and you're fast.

I should add, the *quality* of the photographs are pretty important. A badly photographed model just won't cut it.