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I'll apologize in advance if this is the wrong place to post this, and kindly ask a mod to move it to the correct location if it is.

I'm looking for opinions on different painting services people may have used. I just don't have the time to get any of my models completed, and would rather pay someone to complete them than to use unpainted models for all eternity. Really just any thoughts on different companies that are out there and which I should avoid.

Thanks in advance

Why not look in the swap shop thread? Lots of services listed in there. Otherwise if you've someone specific in mind just ask about them, someone might chime in with a brief review.

There's too many services about to ask 'who've you used, and were they good', really. Also check the showcase threads, most services that hang around here post their work in there.

Edit: And Toadpainter's thread's right at the top of the showcase at the moment. He / she / they / it have been going a while and from the looks of things they do very nice work.

I figured it was a pretty vague question. I've just gotten a little paranoid by seeing all the horror stories people have had with commissions. I figure it's kind of the same thing regarding something like buying a car in that there's a lot of good stuff to come out, and you just never hear about it

Unhappy customers make more noise than happy ones, that's true.

There are a few things to remember to get a good, reliable commission job done:

1) Think about the time it takes to paint a model to the standard you're asking. Mulptiply that by minimum wage to get a ballpark figure for what's sensible.

2) Beware of places that underquote for either time or cost. Either of these indicate that the commission business is not an actual business, but probably a sideline. It is common for students / otherwise unemployed folks to take on commissions while at school / college or on the scratch. These are often the lowball quotes, and are often the services that disappear after a short while. These might be fine for a quick job (couple of units, characters etc) but if you're looking at a 6 month turnaround 3,000 point army, you might want to think about a service that's got some history (see below).

3) If you're unsure, don't book a large job. Get a single character or smallish unit done first. Do not expect free samples - most places worth their salt won't have time to waste doing stuff like that.

4) Don't pay everything before work starts. Most decent places take a partial deposit and the remainder on completion, before shipping.

5) Look for history. Places that have been doing commissions for years (and posting for years) are more reliable than places that stick up pictures but only have a short posting history. These places will usually all have prices in the same sort of ballpark. I'm not sure *how* things even out, as we don't really discuss or fix pricing amongst ourselves, but they seemingly do, I'm told. Most probably this is a factor of guideline 1 and being pretty quick.

6) Ensure you have a recordable log of what's been agreed. This forms your defacto contract with the painter. Saved email chains are better than forum PM's. Do not make any agreements over the phone. Like any business, be wary of free email services like hotmail, gmail, yahoo etc. (the business hasn't got it's own registered domain - why?).

Edit: Last thing, go for the very best you can stretch to, financially. Lower end work still takes a lot of time, and the better work is worth pushing for. It's one thing to say I spent 'X hundred / thousand dollars on this job, and meh, it's OK, but if I sold it it'd be stripped', and another to say you spent twice that and got a job that most people won't be able to match and that you actually have a chance of reselling.

Always bear in mind, few (if any) commission painters do it on a full-time basis.

Commission painting doesn't pay the bills. Its really that simple. People do it to make some extra money while doing something they enjoy. And if their real job demands overtime, well, the painting goes on the back burner.

So sometimes things take longer than expected.

Studios i can recommend

Awaken realms
Buypainted

Both have Homepages and are very popular.
Big Studios i Would avoid are thirdeyenuke ( very unfriendly and arrogant contact) and demonforge

I fully understand what that's like. Since being shuffled into a management position at work I've had next to no time to get any modelling in, and even when I do I'm usually burnt out and just sit around exhausted. I guess my expectations could be compared to getting work done on a car. If you want things done properly it takes a lot of time and money. I'd rather pay a company a decent chunk of money and wait to get things done properly and well

Ask around at your FLGS, too. You have the possibility of meeting someone local, which saves you the potential costs and hazards of shipping, and you might find a play partner. Plus, they might pass on some discount they get at their store to you (if they buy a lot of stuff, this may be the case).

If I still frequented a gaming store I would. The only store around me is full of either whiny kids or entitled adults. Last time I was there I was talked down to because I was running foot guard instead of the then popular mechvets. Boasted about how I'd lose because of how much money he'd thrown at the game up until I wiped the table of his army. Haven't been back since as most other long time hobbyists have had the same problem. But I suppose I could call in and see what's what on their board