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I was hoping to get an honest yet objective opinion from you all. Here's the story. I have a friend at my FLGS who spends a lot of money on the hobby. He buys $1000s of models and doesn't open or build most of them. Recently I have had a lot of compliments on my painting from multiple people at the FLGS. I am a married father of two with little to no wiggle room financially to buy more models for my army even after 90 hr weeks. Now don't think I'm complaining about that I'm just lamenting the fact that I can't buy the little plastic men I want due to life priorities. I offered to paint my friend's death guard army in exchange for models that he has and said he won't use. Problem is I feel I've gotten in over my head and want to approach the subject of renegotiating our agreement. We are friends but not super close if that matters,
He wants me to paint 60+ pox walkers, 30+ plague marines, 4 bloat drones, 10 Hq units including typhus, and a plague burst crawler. And that's just from memory.
In trade he gave me two redemptor dreads NIB, 15 scouts, 15+ custodians and 15+ sisters silence from box set, deathwatch team Cassius, 8 marine bikers, and a corvus black star,primaries hover tank, two storm talons on sprue,and a few Marine HQs.

I've been painting to what people and I consider a nice tabletop miniature. More colors then tournament requirement but not professional grade. From all the painting service websites I checked out I should be charging about $10 for each poxwalker and about $12-14 per plague marine. More for the hq units. After tallying the cost comparison his trade is generous but not what it would cost him to pay a painting service for the same job. My time is limited and I'm moving as quickly as I can while trying to make models look good.
Do you guys think I should renegotiate? I was not expecting the quantity of models he has asked me to paint. Although to be honest I didn't think he would offer to trade as many models as he did.
I included some example pictures. As usual the models look better in person. I'm not a photographer.

Look at it this way, if the outlay of time on your part is acceptable and the return being offered works for you personally then I believe you have your answer.

Perhaps sweeten the deal on your side by agreeing that your mate will provide the necessary materials to paint the minis e.g. paints, undercoat sprays, etc.

Also, and I am no comission painter, make darn sure you are both in full agreement with the brief i.e. colour schemes, basing, etc. You don't want to get in an argument over the finished product.

Also, use the project to publicise locally what you can do. If others like it you may get more requests where you could agree a cash payment instead of minis - see it as an opportunity for free advertising.

Just my 2p.

That's how I've been trying to look at it from the advertising end. I have been sending him update pictures and he like the scheme. He's a nice reasonable guy and has been patient so far.

Not a commission painter, so feel free to ignore.

Going by your pics, I think he'll be very happy (I know I would be!).

That said, this time I'd write it off to "lessons learned" and not try to renegotiate.
Yes, it may mean a bit of "resentment" on your part at the nominally unrewarded time invested, but you're still getting quite a nice haul.

If you can suck it up this one (first) time, I'd be inclined to.
Like NoiseMarine said, it could be the beginning of something beautiful (OK, he didn't quite put it that way ... but I stand by what I write ... mostly )

TheunlikelyGamer wrote:

I've been painting to what people and I consider a nice tabletop miniature. More colors then tournament requirement but not professional grade. From all the painting service websites I checked out I should be charging about $10 for each poxwalker and about $12-14 per plague marine. More for the hq units. After tallying the cost comparison his trade is generous but not what it would cost him to pay a painting service for the same job.

You're an untested commission painter, so you can't expect to charge professional rates on your first job. Also, consider that if you want to do further commission work, backing out or renegotiating a deal looks bad on you. Finish the commission, THEN negotiate harder on the next job, and admit that you lowballed it the first time due to inexperience.

Also, 90 hours of work a week? I hope that's hyperbole, because that's the level of overtime that leads to fatalities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi

I think you guys made a pretty fair trade for this first batch.

Next time you could establish a clear price per model/type and make an agreement, but don't hang too much on internet prices as it is very hard to compare the skills and time/products invested for each painter. Instead calculate your own time and expenses and base your price on that.

 John Prins wrote:

TheunlikelyGamer wrote:

Also, 90 hours of work a week? I hope that's hyperbole, because that's the level of overtime that leads to fatalities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi

No sir. I am a firefighter I work just shy of 60 hrs a week. Then I'm a paramedic at an Urgent care facility on my days off where I work 24 to 32 hrs a week. I need to make some changes but that's a different topic.

Thanks for all the input. I'll just keep plugging away and give them to him in batches. Then I'll reassess what my time is worth to me based on the quality of painting.

Ahhh, yes Americans and Fireman. They seriously don't pay you guys enough over there... I hear in some states you don't even get paid!

But I agree. You have done a promise and at any point during the deal you could have said no. The best thing to do now is just get through it and then maybe sell the models you get and don't want to buy models you do want. We have all had those models we seriously don't want to paint but have had to do it...

If it helps, think of this as practice on an extreme level. Take pictures and then use that for more commissions. Unprofessional commission painters normally charge $4-5 per model btw. I've had a few who painted a pretty epic HQ models for only $7.

For all you know this could be your calling! A chance to prove your skills to the world in order to kake some neat money on the side! Perhaps even one day you might make enough money to really make a difference.

TheunlikelyGamer wrote:

No sir. I am a firefighter I work just shy of 60 hrs a week. Then I'm a paramedic at an Urgent care facility on my days off where I work 24 to 32 hrs a week. I need to make some changes but that's a different topic.

Ah, okay, firefighter hours are an entirely different beast from so-called '9 to 5' professions.

Stick to the deal.

As mentioned, chalk this one up as a lesson learned. Stick with the deal as it is youre getting a pretty good deal and a ehole lot more than nothing.
Do a good job, and finish it out. Your friend playing games with them will help build your name in tour area and fingers crossed you'll get some others who like to play but hate to paint and are willing to either trade or pay you to do a good job on their forces.

This is your first time and a learning experience. Use the lessons you learn here and apply them in future. Remember it can take years to build a good reputation, but only a moment to destroy it.

Nice looking models!

Yourman will be happu.

You are getting a LOOT of cool models.
I would relax, take my time, and get er dun!

 John Prins wrote:


You're an untested commission painter, so you can't expect to charge professional rates on your first job. Also, consider that if you want to do further commission work, backing out or renegotiating a deal looks bad on you. Finish the commission, THEN negotiate harder on the next job, and admit that you lowballed it the first time due to inexperience.

100% this.

Think about it this way... you paint a mini... write down the time it took you, nib to complete. Materials your, tools, your cost per hour. Pen the total of that put it aside.

Then snap a good set of 15 to 30 photos, the most unflattering pics you can get. Put them into a slide show.

Wait a month or so, then pull up the photo gallery. Then critique the hell out of your own work. but not from the pov of you did it. From the pov that you are going to buy this minature. Write down the flaws or things you think could be better. Then write down how much would you pay for that minature.

Grab the original piece of paper and compare your critical self with your artistic self... you will find the real answer.

Edit:
As for the current agreement, leave it as is. You don't want to start with bad word of mouth.