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I noticed this little bad boy and had to show my fellow dakkites.Pro painted? I don't think so,if it is then i should be working for eavy metal.
Has anyone else had a similar experiance?
I'm not trashing the guys painting standard im just saying Pro Painted Hell No.

Link removed by insaniak

Yeah, pro painted is not a description I would ever trust unless it was from a well established commission painting service.

But does it really matter? If you think you can strip or touch up a model you want, who cares how it is described? Most people will judge a model from the picture, rather than a description of its paint job anyway.

True enough silver.If you didn't know much about painting and were buying a gift for someone else(I.e my wife for me)then this could cause a bit of disappointment.

While discussion of the use of the 'pro-painted' tag is fine, please avoid singling out particular people's work.


On topic - while the term is over-used, ultimately 'Pro-painted' simply means that the miniature was painted by someone who paints miniatures for money. It's not an indication of any particular level of quality... that's what the pictures are for.

Like anything sold online, you have to be subjective, analytical and critical. Never take anything on face value. If you were buying a car or a house, you wouldn't take the salesman's word at face value; the same really applies to any facet of transaction.

Show me the Paint Fax

Even if the term "pro-painted" refers just that someone paints for money. In wargamong context it is also indicates a certain standard. In the end the misuse of the terminology preys upon those not fully in the know and does the painter a disservice. I mean your product won't move if it's priced at pro-level and painted at table top quality.

Wumby wrote:
In wargamong context it is also indicates a certain standard.

It really doesn't. People misinterpret it, but that doesn't change what it actually means.


And even if you do take it to mean 'painted to a high standard' that standard is going to be different for everyone. I've seen small gaming groups wowed by paintjobs by that 'one guy' in the group who is a better painter then the rest, when in reality it's a fairly bog-standard paintjob. And I've seen gamers dismiss 'Eavy Metal and Golden Demon winning paintjobs as crap.

It's all subjective. No matter how you try to limit the use of the term, the moment you try to impose arbitrary limits on when someone is allowed to call their work 'good' someone is going to disagree with where you draw that line.

Calling your work 'pro-painted' when it isn't very good does nothing more than show people that your work isn't very good.

Insaniak's 100% right. There's a fella here locally that paints on commission. I personally think his paintjobs are pretty weak (though I'm no expert myself). That being said, he is being paid for his work, and so they are, technically professionally painted i.e. pro-painted.

Sorry guys, but you're wrong in this case. To say that something is "professionally painted" indicates a certain level of skill. This is not a matter of "subjectivity" or money exchanging hand. And yes, you can argue out your bunghole if you'd like. But the reality is that this is not technical terminology. There is a standard to be expected of anyone claiming their work to be of a professional level of quality. Otherwise I could claim my own paint jobs a such just cause a friend gave me a few bucks to prime, wash and dry some of his extras for a little brother. If you'd care for an example, wander on into a skilled craft shop, not of your own skills, and claim yourself to be a professional because your friend paid you to do work of their nature at his house.

i put pro painted on my listings to attract people to the list and give very good pictures. I am by no means a pro but it does help to say pro painted.

Claiming that something is pro painted doesnt make the world end, puppies whine or children cry.

IMO there are no pro painters just peope who paint either in exchange for goods or services or not.

I've seen some people claim something was pro-painted because they had used Reaper's old Pro paints.

Use your eyes... every time. Everything is pro-painted, it is an automatic add on ebay now, regardless of painting quality.

 purplkrush wrote:
Sorry guys, but you're wrong in this case. To say that something is "professionally painted" indicates a certain level of skill. This is not a matter of "subjectivity" or money exchanging hand.

There are two core definitions of the term 'professional'... One of them relates to the quality of the work. The other simply relates to whether or not the work was done as a means of making money.

Otherwise I could claim my own paint jobs a such just cause a friend gave me a few bucks to prime, wash and dry some of his extras for a little brother.

And if you earnt more doing that than through any other work you do, that would be correct.

On a vaguely related note, it turns out you can also call yourself a 'published author' if you scrawl a poem on a napkin and give it to someone. Who knew?