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I've done some commission painting and I think my work is under charged for what i'm doing.I'd like to be charging more but I'm not a gold demon painter, But i think I'm ok.
So have a look at theses and I'm just wanting to know what you'll pay for them...


Just the cost for painting, not The conversion work . Don't think about Postage... This is not a factor as I wouldn't be posting world wide.. only local in NZ

I'm basically trying to get an understanding on what Dakka would pay, sort of justifing the new price I want to charge. And if you could give the price in your currency and Convert it to NZ dollars for me that would be great as This would help me.. and others not to get confused.. I'm sure You guys get sick of the "once a month thread """"OMG the price has gone up!!! === dude check the country=== US poor NZ and OZ guys

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

Cheers Guys, Please NO slamming other painters/commission workers out there , use them as a comparison sure . this is just for me..

Bluntly, you'll get less than retail if selling those.

In terms of pick-up commissions, it'd be an insulting rate- probably no more than maybe £2 per model

You need to do cleaner work and better photography. A gradient backdrop helps hugely in achieving a professional look, as does finishing bases on everything you show.

The rate people are willing to pay is pretty much an exponential curve based on quality, with the general 'business' seeming to be a bell curve centred on GW cabinet (studio army) level sort of quality. Once you hit GW cabinet level (basic studio army) level in the UK at least it seems to be around £7.50-£15 per model (assume around 1 - 2 hours per model, depending on what they are), with reasonably steady flow of work at that rate (that is enough to run full time if your reputation and visibility in the marketplace is reasonable). Below that the flow of work actually diminishes as people generally think they can do better. Larger batch bookings (big regiments, armies) usually need a lower price point to be attractive, so your batch painting skills need to be bang on to make it worthwhile.

I should probably gather data to verify this, but the above is my impression after a few years in the business.

thank you... That's a great start..
(I wont bite. ..)
If you would like to give me some advice on how to improve I'll love to here it. cheers guys

Cleaner work starts with the basecoats; concentrate on being 'in the lines' - there's a few places (wing on the sword) where you've slipped. Try not using washes, and instead use a darker basecoat and work up from there with nice, smooth layers. Your basecoats should be very 'flat' blocks of colour - if it takes a few applications to do it then so be it - it saves a hell of a lot of time later as highlight layers can be more translucent (and so more easily managed).

Once you've got that down pat, you can then start to use a lighter basecoat and wash back. Direct the wash into the recess, do NOT splosh wash (there are really very few places where that actually works to save you any time -very weathered metals and sometimes flesh are about it). You're looking for a clean application here - no pool marks! Then layer up as you did before.

When painting details, 'keylining' is a good technique. The principle is you paint the detail very dark (usually black or dark brown) before you then paint it carefully with it's correct base colour (brown or bronze for gold for example). The result is a very thin, very sharp line around it which helps it pop. Sometimes you can get away with putting a directed wash around the detail, but you run the risk of pooling, and on the more 'stand out' bits, it tends to leave you with a visible 'side' of the original colour.

to balance some of the criticism, you've painted some parts nicely. But, as mentioned, simply adding black wash to white cloth won't work - there are lots of tutorials on how to do it.

Also, decent photography would make a big difference. And if you're photographing your best pieces, finish the bases, as they make a big difference to the overall 'look'. Oh, and drill out those gun barrels!

Brutal honesty: I wouldn't pay you for your work. I wouldn't want to play with models that were painted worse than my own.

That being said I don't think they're terrible. What I would recommend you do is follow a lot of painting tutorials and try new things. You'll level up your game with exceptional speed.

A handy strategy is to offer to paint peoples models at your local game store. Offer to paint for people who can't paint as well as you can and then try to learn on their models. This way you can build your game and your portfolio on different kinds of models.

Look for constructive criticism on your models, post a blog, and most importantly keep on producing.

Your work would be fine to do for your mates and other locals and get a bit of cash for your time imo but as mentioned above it wouldn't be heaps. If you enjoy painting and are happy to use it as a way to improve your (decent) skills, by selling your time a little cheaply to people that want painted models but don't want to do it and don't want to pay a lot, would work well.

I much rather practice on slack friends models than my own ; p