A detailed account of my various commission/hobby projects.
Age of Sigmar – Some of the best designs for miniatures are coming out of the Age of Sigmar line, taking the property from a generic fantasy setting to something that reminds me more of the Masters of the Universe mis-mash of stuff.
Age of Sigmar – Barbarians at the gate, well rather Chaos Marauders reimagined into something cool. The old marauder kit is just plain ridiculous at this point. One can only hope that the Underworlds warbands are a test bed for a new direction on some of the old fantasy lines from Games Workshop.
This was a fun set to paint up, I opted to keep them relatively brown monotone as that’s the first thing I think of when I picture a barbarian.
Age of Sigmar – Warhammer Underworlds is a combination card/miniature game, my understanding is that the mechanics and cards were created to have a competitive game that would support events with a shorter play time, balanced factions, small model count and a smaller play area. Given that the game is onto it’s second season I’m guessing it was a hit. Regardless of how the game plays or how balanced it may or may not be the models are pretty amazing.
The first set to come across my table is the Tzeentch warband. I really like the avian design aesthetic that carries through all the new sculpts for the disciples of the god of sorcery. A beast man, some cultists, some horrors and a wizard make up this set.
Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar – I love having really great game stores in my area. The place I regularly play at has been doing a great job sending commission work my way. So when they needed a favor I was happy to help them out. Apparently they pick up random armies from people looking to get out of the hobby or to change games on a regular basis. Usually they can turn these around pretty quickly but sometimes they get a stinker.
Read MoreWarhammer Fantasy – One of my clients gave me a bunch of Warhammer Fantasy stuff to sell to cover the costs on his next army. One of these is a Brettonian force I painted back in 2004.
Read MoreRandom – Lately the number of inquires I've recieved about commission work has dramatically increased. Many of these questions have been about how to determine a price when doing commission work. So in an effort to answer these questions for the larger population, here's the basic principles I use when putting together a quote.
1. How much is your time worth? When considering doing "craft" projects that you intend to sell to others the first thing you need to consider is how much is your time worth. For the most part you're not going to make $16-$30 an hour painting models or building terrain. Even when painting to a Golden Daemon or Crystal Brush winning level the amount of time you put in usually won't equate to "real job" money. Most gamer's won't pay more to have a model painted then it cost them to purchase so keep that in mind when putting together a price. Also remember if you have a wife and kids or girlfriend your hobby time is probably limited. When I started this site I was between jobs and had much more time to build and paint stuff. Now my time is limited so it's important I enjoy every project I take on and be as efficient as possible so I'm not working for pennies an hour during my free time.
2. What are your material costs and how do you recoup them? Paint, primer, glue, sand all cost money. Good paint brushes and glue cost more. While it can take a while to burn through a pot of paint, you have to consider the costs when figuring your price. One thing I've instituted is buying new pots for army scale projects and billing them as a line item. Once you're done with the project your can give the remainder to your client in case they need touch up or add models they don't need or want you to paint.
Terrain Projects can get tricky as sometimes you use found materials and other times you need to buy foam and other raw materials. Most of the time you're going to buy in bulk and have a bunch of stuff you need to store. If you have limited room you might need to invest in space to store that stuff. Right now I'm not quite at that point but it's getting close.
3. What are your customers expectations? This is a big one. Some customers just want a three color minimum. While other might ask for table top quality expecting to be able to enter them in a juried contest. Managing those expectations and delivering as promised is huge. I've heard many horror stories from painters about unreasonable clients that make requests well beyond what the initial request was and then want to pay less because the quality is what was expected. On the flip side I've also heard numerous stories of painters that send over a quick shot of the base coated model only to have the client "love it and want to know how quick it will ship." That second one is rare but important to remember as some clients dont' want you best work. They just want some color on the models. Knowing this you can save yourself a ton of time.
4. How are you going to get it to the client? Nobody considers shipping costs. One more then one occasion I've had to deal with customers complaining about shipping, "DUDE the flat rate box is only $5, why does it cost $20 to ship to me in Antarctica? You're trying to RIP ME OFF!" You also see this all over several companies forums. The reality is shipping is expensive, foam and packing materials are expensive. Tracking and insuring packages is expensive. And even it you do everything right the post office, UPS or Fed Ex will inevitably screw up on a one-of-a-kind rare product. It happens, sending boxes across the country or world has risks. Most of the time it's not an issue but when it is will be the one time you didn't insure or track a package. C.Y.A.
While the post office and FedEx provide free boxes the packing material is not free. Even cheap foam is a $1-$5 a yard minimum. If you're shipping painted models wrap them in foam and pack them well. Otherwise it's likely to be damaged during shipping. For an order of several models you can quickly burn through a large amount of foam and tape. So figure in the cost of shipping and add a few dollars to cover packing materials otherwise it will eat into your already tight bottom line.
5. Don't get burned. When painting models this isn't as big a deal as if you don't get paid keep the model and resell it. So long as it's nothing to obscure you should be able to get at least 40-50% of the retail cost, more if you're willing to wait. But terrain projects are another beast entirely. Custom terrain is hard to sell once its built. Particularly if it's custom to specific client. After getting burned a few times I put forth a 50% nonrefundable deposit. That way if I have to go buy a bunch of supplies for a project I'm not going to be out of pocket if the client changes their mind or "is broke this month bro."
6. Be transparent. Have examples of your work and the various levels of quality and pricing tiers available. Put them out there for the work to see. Eventually people will start to connect with your work and ask about pricing. For example for a table top quality miniature from a skirmish game I typical charge by model size: 30mm - $8-$12; 40mm - $10-$15; 50mm - $15-$30. This gives a good starting point. But for an army level game it's unlikely you'll get that much per model. At this point most people want a "lower table top quality" which falls more in line with the 25mm- $2-$3, and goes up from there.
For terrain projects it helps to come up with some designs you can quickly replicate and make a bunch of them at once. Assembly lines are good for managing time and if you make something that can be used for several systems you diversify your client base. For example the swamps I sell in the online store I typically make 6-10 of them at a time. Since they use water effects it's better to mix a larger pot of it and pour all at once than to make small pot and have a bunch of waste. Having an existing stock also lets you focus on other projects and have a reference point for custom orders.
Being consistent helps you to manage your time and be able to quickly quote a price to a potential customer. I hope this answers any questions for aspiring painters and potential clients.
I've begun creating some new terrain pieces for my large table (4'x6'). While I have several city blocks built for this table, after a while it starts to get a bit boring using ruins every game. The terrain I've built for Malifaux works fine on the smaller tables, however when spread out on a larger table it tends to look a bit sparse.
I began by cutting green foam with a hot wire cutter. This is the easiest way to create rock formations that resemble something you'd see in the American west. Simply move the cutter in and out to create the striations in the rock face. Once these are cut and shaped, I mount them to MDF with wood glue.
To match the texture of the table I use a textured wallpaper as a base. This gives an interesting look without creating so much texture that models won't stand properly. Around the edges of the rock formations I used wood filler to createdebris piles where material would naturally collect. One the shape has been built up a give it a good coat of wood glue and cover it with a mixture of kitty litter and sand.
After that has dried overnight shake off the sand and use a dust whisk of soft bristly brush to knock off any loose material that didn't come off when you shook it.
I like to use Behr paint and primer for terrain projects. They can color match any of you model colors and have a good selection of the board. For desert terrain I like to use a terracotta color as a base. This can then be dry brushed with a light brown and cream to mimic the formations you find in the American west.
To finish off the project I like to apply some lichen and dead looking tall grass to areas that scrub may take hold. I use Tacky Glue or Super Glue for this. Either product with hold the material in place, but I've found that Super Glue dries faster and leads to better results for the tall grass. After everything is dry I spray it with Krylon Low Odor matte finish. This gives a durable coating that doesn't look glossy.
Finishing – It's important to me that my models be complete. You spend so much time painting and basing your models, why would you leave the bottom of the base plain? For me I use a compass cutter and some self stick felt to complete the base. Not only does this give your model a finished look, the felt will help to keep them in place on the battlefield.
Finishing – It's important to me that my models be complete. You spend so much time painting and basing your models, why would you leave the bottom of the base plain? For me I use a compass cutter and some self stick felt to complete the base. Not only does this give your model a finished look, the felt will help to keep them in place on the battlefield.
