Why yes. I am too good for your money.

I am told sometimes that I paint beautiful miniatures. Some people paint better than I do, and some do not. I paint what I feel like painting at the time in a way I want to paint right then. Many times this observation is followed up with a question. The question varies. It is usually asked indirectly. It boils down to the same question in essence however. "Will you paint my models?" My answer is almost always invariably no. The last few exceptions have been for charity or to help raise money for an individual in need.

My easiest to grasp reason for many that ask this question is I have too many projects. This is technically true. I have a metric hellaton of unpainted models I neglect every day. I have yet to see any evidence that these little creatures are going to colour themselves in. I have not given up hope that some day I will be visited by the Miniature Painting Fairy. I will simply have to slog on until she shows up.

The real reason is there is no money in it for me. Many people that ask me to paint their models are thinking of armies, and they want their armies to look really good on the table. They also want each and every model to be something to impress the people they play with. They want this for anywhere from $5-10 a model. There are the occasional few that might go upwards of $30 for a custom model, but they usually expect all the bells and whistles. By comparison, in 2001 I knew miniature painters making $10 a model simply for base coating models with no cleaning, gap filling, primer, or varnish. I at least did a bit of shading along with priming and varnish for that price, but people will not pay $5 now for the same work I did for $10 then.

Even if I were capable of painting every day, I am slow. Let's take model prep for example. For me this includes all aspects of assembly including cleaning of mold lines and filling gaps with epoxy putty. I would charge a bare minimum of $5 for the easiest to clean and assemble models. I simply take forever. Hell, I constantly want to pay somebody to clean and assemble my models for me. Prices may vary. I was cleaning Miss Terious from Wyrd Miniatures the other day and would have charged less for her as the clean up was super simple. For most models I would probably charge ten to fifteen dollars a model. Plastics from some companies such as Privateer Press would cost more because those models are rage inducing when it comes to getting them fully cleaned and I find I have to resculpt or carve details that were partially obliterated or lost entirely during the casting process.

So, lets say ten dollars for prep time. This prices many people out of consideration as most people that ask me are looking at ten dollars tops once the model is completely painted. It's good to see who stays and who goes at this point. Nobody wants mold lines, but many people do not expect to pay to have them removed. My advice here is if you are looking to try your hand at commission painting is to figure this into the cost of the model and not specify to the client that this is for prep work. Just include it into the base cost as there are a lot of people inquiring at the local level that only want an overall figure for the project. Be transparent when asked, but make certain a client wants the details before you bury them in a full break down of the cost.

Then there is the time of painting itself. I can spend as little as an hour painting, or go well into the double digits on a model. My hour paint jobs do not look too bad. Part of my ability to paint quickly is to do extra work during the prep stage to facilitate this so saying an hour is a bit misleading. The process goes a tad faster in batches. The time involved partially depends on the color pallet. Some colors are near impossible for me to paint well quickly. Time depends more on the style of the paint job than the scheme, but scheme does impact the time involved.

Now let's say someone wants the paint job that takes me roughly an hour or maybe even a little bit longer. Let's say maybe $25 with prep time. I'll charge $30 if it is a single model as that takes longer on a per model basis. This is the upper limit of what I have found most people inquiring locally are willing to pay. They normally want something that will impress people or possibly even win small paint competitions if I were to enter the model myself. In other words, they are not going to settle for my one hour paint job even though they were ooing and ahing over it only five minutes before getting a possible price quote.

There are some that will pay that when inquiring locally. My hour plus paint job is adequate and something I could charge some people for locally. I have known a couple other painters in the area that charge similar prices for roughly equivalent paint level. I feel they both provide a good service. I normally point anybody that asks me about commissions to one of them or one of the online services depending on what specifically the person is looking for. They also already have the potential local clients that are familiar with the hobby which would make it hard for somebody new to start up locally unless one of the existing paint services has more work than they can handle which is always possible.

The problem with earning a living wage with miniature painting is educating the clients on what goes into the process. I know at least one of those local painters has taught painting locally. Somebody that comprehends the work put into the project is more likely to understand why the painter charges what they do for custom work. Another issue is the ones with the most knowledge are also the ones with the most time dedicated to painting. If this is current time dedicated to painting, then that person is less likely to be a regular client. Most telling of all however is even with what is potentially the most knowledgeable clients with the least amount of time to paint available locally, neither of those painters takes miniature paint commissions as their primary means of employment.

That still leaves an online painting service. The first thing a client should do when dealing with online painting services is go with someone reputable. This is important locally too, but developing a bad reputation locally can impact someone in other parts of their life outside of just the miniature painting. I have absolutely no reputation online in regards to miniature painting. Smart clients would not use me. I would not use me. There are some great services out there at a variety of skill levels that have been delivering a quality product for years. The uneducated clients might use me, but I run into the same issues I would have locally and add in the extra considerations of shipping and managing a web presence. Both of these is extra work not factored into the price so far. I also do not have the space to run a business that includes shipping out of my home.

There is yet another concern. I can not paint every day. I do not know when I will be able to paint beforehand. I can not guarantee a timeline unless a customer is very flexible and willing to wait and potentially be pleasantly surprised. This is not something a client should have to put up with when dealing with a painting service.

This whole time I talked about cost in time. There is also a cost in materials. It can be pricey depending on what you use to paint. One expense I would likely take on myself that I have not so far is a decent airbrush and compressor and tank with a moisture trap. I do not paint enough large scale models, vehicles, or quantity of models to justify the cost of an air brush right now. I could easily justify the cost if I was painting armies for other people because it can save time if used correctly. It's nice of people to offer to buy me materials for painting their models on the surface. In reality, they are probably paying less than the people that would pay cash directly. Also, if everybody paid in tools and paints then there is no money for rent, food, or taxes. I'm not even sure how I would report payments in paint on my taxes. Would they count as gifts? Speaking of taxes, I would probably want to section off part of my apartment to act as an office for the business and use it for nothing else as that helps with taxes. I would also likely set this area up to film me painting as well as it might augment my income while still being part of the same business. I would restrict the filming to the sectioned off part of my residence for tax purposes as well.

I would consider taking commissions if I wanted to paint models I did not own or would be unlikely to buy. I might also take on a commission to help a friend. I would then charge not to make money, but to cover some of the cost of materials. This is why you will find some reputable painters that charge less than a living wage. They can also afford to be more picky in the work they do take and may have more creative freedom. Miniature painting is not their livelihood. Yes, commissions may pay for pizza night, but it is still a hobby first. I do have a variety of unpainted models that I can paint in whatever style I feel at the time however. I have free reign and can take as little or as much time as I like.

I am sorry to inform you that due to my inability to paint well quickly, deliver a project on a reasonable time table, and the mountain of projects I have already, I am going to have to decline your commission.