Is my friend good enough to work on commission work ?

[whitewolfmxc]

Ok, so after a lengthy discussion with my game mate who i think is a good model converter (he plays both fantasy and 40k and some other games like war machine) and painter (although he does prefer conversions more than painting)

 

he decided to ask me to get some feedback from other gamers to see if his good enough to work on commissions

 

If the general censuses think that his good at it , he might open a commission site as a hobby income source

 

so guys give you honest opinions , thanks in advance

 

simplified choices of opinion : 1) Yes, 2) No, 3) I dont know, 4) His good , but i wont pay for such work , 5) He still needs to learn more

 

PS: ALL models are WIP , so yes some arent that "clean yet" , painted figs to come soon for show

 

pictures of his work :

Trevigon -

 

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7248/trevigon.th.jpg

 

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1840/trevigon2.th.jpg

 

Space Wolves venerable dreadnought (awesome predator moment) -

 

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7471/wolfdred.th.jpg

 

Space Wolves wolf guard (with combi weapons) -

 

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/917/wolfsternguard2.th.jpg

 

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/2014/wolfsternguard.th.jpg

 

Space wolves wolf lord on thunder wolf (Mr dandy model) -

 

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2143/wolflordonwolf3.th.jpg

 

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2135/wolflordonwolf2.th.jpg

 

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8302/wolflordonwolf.th.jpg

 

Space wolves Thunder wolf rider (Mr dandy model) -

 

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7549/wolfguardonwolve2.th.jpg

 

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/7789/wolfguardonwolf.th.jpg

 

Space Wolves Rune priest -

 

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/3181/runepreist.th.jpg

 

Space wolves Count as Logan grimnar -

 

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5890/logangrimnar.th.jpg

[musliisafish]

he seems pretty decent, though if he was going to start working on commissions, i'd recommend he get some more experience doing greens, as customers are often going to want very specific models which may have no usable piece in any range he may deem fit. If he is going to do any painting, I would probably have to see some painting as an example. To be perfectly honest unless those thunder wolves (models of which I do not recognize) are scratch sculpted, I would be looking for more experience before working on commissions.

 

Also, whether it was because the models weren't yet finished, I can't quite tell, but I saw a few mould lines still on models, something which a customer would see as being generally unacceptable from a commissioned model.

[Grey Mage]

Hes a good converter, I wouldnt pay to have someone do mine- but then its 1) my favorite part and 2) Im cheap.

 

Edit: I do agree, some green-stuff-fu would go a long way in increasing the value of these conversions. The "eggs" are a good start.

 

Remember, selling threads are not allowed.

[whitewolfmxc]

No worries grey mage , this aint going to be an ad post XD (i totally didnt notice you got promoted to mod XD congrats)

 

Yeah , basically wants to do the jobs cheap and fast , thats what his aiming at , he told me that he can make 5 wolf rider in a day , and another to paint them so i guess that's his selling point ?

 

yeah he also knows he needs more practice on green stuffing XD

[Obliterator]

Hard to judge his painting without actual painted mini's, but as far as the conversion work goes: yes, he is decent at it, but he needs to take more care of cleaning up his parts if he's going to do commission work. I spotted a couple of mould lines (mostly on power fists, and one on the staf of the Wolf Priest), and a nasty spot where the power fist was cut free from the sprue. A paying customer receiving one of those would likely not return. He might offer a cheap & fast service, but it's still a payed service. I agree with the previous statements that it wouldn't hurt making minis stand out more using sculpted parts he did himself.

[Tropicana]

There's some 5-Star Kit-Bashing there for Sure! However, Green Stuff is the mark of an Expert Modeller; as soon as he becomes potent at GSFoo, he'll be all set for some Modelling Comissions. [subtle]Oh, and when he opens up to Orders, shoot me a PM. ^_^[/subtle] :tu:

 

Tropicana

:D

[whitewolfmxc]

yup some more pictures to come (painted , a lot of green stuff involved , and also creativity)

 

remember guys , all the pictures are WIP items, not final , so yes he is aware they arent clean yet XD

[pingo]

I think your friend should wait until he has finished the models before seeking opinion.

 

I agree that GS skills are required for this kind of commission work.

 

They're all good models for sure. But kit-bashing isn't too hard, while GS work is. A lot of people would rather pay for something they can't do because they don't have the skill.

[Tropicana]

I think your friend should wait until he has finished the models before seeking opinion.

;)

 

I agree that GS skills are required for this kind of commission work.

:yes:

 

They're all good models for sure. But kit-bashing isn't too hard, while GS work is. A lot of people would rather pay for something they can't do because they don't have the skill.

:)

 

Well, I'm not sure of this. I mean, 99% of the Time, there should be a Plastic Part which means you don't really need to Green. And if you do... it can't be such a Major Feature of the Model. Most of the time! I appreciate that some people can work Miracles with Green. Besides, Mr. Friend is doing fine without it, so why fuss over it?

 

So, 50% :yes: and 50% :no: on that one, but in an entirely agreeing manner.

 

...

 

Thad doesn't make sense, does it? :)

 

Tropicana

:tu:

[DV8]

@Tropicana

I don't think you completely understand what Pingo is saying.

 

Kit bashing is basically taking parts from various different kits, and putting it together. For example, taking a the torso from the Sanguinary Guard box, and the legs from the Death Company box, with the arms and bolter from a Tactical Squad box to create a marine would be a simple kit bash. Using more esoteric parts from kits you wouldn't normally associate with a Space Marine would equate to more complex and expensive kit bashes.

 

By its nature, kit bashing is simply assembling using parts beyond the original box/kit. A monkey could do this (granted a particularly trained monkey who wouldn't eat/drink the super glue), and nobody in their right mind would commission a person to simply kit bash and build their models for them. And that's what Pingo was alluding to.

 

The only time you need to step back and go...I may need to get this commissioned, is if (for conversions) you want something done you can't do yourself. Even asking a staff member to help you do an arm or hand swap is a commission. You requested a service, they provided it (their fee happens to be free). If you want to make more money, you need to be prepared to do anything from simple conversions and repositions to complex sculpts (maybe even entirely from scratch).

 

And painting generally falls under two broad categories for commission work:

 

1. Those who lack the time or the capabilities to paint their own models (some people who, for example, have trouble focusing on tiny details, or have shaky hands, or just busy with family life or work life...I've experienced the gamut in my time as a commission painter) and need their models/armies painted.

2. Those who want something "worthy"/awesome done that they simply can't achieve on their own.

 

These are things your friend will have to think about if he chooses to try to take on commission work.

 

 

DV8

[DapperDave]

I agree with the main points already mentioned:

 

Mostly that while the kit bashes are nice looking, I don't see enough here that would make me say: "I would gladly pay someone to do that for me" rather than "what pieces do I need to do that same thing."

[ArcticFox]

Indeed. Seems to me that if somebody really wanted to make money in commissions their best bet is to include the painting, or focus solely on it. As was said above, a monkey can assemble models, and it's not very common that a truly unique model requiring green stuff and (I'm stealing Tropicana's word here) GS-fu comes along. More often than not you see people whose painting ability or the time needed to do it are the limiting factors they want to overcome. Even a squad of the old 2 piece 2nd Edition Space Marines can be made to look pretty good with a fabulous paint job, while a badly painted model, no matter how well converted, will look like garbage.

[Hemal]

I'd echo what is said above - I can probbaly kit bash better than that, but my GS-Fu is weak, so unless I had no idea where to source components without buying whole kits (which some people do, but not the people on the Internet who would presumably his customers).

[rat of vengence]

I have just started my first commision, and the customer wanted to see examples of finished work before he was happy I could do the job. I would suggest your friend do the same, it will leave a better impression :wub:

 

RoV