Painting Commission Companies Help

[jbaeza94]

*i think this is the right place to post this*

 

Hey guys, 

Im having a fairly large tyranid army commissioned to be painted. about 170 bugs. the basic idea is have the small bugs painted at a basic lvl, and the monsters at a higher lvl, with the swarmlord 1 step above that.

 

I am very seriously considering 3 different companies, Warpstorm Painting, Den of Imagination, and Awaken Realms. 

 

I am very impressed with both DOI and AR tyranid portfolio. The quality on levels seems very comparable (lvl 2 in DOI vs Standard in AR, lvl 3 vs high, and lvl 4 vs top), albeit just a bit different art style (traditional vs comic booky). Price for both is very similar as well so that wont be much of a factor.

 

Warpstorm painting offers a higher lvl of detail of painting even at their most basic option, 1 star (comparable to lvl 3 and high in my opinion). my whole army would be 1 star with only the swarmlord being 2 star. this however comes at a steeper price. their portfolio is a bit smaller, and doesnt feature nids. so i am taking that into consideration.  

 

have any of guys used the above companies before? how was the over all service? any problems with miniatures after delivery? how did you guys decide on a company to use?

 

do you think it would be reasonable to ask the 3 companies to paint a gant of any kind as a test model and go from there? 

[NovemberIX]

Speaking as a small business creator (not a painter, but I've competed on bids before) I would say there's no problem with commissioning three different painters to paint up something for you to compare on your own. A paying job is a paying job ya know?

[jbaeza94]

Yeah i get it. ill message all 3 of them and see if we can work something out.

ill post pictures here to get some feedback as well.

[Ishagu]

Edit:

 

Never mind, it's a different studio.

[Chris521]

I've used both Den of Imagination and Awakened Realms. 

 

Awaken Realms did a knight for me a couple years back.  While I was satisfied with what I got in the end I had to push them to get the quality that was shown on their ebay page.  That, coupled with very poor communication meant that I didn't end things on the most amicable terms. But in the end they are probably capable of doing good work.

 

I've used Den of Imagination for a lot of of things.  The army thread in my signature has what they've done for me (it's farther along in the thread, My own work is there as well).  Given how much I've used them, I've obviously happy with the work they've done.  They  also do a very good job at magnetizing.  All of the tanks and half of the Infantry are magnetized and the Baneblades are full Octoblades.

 

Now I should mention the prices.  It's no secret that DOI is rather pricey. Most of my stuff was painted on level 4.  A while back, when I was just testing the waters with my first order I had them do about 50 guardsmen at level 2 (the lowest they currently offer).  I don't have have any complaints with the paint job since it was what I was looking for, but for the price I paid, I would have gotten better quality elsewhere (like a smaller and more local painter).  In my experience they really start to shine at the higher levels so everything I have them do, is at least at level 4.)

 

That is my experience.

[Panzer]

I'm not a big fan of Den of Imagination tbh. The models look good but you keep seeing people posting them on various reddits and social media and they all look basically the same. Kinda like it's just assembly line work (which it probably is since they earn their money with it and having a constant quality and style helps getting customers). The first few times I still thought "wow those look great!" but after a few times it turned into "meh just the usual Den of Imagination stuff".

[Axineton]

What about siege studios? They seem to be another commission studio that do a lot of work. Seen some of their work and it looks great. Not sure on their prices though.

[jbaeza94]

Chris521,

Thanks for the insight. I think its important to always read a mixed batch of reviews. I found it interesting on how you had to pull the quality out of them.

As far as doi, and lvl 2, well it does bring up a concern, seeing as im gonna have 160 gaunts,stealers,gargoyles painted at lvl 2. Their example of hive fleet leviathan seemer pretty decent for lvl 2 gaunts, but it may also be a selective gallery.

 

I will check out seige studios. Look at their portfolio and maybe commission a single gaunt as well for a test

[Chris521]

Chris521,

Thanks for the insight. I think its important to always read a mixed batch of reviews. I found it interesting on how you had to pull the quality out of them.

As far as doi, and lvl 2, well it does bring up a concern, seeing as im gonna have 160 gaunts,stealers,gargoyles painted at lvl 2. Their example of hive fleet leviathan seemer pretty decent for lvl 2 gaunts, but it may also be a selective gallery.

 

I will check out seige studios. Look at their portfolio and maybe commission a single gaunt as well for a test

 

Of course I'm not trying to put you off of DOI but I do want to be clear where I think their strengths are and what their best value is.

[jbaeza94]

Of course and i appreciate it. I think maybe this is why i should get some test models made to know what to expect and hold them to that standard.

[cretacianborn]

I used Siege Studios for an Eldrad Ulthran commission a while back.

 

I can definitely attest to their professionalism and skill for sure. Might be worth checking them out!

[Axineton]

Only thing I wish these studios would do is give us the prices on their pages instead of having to faff around with emails back and forth. I was going to get Siege to do my White Consuls but there were so many options with options I got fed up. They kept badgering me with emails every week but they stopped after a while.

[jbaeza94]

Fr33dom,

 

I see what you mean. That's what i liked about the other pages, they had price ranges for model types to get an idea of what you could be paying. I am currently trying to get a quote.

 

So guys ive gotten 2 samples from both DOI and AR. Warpstorm tells me at this time they cannot provide me with a sample, which is unfortunate. This coupled with their lack of experience painting a tyranid army may make them a pass. However, i would definitely return with a marine army for them. They absolutely kill marines.

 

Alright so pictures will be posted in a sec

[jbaeza94]

i gave them this for a reference picture. one thing i really asked for was for the skin to actually be a bit blueish grayish like the picture. often times you see hydra schemes having the classic genestealer look, almost black with very bright highlights. i think they both hit the target spot on

below is Awaken Realms (just want to give appropriate credit since there is no watermark)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BONUS PICTURE: Secret santa 2017 over at the DA page. below was the librarian gifted to me, i posed him with a squad of termis that i had just finished.

[Rik Lightstar]

I know James who heads up Siege Studios and frankly his paint work and what he expects of his team is incredible.

 

They don't have "standardised pricing" as such, but they certainly won't be the cheapest. They market themselves on quality, not on pricing.

 

They'll want lots of details about your requirements, ideally with pictures of your required colour scheme.

 

If you're UK based I can thoroughly recommend their weekend painting courses as a great value way of getting the most out of them. What you learn on that course should equip you to be putting out a full army by taking a week or two off work, which is probably cheaper than the cost of any commission services.

 

Rik

[jbaeza94]

Rik,

 

I dont doubt their service, and i am willing to shell out a higher price for a higher product. and youre right, they did ask for alot of detail, ha. felt like i was building an army list in my email reply to them ha, but its a non issue at the moment. i cant wait to hear back from them tomorrow. hopefully they can provide a test model as well.

 

i did see their course advertised, unfortunately, im not in the uk. but i would love to attend a painting course to improve my own skill one day.

 

maybe youll know, i saw some of their gallery pictures feature the warhammer community watermark. are they the new painters for gw?

[Marshal Rohr]

Don't get duped by airbrushers. They charge a lot for very little.

[jbaeza94]

Don't get duped by airbrushers. They charge a lot for very little.

 

Do you have any recommendations?

[Marshal Rohr]

No specific ones, we just had a few guys at an old club get burned by pretty internet pictures and chalky products that cost hundreds in commission fees.

[Pearson73]

Out of the two samples you've shown, I think DoI are the ones to go for.

[Axineton]

I know James who heads up Siege Studios and frankly his paint work and what he expects of his team is incredible.

They don't have "standardised pricing" as such, but they certainly won't be the cheapest. They market themselves on quality, not on pricing.

They'll want lots of details about your requirements, ideally with pictures of your required colour scheme.

If you're UK based I can thoroughly recommend their weekend painting courses as a great value way of getting the most out of them. What you learn on that course should equip you to be putting out a full army by taking a week or two off work, which is probably cheaper than the cost of any commission services.

Rik

I’ve been thinking of doing one of their weekend courses for a while now so may book one that’s not to far soon.

[Chris521]

I think the DOI one looks a lot better than the AR.  What "level" did DOI paint that bug?

[jbaeza94]

In the email they said this is what i should expect at lvl 2. They also said newer/bigger models would look better as well

[Chris521]

I will say then their level 2 has gone up in quality from when I commissioned at that level.

[jbaeza94]

I hope this is the case, and not the ol bait amd switch. Maybe the scheme allows for more of a pop. If i do go with doi, im gonna hold them to this atandard.