@oztea:
I guess if the buyer covered supplies (2 new games in box) shipping and paint it might be more reasonable.
or if the painter developed som kind of system
I paint 28mm scale Warhammer models….and I have a hell of a lot of them
I also have a job and money, so I can afford to pay someone to paint 750+ plastic dudes
After painting my figures, I bought a varnish/shading product that you dip the models into adding a protective coating and shadeing to all the recesses. Dramaticly increasing the detail in the model for almost no time consumption.
If an A&A painter first dipped them like easter eggs. Then detailed them. Then dipped them in a varnish I think they would look pretty sweet.
Shipping and material costs, and a system, still does not break even. Whether the client/customer has a job and money is not important (other than the fact that if they have neither than they probably aren’t going to be a customer). How much they’ll pay in comparison to what it would take to break even considering min. wage is what we were referring to.
That being said… a lot of variables to consider that can’t necessarily be quantified. Some of them situational: If the painter is unemployed, I suppose anything is ok (but then we get into what is fair for paying for another’s work that is both an artistic endeavor and kinda “factory work”… which involves a whole host of things to consider). Or if the painter is independently wealthy, I suppose it also doesn’t matter. There’s also the less tangible side of it… you like the idea of your little troops out there on some other board being appreciated, your troops fighting the good fight many miles away… and/or if you like painting them so much that time and money is not in question.
*shrug
I’m familiar with some of the products used for the shading process you mention, I’ve used them on my 25mm & 28mm figs in the past. But at 15mm and below you start running into problems - the recesses of the piece are so small the liquid has a tendency to blotch. Not always - sometimes it turns out quite nice. There’s also the problem of the material itself - sometimes the end results are different on plastic then lead/pewter. I think I’ve even read some post on here somewhere about someone who had all of their (plastic) figs ‘bubble’ after using it. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t trust that as a shading technique on A&A plastics. It might turn out really cool… but I wouldn’t want to risk a huge “do-over” (or worse, ruining the minis). In regard to the protective coating - yeah, I agree. I use the spray cans from hobby stores, not a dull or gloss coat, the regular sealant (though that’s a personal preference, I do like the look of some of the glossed pieces I’ve seen).
You have a link to any pics of those models Oz? I’d be interested - the Warhammer line produces some pretty cool sculpts.
