So I decided to do a good few bits of commission level work since last summer.
I started out the first four months doing stuff to my 'Good Gaming Standard' level, thinking my level of quality would add to the final value (naive and I sort of saw it coming but I felt I had to try).
Then, desperate to hang on to the dream of painting for a living I started to lower the standard of my models hence upping the hourly rate of pay. What a mistake that was!
Suddenly rather than enjoying my work it became painful and I was pretty bummed out by the crap models sitting on my desk after a hard days painting, though I got a lot done because I was driven by financial stress.
Stress and painting should NEVER be linked! Not real stress anyway.
I searched the forums about it all and found a post that perfectly summed up my sentiments:
Wyrmypops:
"I'd echo the sentiments of others. Keep it as a hobby, retain the fun.
I spent 5 years painting for stores. Hardly ever painted anything for myself in that time. The fun had faded, being replaced by the stress of having to paint figures one didn't particularly favour, and maintaining a required speed for completion rather than being able to give them all the touches you know you could add. Even years after I'm still having trouble finding my way back into the zen state of painting for pleasure.
Keep it fun. The money made from it is trivial anyway."
So I was scared I would never make it back to enjoying painting so much, and after two or three weeks of average painting I'd come to see minis as a means to an end of a wonderful £4/5 pound an hour wage that I thought I could somehow make. (Turned out after I was still only making £2 lol, though that's an improvement on the earlier results which showed profits of sometimes .20p an hour
)
However, there is a happy end to this tale!
I had a good bit of paperwork, errands and travel that I really don't want to do. I'm not a procrastinator and I usually get stuff like this done asap, but I've been working hard for a long time. Suddenly I thought, I'll do some painting instead, just to put off the paperwork. Bingo! I want to spend as long as possible painting!
I'm back in the zone!
be warned kids, commission sounds cool, but its crap! can't see why people do it except that its cool to be a desired painter and all that. But you have us to tell you your work is good
Now I'm only gonna sell models if my model shelf is heaving, or also if I got hitched and we needed storage space I guess that's a good excuse to sell
Not a mercenary.
I started out the first four months doing stuff to my 'Good Gaming Standard' level, thinking my level of quality would add to the final value (naive and I sort of saw it coming but I felt I had to try).
Then, desperate to hang on to the dream of painting for a living I started to lower the standard of my models hence upping the hourly rate of pay. What a mistake that was!
Suddenly rather than enjoying my work it became painful and I was pretty bummed out by the crap models sitting on my desk after a hard days painting, though I got a lot done because I was driven by financial stress.
Stress and painting should NEVER be linked! Not real stress anyway.
I searched the forums about it all and found a post that perfectly summed up my sentiments:
Wyrmypops:
"I'd echo the sentiments of others. Keep it as a hobby, retain the fun.
I spent 5 years painting for stores. Hardly ever painted anything for myself in that time. The fun had faded, being replaced by the stress of having to paint figures one didn't particularly favour, and maintaining a required speed for completion rather than being able to give them all the touches you know you could add. Even years after I'm still having trouble finding my way back into the zen state of painting for pleasure.
Keep it fun. The money made from it is trivial anyway."
So I was scared I would never make it back to enjoying painting so much, and after two or three weeks of average painting I'd come to see minis as a means to an end of a wonderful £4/5 pound an hour wage that I thought I could somehow make. (Turned out after I was still only making £2 lol, though that's an improvement on the earlier results which showed profits of sometimes .20p an hour
)However, there is a happy end to this tale!
I had a good bit of paperwork, errands and travel that I really don't want to do. I'm not a procrastinator and I usually get stuff like this done asap, but I've been working hard for a long time. Suddenly I thought, I'll do some painting instead, just to put off the paperwork. Bingo! I want to spend as long as possible painting!
I'm back in the zone!
be warned kids, commission sounds cool, but its crap! can't see why people do it except that its cool to be a desired painter and all that. But you have us to tell you your work is good
Now I'm only gonna sell models if my model shelf is heaving, or also if I got hitched and we needed storage space I guess that's a good excuse to sell
Not a mercenary.
