On commissions...

[mattrock]

For those of you who take them (and actually get some every now and then :innocent, how does one get started and drum up some business? It\'s not something I\'d like to do full time or anything, but I figure part time might be interesting.

So how does one get their first commission?

 

[wiccanpony]

May I suggest taking a few of your painted minis to some local LGS and see if they will display them with some business cards.

 

[mattrock]

Here\'s my problem: No LGS....seriously. None.

Unless you count GW which I\'m thinking probably wouldn\'t allow it. Or would they? :~(

 

[freakinacage]

try

 

[wiccanpony]

bummer

now GW stores might display painted GW minis, it would be a smart move on their part, to generate interest in the hobby.

don’t know if you have the money, but you could put a banner here and on other hobby sites.

selling some minis on Ebay or Wargames Market..to get name recognition

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by mattrock
Here\'s my problem: No LGS....seriously. None.

Unless you count GW which I\'m thinking probably wouldn\'t allow it. Or would they? :~(

This is a \"It Depends\" kind of answer.
It depends on several factors;-
How much of a Hobbyist the manager is.
How Friendly the manager is.
How much of a \'tart\' you are willing to be to get a display of your mini\'s in a GW store.

I\'m lucky in that my manager is a personal friend, a gamer from Pre-GW days, a pewter addict and somewhat twisted to boot. I do \"favours\" for the shop and paint occasional figures (like the One-Winged Vampire I did last weekend Better mini than the White Dwarf Picture shows it to be) for the display cabinet.

I\'d suggest that you ingratiate yourself by showing your work and trying to get the opportunity to paint instore for the store and then ask if they\'d be interested in showing some of your own figures as a Display.

Other than that, as has been suggested, either a website, or Ebay \"tarting\" your work will be as much a step forward as anything else.


EDIT: I\'m sure this keyboard is dyslexic. Four typing errors in one sentence, almost as bad as The Guardian. lol

 

[jahminis]

i\'m with DR here...
one can definitely become an \"unofficial\" local gw painter if ya know the manager well...i used to paint up the big single minis(lords and special characters) for gw amsterdam and haarlem, but i was good friends with the managers...same in the two l.a. gw stores...i never did use it as blatant advertising though...no business card with my name and info or anything like that, but the staff would always credit me for the paintjob when people asked...
luckily people always knew who i was, \'cause i\'m usually the only guy in the room with dreadlocks down to my knees and tattooed hands!!!

local gamin\' stores have always been good for advertising...too bad ya don\'t have one nearby...

i would say, make a photobucket gallery, with examples and price breakdown, that ya wanna link to people in different tradin\' posts on the net, or just link \'em to your coolmini gallery...
hit up every forum ya can, and offer a few painted minis on the cheap, but with a link to your gallery in the sig...

good luck...

cheers
jah

 

[matty1001]

I got some Moo cards they are great fun, like little business cards, with a photo on one side and text on the other. I send them out with eBay sales, and it has garnered interest with a couple of people emailing me about stuff.

But just eBay stuff, i\'m trying to make it a habit of one a week so interest picks up and stays.

 

[Celthulhu]

Commissions

Definitely start painting minis to sell on Ebay.
Use the CMON function that allows you to link your Ebay auction to your CMON pictures of same mini.
Start a forum thread with the link to your CMON pictures and the link to your Ebay auction.
My husband and I started out this way, and we\'re doing commissions full time now.
Best of luck.

 

[rogcollectibles]

Ebay is a great way to drum up commission. Just list a few of your better pieces and if someone likes your work they will email you for business. It usually doesnt take very long for someone to approach you.

But if you value your ebay account which you should because its great advertising, dont advertise openly on your auctions or ask people as they may report you as breaking ebay rules.

If nothing else you\'ll likely make a few bucks off the figs you listed.

Good luck!

 

[Corvus]

I agree with everything that has being said, but I want t o add one more thing. Try to create some kind of \'brand\' from your painting service. Of course this has to do with name recognition, but it is very important to choose a good name, logo and overall style.