The UK market place for painted miniatures

[Troyan]

So, it is My first post in here, cheers everone :d

My question is: how does The UK market place for painted miniatures look like ?

I`m going to London and Becouse I`m from Poland ( beautiful country in eastern Europe but quite poor ) I would like to khow the enemy becouse I think that We all can notice some differences at our local markets.

So, tell me dear forum-mates-in-painting about all the stuff. How much is for a mini, maybe some photos for ordinary mini and price for it and how can I get comissions.

Thank You.

 

[t_haye2]

well, there are a LOT of threads on CMON about becoming a freelance mini painter, i suggest you search for those... as to moving to london to become a pro painter, prepare to be very very poor. i\'m moving to London in Januari from nottingham, and will be working full time at a normal job, as well as doing my Minigrrrl.com freelance work, to make sure i can actually make a decent living. London is VERY expensive to live, not just in rent, but expenses as well. If you want to be a full time painter, you\'re better off staying in Poland, with the money you can make on ebay and such, you can make enough money to live like a king, if you\'re good enough/well known enough.

 

[finn17]

What Tammy said....

The cost of living in the UK, especially London, is extortionate. If you can work from Poland and deal through eBay etc you will be much better off.

 

[Troyan]

I`m sorry for My rush in posting that topic...:|

I have got My very reasons with going to London I would like to hear some news from London painters how much can They get for one ordinary painted mini. If I could only take 3-5 pounds for them...It would be good for Me. Let`s imagine situation like that: I walk in gaming club/store/etc. and leave some figures [ http://www.coolminiornot.com/69416 for instance ] for a viewers and peace of paper with message \"Proffesional model painter,[phone number]\". Can I go that way or not ?

 

[t_haye2]

there aren\'t any stores that will allow you to advertise like that in london, not that i know of anyways. To be honest, the mini market for painted minis is much more active on the internet, and by word of mouth from youre own circle of regular clients. i get at least 30% of my new clients due to my regulars recomending me to their friends...

 

[t_haye2]

troyan, emailing me the same questions as above will not get you different answers, I did not lie to you about not knowing any stores to advertise, or that you will not be able to support yourself on £5 a mini in London....

 

[Tim_F]

If your painting a mini to that standard in 1 hour, then first of all well done!

But at your prices thats still only £5 an hour! You will earn more working in
Mc Donalds!

£5 per hour will not allow you to rent in London, never mind eating, lectric, gas and water bills, council tax, tv licence etc etc.

I would consider full time work, and painting in your spare time, oh and up your prices man! You will end up homeless @ £5 in London. It barely buys you a pint and a bag of crisps!

 

[Corvus]

Get active on eBay, get a reputation and set up a site. Advertising in stores doesn\'t work because most people visiting this kind of stores paint miniatures themselves.

 

[Sturmhalo]

Originally posted by Troyan
If I could only take 3-5 pounds for them...It would be good for Me.

I wouldn\'t bother mate! Especially living in London. Get a proper job (that\'s what seems to be on the cards for a few of us here it seems!) and paint as a hobby.

 

[Troyan]

Ok, I`ll say it that way: I must go to London. Why ? My girlfirend goes there So if I`ll not find a job in pub/as a cleaner/whatever I`ll be painting minatures for a cash. Wish me luck or say somerthing constructive [mean positive-> give me some ideas instead of e-bay] instead of grieve me

 

[Corvus]

This isn\'t about positive or negatiive, those people are just saying that London is an expensive city to live in and that miniature painting won\'t earn you enough to live there.

So try to find a good job for your basic income, and paint minis for that little extra cash that you might need.

 

[Gelflin]

We (me and my husband) just moved out of London due to the expense. if you are looking at getting a full time job you might just be able to survive! what everyone here has said is true I am looking at freelancing but only because I am already at home being a mum. On a positive note there are stores that will allow you to sell your painted minis through them (or at least they used to) Orcs Nest, and possibly Leisure Games. Though be prepared because they will most likely want a cut of your selling price! I would seriously look at a part time job minimum (assuming that you will be living with your girlfriend, and therefore have more than just your income to rely on) Renting in London is expensive and so is the general cost of living, I am not saying you cant do it just be aware that it may take a bit of time............
Also try moving to the outskirts of London rather than central, its only slightly cheaper but still it all helps!

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[Troyan]

I know that London is quite expensive city to live.

50 pounds per week for a room, 20-30 pounds for food and something like that. So I need 80 pounds per week. I really don`t need much more, is this to much to earn by painting minatures and finding clients by word of mouth ?

 

[t_haye2]

50 pound per week for a room? what universe are you living in? a double room will cost you at least £400 to £500 a month, plus your living expenses will be more like £80 a week, including food, cllothing and travel. With ideas like that you\'re not going to last a month there....

the questions that you\'re asking have been answered over and over again on thid forum, and using the \'search\' feature of the forums will give you the answers you seek.

If you like those answers is altogether a different story, being that you seem to be very reluctant to sell through the et, i do honestly not believe you will be able to make any kind of living as a freelance painter, since you do not have the reputation like some professional painters do to build on. Matt Parkes works without the use of the inyternet as an advertisement forum/sales point, and he is capable of working qas such, due to the seer amount of tropihes he has won.

now I honestly don\'t know why you\'re reluctant to use the internet as a sales point, because it has helped me and several other full time painters on this forum to stay working in the industry. thinking that you can make a living off painting toy soldiers without any kind of effort in advertisement, or investment in things like a website is very naive at best.

 

[Troyan]

I wrote 50pounds/week, we are going to rent a room together with my girlfriend so it will be 100/week, and 400/month, read carefully

For a food and stuff like that-> Tesco and similar, 20-30/week won`t be enough ?

And now tell me: how can I sell something via net when I`m going to London 10th Oct. ? I`m a member of No Paint No Fun Studio, we`ve got a net domain: http://195.116.220.250/~npnf/reszta/v2/index.htm but it is still in progress. So it is not a guestion why I`m reluctant to internet becouse I`m not, btw what the hell I`m doing here lol ?.

Ok, maybe the topic is wrong, maybe it should be: how much money do I need to live one week in London and not die of hunger :d and can I earn little money by painting minatures just finding clients in local shops and gaming clubs. And don`t tell me \"search button\", that forum is so big. I read 4 similar topics but i did not found the topic which is hitting the nail on the head.

 

[t_haye2]

in short, you\'ll need to make atleast £800 before tax a month to be able to live, but you\'ll not be able to afford anything sociable, eating out, cinema, cd\'s, dvd\'s, pub etc.
and a lot of people have already stated that you won;t be able to get painting work advertising in shops, if they\'ll even let you, it\'s not how the business works.

 

[Legacy Account]

It may seem as though people are getting at you here, but they are just trying to make it BLATANTLY CLEAR - London is a money sucking, bank account draining carbuncle! You will not find a (habitable) place to rent for £400 a month! I live in Bradford - one of the cheapest places in the country, and you would still be pushed to find a place for this sort of money. As for £20-30 a week on food, I hope you like Netto\'s baked beans....

Hey, I\'ve considered selling up and moving to Poland. I\'d be way better off...lol

 

[t_haye2]

what munkie said, we\'re not trying to get at you, it just seems you;re not fully aware of HOW expensive the UK and London is....in London, that £5 you plan to get on a mini you will spend at least 2 hours on, will get you a happy meal at mcdonalds.....

 

[Medved]

lets all calm down a bit.............now troyan, i know you are new and that you are wishing to get all that information at once. i understand what you are thinking because i moved from slovakia last august to england. i started in bedford (cheap place) and made money from working in a factory for 3 1/2weeks and made almost 900 pounds (a lot) then i moved with my wife to london (bromley) i went from paying no rent (family house) to paying 120 pounds a week for a room ina shared house. until i found a good job my money i had saved disappeared faster than a speeding hamster (very fast!) i needed to make at least 200 per week (mcdonalds pays 150 after tax full time) to have a life. it can be done for less but you need many friends to support you. many slovaks i met have the same problem....they are now stuck doing a bad job because they cannot afford to lose/or find the time to get another. london can be fun but if you want to be here longer than the summer then plan for a real job and sensible living expenses. @ tammy : i think you are crazy to come here if you can avoid it (btw which part will you move too?)
Troyan there are many polish people with a talent here in london that dont get to use it..........dont let your dreams destroy your hobby. the money is in america and the internet. sorry to be too hard on you but you will soon learn that london is not anything like the rest of england.
200 p/w = ok life
300pw = comfortable life with room for disasters/major things going wrong. can you really paint 40/60 minis in 1 week every week?

 

[Medved]

i must say that now my rent is 600/month and my 14,800 i earn a year gives me very little after all my expenses (daughter, wife, food,council tax,tv licence,student loan, and the odd mini!) no going out for me.........and i am glad that i have that job because it gives me security if i am ill, and it allows me to keep my hobby (if not slightly scaled down)