Painting miniatures requires time and patience. Unfortunately nowadays not everyone can devote enough time or have proper motivation to paint their army. Dicey Studio is here for the rescue! Here is the detailed description of our working process.
Honesty and dialogue are the basis of any successful cooperation. This principle together with our experience let us formulate the clear pricing concept for our painting service.
Our pricing is based on the amount of hours our painters need to complete a model in a certain Quality level. This concept is used for all basic prices, but it doesn’t work that well for high model count systems (such as Warhammer 40000 и Age of Sigmar).
In this case we use price modifiers system. Depending on the model’s complexity (open faces, open skin areas, detail overload) we add some additional sum to the basic price.
Some studios have such modifiers included in the basic price, i.e. you will pay for face painting even if your miniature wears a helmet. We believe that the price has to be fair, that is why we consider every aspect of the model when we calculate the price of each commission.
Our clients always see what they pay for – and this is our key rule.
Once we received your filled order form we will contact you to clarify all the details and send you a PayPal invoice. Our painters will start their work when the payment is through. If you use our pre-order service or would like us to buy models locally to reduce delivery time, your will be additionally informed when the purchase is over and work is started.
Once we agreed all the details and color scheme with a client, we begin preparing the models. Proper preparation and assembly is the basis of the final result as any flaws and imperfections of the commissioned model can be fixed only at this stage. Our team uses full spectrum of modelling tools: sanding paper, files, special plastic and metal glues, plastic putty, greensfull and so on. With these tools we can fix all defects that may arise during model production.
The next stage is to prime the model with polyurethane primer via an airbrush. We don’t use spray can primers as the pigment size is too big: it may affect the details and give a grainy texture.
The final preparation step is to cover the primed model with matte varnish. It will give extra protection to the primer layer, which is especially important for metal models as they are prone to paint chipping.
After the primer and varnish completely set, we start painting. This process is divided into several steps depending on the desired quality. The amount of such steps influences the final result. Thus, for Tabletop Quality we apply base colors, shadows and add one-layer highlights. At the same time, the amount of highlight layers for Display Quality can extend the amount of steps up go up to six. Moreover, depending on the client’s request and chosen Quality we may add different advanced technique: non metallic metal, wet blending, feathering, stippling and so on.
Note that the painting time differs for each Quality category. Thanks to our experience we can assess the approximate amount of hours that our painters will need to get the desired result. It will guarantee that you will get the painting quality similar to the one shown in our galleries.
Naturally we provide work-in-progress pics so you can check and correct the painting scheme or add some details if needed. Time frame of each commission includes 4 additional hours for such corrections in case you would like to change something in the process.
Once the model is painted we may add one more matte or satin varnish layer if you need extra protection. This step is extremely important for gaming models.
The last step is to build the basing. The simplest option here is default basing. We use texture paste and/or cork sheets painted in the color scheme defined by a customer. This is included in the commission price and looks good for any game system. We spend about one hour to completely finish the base.
We are always ready to offer advanced basing. In this case we add other elements, such as model grass, bushes or change the texture paste with textured Greenstuff. As an option we can also use premade bases from well-known manufacturers or sculpted bases that often come with the miniature. It takes more time to paint such bases, so we ask for additional pay for this work.
The best basing tier we offer is pro basing. For this variant we take into account the model itself and build the base that will complement the model in the best way. Such bases are created using wide variety of painting and sculpting techniques to turn a simple base into a unique work of art. A pro base is basically a painted miniature on its own! We evaluate each pro base commission individually depending on the painting complexity.
The studio provides photos of a completed model to the customer. After that we send the models via mail. We always provide tracking numbers so the customers can be sure that their package isn’t lost by mail service. Usually it takes from 1 to 3 weeks for the package to arrive.
With Dicey Studio you can enjoy beautifully painted army without spending lots of your own time. Trust your models to professionals, place a commission right now!
