How to choose a miniature painter

Shortlist by your actual project

Search the game, faction or model, then narrow by location and budget. A great display painter may not want a large gaming army; an efficient army studio may not offer the individual attention you want for a collector’s piece. Look at recent projects with a similar model count and finish.

Three serious options are usually easier to compare than twenty open tabs. Save a specific project from each portfolio and note why it fits: colour, treatment of faces, weathering, consistency or bases. ‘I like this’ becomes useful when you can point to the part you like.

Read the portfolio like evidence

• Look for whole squads, not only one exceptional miniature.
• Ask whether the examples show the exact tier being quoted.
• Check several angles, ordinary lighting and the base treatment.
• If several people work in the studio, ask who will paint your commission and how consistency is checked.
• For an existing army, ask for a matching example or a paid sample before sending the full collection.

Read reviews in context

Check what a review actually describes. A score for classes, retail products and commissions combined is not a score specifically for army painting. Look for concrete accounts of communication, reference matching, packaging and how a problem was handled.

A testimonial selected by the studio can still be useful, but it is not the same as an independently collected review. An absence of reviews is an evidence gap, not a zero-star rating. Ask for references or begin with a small, clearly scoped project if you are uncertain.

Ask five questions before committing

• What exactly is included in this price, and what could change it?
• When could work begin, and what arrival date is realistic?
• When will I see a sample or progress photos, and how do revisions work?
• Who arranges shipping, records the inventory and handles transport problems?
• What happens if either of us needs to change or cancel the project?

Location is part of the decision

A nearby painter can make collection and handoff easier, but confirm whether local visits are offered before travelling. For a distant studio, include outbound shipping, return shipping, transit and possible border delays in the comparison. Do not compare a local pickup price with an international delivered price as though they cover the same thing.

A few common questions