Well I'm not changing my prices, but I thoguht I'd give a guide on levels here. I'm gonna be scrapping the 1,2,3 etc system soon, in favour of this more logical one:
Basecoat*
Observer
General
Commander
Soldier
So what do these mean? Well they're the distance at which you're looking to give an idea of how well they're painted.
Observer Level is a passer by. The level is base colours and a wash with a grass base and painted rim. It is designed to give the illusion of a cohesive army qith quick turn-around and low cost, but details just won't be there. If you only want a fully painted army for tournaments or for friends telling you to get a paintbrush, this is the choice for you.
General Level is gaming standard- details, tri-coloured shadows and highlights but a few mistakes here and there. This is the highest army level I will paint (ie for full units). Standards and shields will be painted with patterns, but don't expect a masterpiece**. An army at general level will look incredible from the gaming participant's standpoint, but up close it may not look so fantastic.
Commander Level is the hero level for a well painted commanding figure. It is detailed to look good at eye level and not just on the battlefield. Freehand on cloaks or extras specified by the client is acceptable here.
Soldier Level is the highest I can do, only available to 1-3 models per army project. This is the model that is to stand out and will include conversions, sculpted parts and the very best of my brushes. Best reserved for a general figure or battle standard, some call this level "display level", though I'm not sure I will be able to replicate actual displays.
*Basecoat Level is the basic colours. You're paying me to start painting, and then you pick up the rest. This level is if you wish to dip your own models or just hate the starting point of assembly, spraying and colouring the large areas. It wouldn't even look good at a distance for a full army in my opinion, but then as an expensive hobby I understnad budgeting. I will only do this level if the amount commissioned outweighs the material costs- no single models.
**Unit standard bearers can be requested at Commander Level if you want special care on the army banners. The model holding the banner will be painted the same as the unit he is with.
I hope this settles it. I wil try and find a way to put this as a permanent link on the sidebar. Anyway, here are my personal reccomendations based on my skill level:
28mm Warhammer fantasy:
Orcs & Goblins, Skaven, Empire, Vampire Counts, Tomb Kings or other hordes- Observer level. This allows large armies to be fielded at low cost (minus that GW pricetag!)
Brettonia, Ogre Kingdoms (minus gnoblars)- request at General level with Commander Banners/orge skin for that "elite" look on Bretonnians, and tattoos or skin details on the ogre units given their size.
General level for all others.
15mm Flames of War:
I'd reccomend observer level for infantry companies given the large amount of small models. Who really is ever going to get close enough to see details on them, even as a general? I do personalised bases to my own taste and army theme as a standard on flames of war at no extra cost. This is polyfilla bases with small sand in areas and water effects/ponds, fences, sandbags etc just because I enjoy that. Basecoat level I will only glue models to the bases and not touch polyfilla, but observer or higher it's a default.
25/28mm historical:
My current project is at a midpoint between general and commander level. This is by special request only as I require a lot of research into patterns, colours, skin colour and even breeds of horses. The clothing varies man-to-man which takes up a lot more time than painting uniform and models that are metal require more care than I origionally thought.
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