Commission painting means paying an independent painter to assemble, prime, and paint your miniatures for you, usually to a tabletop ready standard or higher, while you keep full ownership of the models and the army list they belong to. It exists because painting an entire army well takes far more hours than most players have, and a skilled commission painter can turn around a unit in a fraction of the time it would take a hobbyist working evenings.
How the process actually works
Most commission painters operate the same basic way regardless of scale. You send reference images or describe the scheme you want, sometimes pointing at an existing faction color guide or a specific studio's example army. The painter quotes a turnaround time and a tier of finish, ranging from a clean tabletop standard with solid base coats and basic highlights, up to display or studio grade work with detailed freehand, object source lighting, and competition level blending. You ship the unassembled or partially assembled kits, the painter builds and paints them, and you receive finished models back, usually with in progress photos along the way so you can catch anything that drifts from what you wanted before it is too late to fix cheaply.
Tiers generally break down like this:
| Tier | What you get | Typical use case |
|---|---|---|
| Tabletop | Solid base coats, basic shading and highlights, clean basing | Full armies meant for gameplay, not display |
| Pro tabletop | Tabletop finish plus tighter highlights and some freehand | Centerpiece units within a larger army |
| Display or studio | Full blending, object source lighting, competition level detail | Single hero models, showcase pieces |
Why people commission instead of painting themselves
The honest reasons are almost always time or confidence, not laziness. A full army at a competitive points level can represent dozens of individual models, and painting all of them to a consistent standard while also keeping up with the hobby's release schedule is a genuine time commitment most adult hobbyists do not have. Commissioning lets someone field a fully painted army for events or narrative play without the backlog of unpainted plastic that builds up in most collections. It is also common for painters who enjoy assembling and playing the game but genuinely dislike the painting step, or who want one showcase centerpiece model painted at a level beyond their current skill while they keep painting the rest of the army themselves.
What to prepare before you commission a painter
Have your scheme decided before you reach out, even loosely. A reference image, a link to an existing studio scheme, or a scheme built from official Citadel colors, or even a rough description of the faction colors and any personal touches you want, saves the painter time and usually shortens your quote. Decide your finish tier honestly against your budget and your actual use case: an army headed for weekly game night rarely needs display grade blending on every model, while a single hero for a painting competition benefits from it. If you are shipping physical miniatures, factor in that turnaround includes the shipping time both directions, not just the painting itself.
Painting it yourself first
If you have never painted a full unit before, working through our seven step painting guide and the starter supply list at least once is worth doing even if you plan to commission most of your army later. It gives you a real sense of what a tabletop finish requires, which makes you a better client when you do commission, because you will recognize good work and reasonable turnaround expectations instead of guessing. If your goal is simply getting faster at painting your own army rather than commissioning it out, our best Warhammer minis for new painters guide covers where to practice first.
FAQ
How long does commission painting an army take
Turnaround varies widely by painter workload and army size, from a few weeks for a small unit to several months for a full army at display tier. Ask for a turnaround estimate up front rather than assuming a standard timeline.
Do I need to assemble the miniatures first
Most commission painters accept unassembled kits and prefer it, since it lets them prime and paint subassemblies separately for better coverage in recesses. Confirm with your specific painter, since preferences vary.
Is commission painting only for competitive or display armies
No. Plenty of commissioned armies are painted purely to get a playable, presentable force onto the table faster than the owner could manage solo, at a straightforward tabletop tier.
Can I commission just one hero model instead of a whole army
Yes, and it is one of the most common commission requests, often at a higher finish tier than the rest of an owner's self painted army.