Our customs journey wouldn’t be completed
without the third and last part of the process: painting. Custom painting isn’t
only done in custom figures, most of the time, I guess, it is done to better
the quality painting of great companies pieces. Or they are asked to paint and
assemble kits someone bought and don’t have the skills to do the job (my case).
And I’m not talking specifically of custom kits but original big brands kits as
well. They only do restorations and mods to the figures.
Of all the three pillars of customs world,
painting is the one that brings less trouble to who practices it, or so I
believe. To discover more about the world of custom painters I’ll interview three
very experienced and talented painters with different backgrounds: Raymond Roel,
Ian Wilkinson and Ed Bradley.
-x-x-x-
1 – Hello, thanks for talking to our readers
about the customs market. The first obvious questions that comes to my mind is:
how do you get your paint jobs? How the collector searching for a painting
service reaches you? Or the producer, for that matter?
 |
| Raymond Roel |
Raymond Roel (RR): Hi. Let me start off by saying that painting,
customizing, kit bashing & sculpting are my hobbies. My passion.
The majority of the projects I tackle are for myself. I don't advertise or have never reached out
to anyone looking to get work. Once in a
while I'll post a piece for sale somewhere & once in a while someone will
reach out to me asking for something unique.
The easiest way to track me down is via Facebook.
-/-
 |
| Ian Wilkinson |
Ian Wilkinson (IW): I get all my work through word of mouth, I don't advertise or try to get paint work in as I find this has a negative reaction, I also would think if the painter or sculptor
had not
much work in, then are they too expensive? Or their work is not that good. At
the moment I have work booked many months in advance and it’s always like that.
A lot of
my paint
jobs can be found on the net and various sites, when people see a nice kit
painted and a name is attached they get in touch with the painter or sculptor.
-/-
 |
| Ed Bradley |
Ed Bradley (EB): The easiest way to find producers, sculptors
and painters today is through Facebook or other social media. It’s the easiest,
most popular and free way to advertise or network and most can do it through
their cell phone. You just have to know where to look.
2 – What kind of services do you offer your
clients? I believe there is a number of ways you could aid a collector from
repainting a head of a Sideshow statue to assemble and painting a whole kit
from scratch. Could you name other services you offer or the market offer?
(RR): I'm an artist.
I'm capable of repainting statues, props, figures, kit building,
sculpting, restoration of pieces, design work, canvas work, fine art &
prints.
 |
| The last pic is a special Darth Vader piece Ray Roel did for a program called "Give Kids The Dark Side" a charity similar to Make-a-Wish. |
-/-
(IW): I can just about turn my hand to any form of
painting, custom work, molding, casting all of which add to the work I get in, I
get a lot of damaged statues that need re-sculpts and lights re-fitting. Then
there is the kits I get sent that need assembly- one main area I often do is
full repaints of statues, people see a prototype paint job and then receive that
statue and it’s nothing like what they first looked at - I can get it looking whatever
they want.
 |
| By Ian Wilkinson |
-/-
(EB): My services include repairs and repaints to
existing statues, building and painting of resin and vinyl models, re-sculpting,
custom bases and lighting.
 |
| By Eddie Bradley |
3 – Do you ever been contacted by a customs
producer to paints their sculptures? If so the remuneration worth all the hard
work?
(RR): I have. I laughed at the offers.
-/-
(IW): I have done many different statue and kit
lines for producers, it’s something I prefer doing as I can work with a more
specific client idea of how they want the finished piece to look like, I have
done most things from busts, figures, custom parts etc.
 |
| By Ian Wilkinson |
-/-
(EB): Yes, I have been contacted from time to time
about painting an entire run of figures. It’s usually not in my best interest to
take on that kind of work, it limits my ability to juggle multiple projects and
keep things from getting stale.
4 – It is expensive to hire a professional
painter like you to, say, assemble and paint a kit? Could you give us an idea
of the value range and which variables makes the prices go higher?
(RR): Expensive is a relative term. There are many
factors that go into pricing , let's say building / painting a kit or painting
a prototype. Size & detail are the
two biggest factors, deadlines could be an issue, how fast does the client want
it?
-/-
(IW): Everyone I know who paints charges in
different ways, I charge per full build and paint - this can be as cheap as £80
for a small bust and up to a few hundred for very large pieces, molding and
casting adds a lot more cost onto a piece, as does adding acrylic eyes to busts
and real hair.
-/-
(EB): Hiring an artist can be expensive if the
project is large or has a large number of parts. Every artist charges differently. But I would say that pricing usually depends
on the scale of the figure and how elaborate the details and base might be.
 |
| By Eddie Bradley |
5 – How many years of experience do you have?
Tell us a bit of your trajectory.
(RR): I have 25 years of experience in painting
statues & customizing kits. I have
been an artist since I was a child. I
saw my first figure model kit when I was 19.
It was a Horizon Terminator 2
endoskeleton. I saw this at a local
hobby store, built & painted in a display case. I was hooked.
-/-
(IW): I’ve been painting for well over 40 years,
maybe longer, but the last 20 years have been more intense and the last 8 or 9
years constant, I have an Arts degree so I’ve always had a love for painting.
-/-
(EB): I started building and painting back in 1998. I
didn’t start approaching painting seriously until 2010, and started doing
custom work for members of online forums.
6 – What’s the most fun part in painting and
what’s the more difficult?
(RR): I enjoy painting faces, ironically that tends
to be the most challenging part. Faces
bring the pieces to life.
 |
| By Ray Roel |
-/-
(IW): The most joy I get from painting is viewing
the final, finished product. I also love discovering new things mainly by accident
and by watching other artists at work.
-/-
(EB): I have fun when I am just working with my
headphones on and nobody is around to bother me. Seeing a project come together
after so many hours is always satisfying. The difficult part is trying to bring
it to life the way the client envisions it. The more visual reference they
provide, the easier it becomes.
7 – Can you make a living out of custom
painting or do you need a second job to guarantee income?
(RR): I imagine someone does it. For me it's a hobby, I am Director of
Marketing for a health care firm in Tampa, FL.
-/-
(IW): I think you can make a small living from
painting, but to me it’s a great hobby - if it would become a full time job it
might take the fun out of it…
 |
| By Ian Wilkinson |
-/-
(EB): You can make a living as a custom painter if
you have the talent and the time. It’s definitely not for everyone and it’s
probably better to do it part time until you establish yourself enough to keep
steady work.
 |
| By Eddie Bradley |
8 – What is the service you’re more requested
to do? Do you enjoy it?
(RR): The jobs vary. I'm very picky about any
projects I decide to tackle, so yes I enjoy it!!
-/-
(IW): The service I get most to do is kit building
and painting… And yes, I love it.
-/-
(EB): Most of the custom work I am asked to do is
Superhero kits.
9 – If a great statues company tried to hire
you, would you accept?
(RR): Sure, If the price was right.
-/-
(IW): Yes (as long as it was a subject I like to do).
-/-
(EB): Yes, I am currently working for several statue
companies.
10 – What are the tools you use for painting?
(RR): Brushes.
Lots & lots of brushes, old & new. I work in acrylic paint, sometimes watercolor
& gouache. I forgot to mention I paint everything by hand. No Airbrush!!
 |
| By Ray Roel |
-/-
(IW): I use several airbrushed, pastels, washes,
pigments, brushes in just about everything I paint.
 |
| By Ian Wilkinson |
-/-
(EB): I use whatever works. I have my favorites but I
experiment from time to time. I use ComArt transparent paints, pastels and any
brand of waterbased acrylic. If I had to
recommend a specific line of paints, it would definitely be the Garagekits.us
line of airbrush ready paints.
11 – Do you think every painter has his/her own
style even though different pieces require different styles like, say, an anime
character and a Batman?
(RR): For sure every artist has his/her own style. Speaking
for myself, I stick to what I'm good at although sometimes I have to adapt (my
style) to the requirements of the job.
-/-
(IW): Yes definitely - I can spot quite a few
artists work as they tend to stick with the same tones when doing skin etc. After
a while, you can tell who painted or even notice traits in sculptors as well.
-/-
(EB): Every painter has a style, an approach and a
set of techniques that make them stand alone.
 |
| By Eddie Bradley |
12 – What do you enjoy the most about painting
statues? By the way do draw or do you paint pictures like on a canvas or
something?
(RR): I enjoy the distorted reality of it. I like
when someone see a picture of something I have done & doesn't believe it's
"not real".
-/-
(IW): The thing I love is flesh tones, especially
female - there is so much variety you can do, it’s interesting to get them
looking all slightly different. I never draw or paint anymore on canvas etc.
-/-
(EB): The best part for me is the day after I have
completed a project. Seeing it finished with new eyes and looking it over to
see if there is anything I can improve on before shipping it. I can draw a bit and I try to sculpt from
time to time, but painting models is pretty much my main outlet.
13 – Is the assembling of kits a boring part of
the job or do enjoy it as well?
(RR): Not at all, sometimes it's relaxing simply
cutting & gluing.
-/-
(IW): I love assembly work, the 1st stage of getting
a kit to prep stage is just as enjoyable as the painting of it.
 |
| By Ian Wilkinson |
-/-
(EB): Assembly is fun for me, especially when you
have a challenge like parts that won’t fit properly or when I’m asked to alter
a pose or add an accessory. I’m not a
fan of air bubbles though. It’s just a pain and eats away my time.
14 – Did you already have taken a custom statue
line to paint what was the ES (Edition Size)? If you did was it a boring work?
(RR): I have not.
I'm a prototype painter not a production painter.
-/-
(IW): I have done small runs of kits for people but
nothing large, most kits producers do under 20 runs - painting the same stuff
over and over is great as it’s a challenge to get it all looking the same.
-/-
(EB): I did a custom Doctor Doom head w/ removable
mask as a replacement for the Sideshow PF statue. The ES on that was around 33.
15 – Are the clients specific about what they
want you to do with their statues or they give you creative freedom?
(RR): Most folks give me a general idea of what they
want & then they let me do what I do.
-/-
(IW): It depends, I get one client saying just go
for it; then I can get a load of input from another client. I prefer to get the
client involved...
-/-
(EB): It varies, some clients give me freedom and
others are very specific.
 |
| By Eddie Bradley |
16 – What would astonish you the most: to see
an alien or to see a ghost?
(RR): An Alien.
-/-
(IW): An alien… When I was young I used to see many
ghosts, I believe in the supernatural more than alien life visiting us.
-/-
(EB): Probably an alien, I don’t believe in ghosts!
17 – Three bands and three movies.
(RR): Bands - Depeche Mode, Foo Fighters, The
Beatles; movies - Star Wars, Fight
Club, The Godfather
-/-
(IW): Bands - The Smiths, SoftCell, Radiohead. Films
- Scum, any horror movie, Alien.
-/-
(EB): Bands - Aerosmith, Earth Wind&Fire, 3 Doors
Down. Movies - Predator, Robocop, John Carpenter's The Thing.
18 – To finish, what advices would you give to
people who wants to paint professionally sculptures or any other medium?
(RR): Practice.
-/-
(IW): Anyone who loves art - painting or sculpting -
just keep going – you’ll learn by mistakes and by finding new ways of doing
things… Never give up.
-/-
(EB): My advice to anyone wanting to paint
professionally... Be patient. Do work
that excites you but also take on projects that you might not be as interested
in. You need to be diverse. Put your ego
in a box and focus on meeting deadlines and making clients happy. Most of all: network!!
Show your work whenever possible and get to know everyone in the hobby.
Thank you so very much for taking your time and
answer these questions. I bet they will elucidate several questions from our
fellow readers. With your help we close the cycle of interviews about the Customs
Market. I hope you achieve what you dream and wish the best to you and to those
you love and care.
OTHER PARTS OF THIS ARTICLE:
- PART I - PRODUCERS;
- PART II - SCULPTORS;
- PART IV - COMMISSIONERS.
OTHER PARTS OF THIS ARTICLE:
- PART I - PRODUCERS;
- PART II - SCULPTORS;
- PART IV - COMMISSIONERS.
No comments:
Post a Comment