THE UNRELENTING BRUSH IS HIRING!
It still doesn’t quite seem real to read that headline…
After 5 years of growth, dedication, gallons of Yorkshire Tea and an ungodly amount of painted toys, I am now in a position to expand my business and hire painters to form a team! This has been a tremendously thought-eating process, and one I have not taken lightly. Here are some thoughts on the process behind the decision:
I am constantly receiving peoples requests to be hired to paint their collections. This is deeply humbling and something I take enormous pride in as a self employed sole trading business owner. With that in mind, Unrelenting as I may be, I cannot paint everything that people ask me to. This turns in to lost opportunities as those prospect clients take their business elsewhere, and I can’t blame them. With this all said, in the 5+ Years I have been paid to paint, I have NEVER been in a position of having no work.
I am not just a painter. I am payroll, admin, scheduling, supplier, runabout, social media manager, content creator, third party liaison, delivery driver, post office runner, workshop host, private tutor, first port of call contact to all clients (current and prospect) and Chief Brew Artisan*. I am able to fulfill each of these capacities to a degree where my business has become, by very definition, a success. This workethic and dedication can (and will) now be invested in hiring painters to join my business to not only grow it further, but to help me achieve a greater work life balance and to develop a team of wicked painters who specialize in the Unrelenting Ethos**.
This business has been my livelihood for 5 years. What started during a hugely challenging time in my life as a way to top up my paycheck to keep me out of the red, the mortgage paid and dogs fed, grew in to a fully fledged, full-time, manned business. For this I am not only eternally grateful for all the support I’ve had (of which there has been a lot), I am immensely proud of what I have built. It’s time to take that bottled lightning and use it to grow beyond my current formula, and again, have something truly unique in the world of paid professional miniature painting.
*This is the most critical role in my resume.
**More on this later.
The fear of it all going wrong and collapsing has been at the back of my mind since day dot. This is the way for all businesses, I’m sure. But bravery, hard work and “Don’t worry, it’ll be reet!” has gotten me this far - let’s see how much further we can go.
That’s enough of the why I’m expanding, here comes the how…
Rogal Dorn Battle Tank. Painted in 4 Hours.
Learn how to paint incredible models to an amazing standard in super fast time with my guidance, all while earning money doing so!
“Why should I apply to paint with you?”
In a world of cost of living hardships, constant rising costs, stagnating wages and tough times for so, so many of us, I want to present an option to fellow hobbyists with not just a great talent and dedicated time to painting, but also a means to top up their income while at it. When I started, I asked a handful of established commission painters for advice and guidance, and I would’ve had a much tougher time without their help. My emphasis this year in my own hobby is ‘community’, so this ties in to that beautifully for all my aspirations for 2024.
Who should Apply:
I am looking for an artist (or perhaps artists…) who can paint to a great standard in a timely fashion. “What’s a great standard?”, “What’s a timely fashion?” I hear you ask.
These two factors are tied to something I mention in my painting workshops and tuitions regularly. The Unrelenting 3 are the rules I apply to myself when painting any project. These are as follows:
1) ‘Paint with as few and as little paints as possible’
2) ‘Pick the 3 Focals’
3) “What should I be painting now?”
These 3 ways of hobbying and working enable me to paint to the caliber and speed that have become synonymous with my hobby outlet. It is something that I teach to those willing to learn and I have seen excellent results from these applications passed on to other painters. There is no reason why those avid painters interested in working in the industry can’t emulate the same. A bloodbowl team painted in 8 hours. A 20 man MKVI Astartes Squad done in 8 hours. Imperial Knights? A day. Mastadon Super Heavy Assault Tanks? One. Day. Armies of 100+ models in 5 days. 300 Models painted in a month. Hordes of painted warriors of your own application and skill painted in the time it takes some people years to do (And no shame on them, they’re just sane).
If you read that and think “That sounds mad. I want to learn how to do that.” then you’re more than welcome to apply! This job requires two things over anything else. A desire to learn, and the dedicated time to commit.
”Alright alright, passion for the hobby, whatever. What about the pay?”
There are already some amazing highly established studios out there (who have offered me a job before, so I must be doing something right), who paint incredible showpiece models and collections to a quality that are fit to enter the renowned painting contests all over the world. They’re also, and arguably/justifiably so… rather expensive. And how much of that income goes to the painter/s is a commonly hotly discussed topic in certain circles. This is the most important thing I want to mention…
I will NOT hire someone expecting them to be paid less than their worth. I will not goad any applicants with nonsense such as “The wage isn’t important, it’s the love of the job that you do it for.” and I will NEVER hire someone with the promise of constant flowing work and wages only for it dry up and have me stood there shrugging my shoulders at them. This hire will not only be fair, but most importantly, ethical. Likewise, I need this to not only be beneficial for the painter/s, but also for myself and my business.
The work will be PURELY commission based. I will oversee all incoming work and projects that will then be delegated out to those interested in painting it. This means you will ALWAYS have a say in what you want to paint. I’ll not have 40 Chaos Space Marines sent to you if you can’t stand painting trim on models… Which is most of us to be fair.
The work will be charged at my standard current rate of £150.00* Per day and scaled to be cheaper in bulk if the project is large enough and requires several days to complete (All this information is on my Commission Painting page). The painter that chooses to take on this work takes home 80% of that charge, with the remaining 20% going to myself. This cut be capped to a maximum of £200.00 per month per artist. Anything you earn from there onward is all yours. You can take on as much work as I am able to send you, it is up to you just how much you want to devote yourself to this opportunity. Please understand, that your ability to complete the work to the standard that the client and myself expect, and the timescale to complete them, are your sole responsibility. If this ever falls in to question, then no more work will be sent to you. Please understand this before agreeing to paint 10 sprues worth of Epic American Civil War (Warlord Games).
If you want to take on one project of 1x 8 Hour day: *£150.00 - 20%(£30.00) = £120.00 paid to you!
If you want to take on one project of 5x 8 Hour days of painting: *£600.00 - 20%(£120.00) = £480.00 paid to you!
(The approximate % that gets distributed to myself from larger projects could progress on to a sliding scale in the painters favour once said painters prove their commitment to this venture, but it's early days and this would involve a discussion when the appropriate time comes.)
The work will then be sent to your address (Home working) to be completed within the specified deadline and result. At which point, It’ll be sent to the client upon completion.
Transparency is something I will always stress when working with others. This is NOT A guaranteed income revenue for you. I cannot stress this enough. This is not a ‘paid guaranteed wage payroll each month official job’. This is perfect as a side hustle to top up your wages, earn some savings, stash cash for the MOT coming up, and develop your skill as a painter while also getting to work alongside myself to grow in this industry and together achieve enormous ambitions.
You will be responsible for your own resources (Paints, brushes etc. But I’m more than happy to work with you if we need to share resources), your own tax work, and your own workload. I am essentially outsourcing the work to interested painters for a slice of the pie and supporting them to develop and enhance their painting and guide them in doing something we collectively adore doing.
This is the early strategy for a much larger dream. One hired painter could become 3. 4 Painters (including myself) achieving a healthy constant flux of quality and efficiently turned over work means more money can be invested in content creation, online presence, workshops, tuition, a permanent studio/place of work for all of us (Derby based), and at that point, the sky really is the limit.
Note: THIS POSITION IS CURRENTLY ONLY OPEN TO APPLICANTS IN THE UK
In return for your support and help with growing this business, not only do you get a healthy cash influx for the chosen work you’re doing. You also get me. A staunchly qualified and dedicated hobbyist and professional mini painter, who thrives in showing people how to paint quickly and effectively. I also have vocational qualifications in team leading and management. Years of experience in heading teams working in extremely stressful and volatile settings, and a hugely compassionate and open work policy where nothing can’t be worked out by talking, planning, guiding and of course, tea. This on top of all the painting knowledge and tutoring I can give you as part of your employment means so long as your heart is in it, you’ll have all the tools available to make a proper go of this. All I ask is that you commit to the work you chose, and respect the brand, myself and the clients.
*Note: This rate may rise depending on the needs of the business at the time, while remaining fiercely competitive for the quality of work and speed of completion.
Painting models for someone else involves an immense amount of respect, dedication and humility. To be paid do to so is the ultimate ambition!
“Alright, where can I apply or ask any questions?”
If you’re interested in applying, please send me an email to: Theunrelentingbrush@gmail.com and answer the following questions (Copy and paste straight into the email for ease:
Name:
Location:
Why should you be given the position to join the painters at Team Unrelenting:
How many hours/8 hour days can you commit to hired painting per month:
How would your friends describe you in three words:
What is the model you’re most proud of:
What’s your instagram link:
Likewise any questions, or details you think could benefit this process, I’d love to hear em! Get them emails to the address above.
Applications for this position/s close as of Wednesday 14/2/2024.
Massive thanks for making it this far, and by support, helping ME get this far. It’s so wild to see this as an option for my business. I’m excited to hear from you!
Peace!
Chris - The Unrelenting Brush
