Board Gaming is huge around the world but there aren’t very many commission painters out there and one hobbyist has definitely realized just that!
Many people play board games around the world and just use their little different colored plastic minis the way they come. One hobby enthusiast, Michael Cook (owner of One Man Army Painting), decided we must suffer such indignity no more and has worked hard to start a commission miniature painting company focusing on board game miniature. I was able to interview Michael Cook Lets see what he has to say about this untapped market and take a look at some of his work!
CCG – “How long have you been into the gaming scene?”
Michael – “Well, I have been an avid board game and pen and paper RPG gamer since the early 80’s. My passion for gaming has done nothing but grow over the years as technology has allowed companies to produce better looking board/play mats and more detailed miniatures.”
CCG – “What made you decide to start painting board game miniatures?”
Michael – “After many years of playing with the bland mono colored plastic pieces we are all so used getting straight out of the boxes, I decided to paint a couple of my personal board game sets to increase my own personal immersion. I figured the game boards and map tiles were already so colorful, why not have colorful minis to match. After seeing the positive response I got from my gaming group and painting a couple of board game sets for friends I started looking into how many commission painters were out there. There seemed to be a ton of professional painters to choose from but none of them focused on board games. They were instead focused on painting miniatures for larger game systems such as Warhammer, Warmachine, Infinity, Malifaux, ect. So I decided to start up a little business of my own painting board games.”
CCG – “You mentioned painting some of your personal board game collection first. What different sets did you paint?”
Michael – “Decent, Imperial Assault, and Of Mice and Mystics, just to mention a few.”
CCG – “Can you name a few commissions you have done in the past just to give us an idea of your diversity.”
Michael – “Some of the board game sets I have painted for others include: A Touch of Evil, Blood Rage, Imperial Assault, Relic, and even some of the Batman miniatures.”
CCG – “What kind of paints do you use?”
Michael – “I only use the highest quality paints and primers from companies such as Vallejo, Citadel, P3, and Army Painter. Just because they are board game miniatures doesn’t mean they should be treated any differently than miniatures from the leading tabletop gaming companies.”
CCG – “What are some games you hope to paint in the future?”
Michael – “I would love to get the opportunity to paint some of the Kingdom Death miniatures in the future. I have had my eyes on that game since it was originally announced.”
CCG – “Alright Michael, thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing more work from you in the future.”
Michael – “Thank you for having me.”
If you want to get some information about having your miniatures painted by Michael Cook, you can contact him through email at onemanarmypainting@gmail.com or get in touch with him on his Facebook page, One Man Army Painter.
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About the Author: Zeb Barrett
