I have a 3d printed model of a house (this pic is an example) how can i find someone who paints models as a service? The DnD guys must know someone.
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I’ve never heard of an actual services that does it. Watching out of interest.
I bet you could also just hire a fellow maker-painter to do it for you.
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Contact the local gaming store that sells figures and paint, ask them for a recommendation. Probably a bunch of kids that would jump at it. Plus they an send photos of their work.
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Spoken like someone over 40yrs of age…
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Yes, 165% of that… But when I’ve been in the stores most of them were under 18 I’d guess. Unlike when I was a kid getting part time jobs was easy and most of us had PT jobs (usually a condition of parents letting you have a car). I would imagine with the service industry crushed jobs right now, many are looking for a opportunity to make some coins, especially doing something they like.
I’m not the only member that believes in child labor … no names, but we know!
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If you look online, there’s a fair number of people who do so as a paid service. You’d have to find one whos work you like (they normally have portfolios), contact them and ask about commission prices, but overall just looking online would probably be your best bet?
If you can get yourself to like white, you’re already done. 
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I paint ABS and PLA 3D printed terrain pieces as well as terrain made from foamcore, wood, paper mache, etc.
https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Tabletop_gaming_terrain_showcase
It’s pretty easy to do yourself.
Prime
I prime 3D prints with automotive Sandable Primer.
I usually use grey, but since you have no windows (or doors) on your model, I might be inclined to use black and prime the interior as well - leaving the interior black when the painting is complete.
The sandable primer will fill minor gaps and grooves (more important for filament prints than for resin). It also provides good “tooth” to grab onto the plastic/resin and allow the paint to grab onto the primer as well.
Paint
For paint, use acrylic “craft” paint from Hobby Lobby/WalMart/Michaels.
Brands to consider:
- Apple Barrel
- Americana
- Anitas
- Creamcoat
and the like should work fine, are cheap, and come in MANY colors to choose from. 2 oz bottles should be ample and are $1-2 each.
Avoid:
- chalk paint
- poster paint
- tempura paint
- Testors car model paint
- high end miniatures paint (Games Workshop, Reaper, Vallejo, Army Painter, et al) which come in 1 oz or smaller bottles
Use full strength and apply 2 coats if needed, allowing paint to dry well before reapplying. Two thin coats will look better than trying to glop the paint on to cover in one coat.
I’d go with a straight black or stone gray for the roof and a warm cream (or straight titanium white) for the walls. Use care to leave the interior black so the window will appear more “windowy”.
The building shown is a bit impressionistic, so I would keep the colors simple and use plain blocked-in colors rather than shading and highlighting, etc. One color for the interior, one color for the roof, one color for all the exterior walls.
Protect
Once the paint is completely dry (24+ hours), you can spray Krylon clear matte finish spray on over the model to make the paint more durable. For even more durability, spray with gloss spray optionally followed with a dusting of matte spray to knock down the shine once the gloss is dry.
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so how much would you want to paint a small 3d printed house
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Wow! Thanks Mike. This is a well-thought out post with a lot of useful info. I’ve bookmarked it. Great resource.
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Have you used the primer on carved “builder’s foam board” (i.e., the thick usually pink styrofoam-like stuff FOAMULAR or similar)? Does the primer dissolve or otherwise react with that foam?
Wait, so you’re already a jack-of-all-trades, master of several and now also a house painter? Like a mafia “house painter”? Scary! 
…funny the things your learn about ppl on Talk. 
Expanded polystyrene (aka EPS) and Extruded Polystyrene (XPS aka Owens Corning Foamular (pink foam) or DOW Styrofoam (blue foam) ) are all polystyrene.
Regular spraypaint not recommended
Anything with a strong solvent (spraypaint, contact cement, Liquid Nails, even CA glue) will likely dissolve the foam. I even had foam get dissolved by Old English Scratch Cover when I tried to use it as a shading for carved store - the stone ended up looking like it was dissolved by acid 
. If is smells strongly when sniffed, use with caution and test first.
One can use this to his/her advantage: Sharpie pens are great for drawing brick lines into XPS foam. I’ve also seen folks intentionally dissolve the foam to make “acid spray” on sci-fi terrain (specifically Warhammer 40K Tyranid-themed terrain boards). Would also work for an “Alien/Aliens” sci-fi scenario.
I have heard of sealing the surface with Mod Podge or PVA glue and then spray-priming (using light coats) with regular spray paint. Personally, I’d rather not take the chance of ruining the sculpting/detailing I did to the raw foam.
What I Use
For priming foam, I usually use brush on black gesso from Hobby Lobby.
Others use black acrylic paint mixed with PVA glue. The glue makes a tougher skin on the foam which makes the pieces more durable for wargaming/RPG gaming. IMHO, the gesso is superior - it obscures less detail and provides better “tooth”.
Mod Podge and black paint is another option.
Plain acrylic paint (even “oops” house paint from Home Depot) works as well, but doesn’t cover as well as the gesso not provide as much “tooth” for the later paint to adhere to. This is also a bit thick so can obscure small details. Brown or gray oops paint is great for hills and rock faces though, and is quite cheap.
Spray Priming Options
For spray-priming you have two main options: acrylic paint delivered through an airbrush, or water-based spraypaint. My airbrush skills are non-existent, but it does produce excellent results.
MTN makes some spraypaint:
Krylon used to sell an H2O line of latex spray paint but I’m not sure it’s still being made/still available. I couldn’t find it on the Home Depot or Hobby Lobby sites though they used to be marketed there:
I’ve never used these, but they are an option. Similarly, I’ve see Krylon Eco-Guard latex enamel advertised, but can’t find it on the Krylon site:
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