Customizers' chit-chat thread

[kaelynn]

BC, I am!  Unfortunately, I haven't had time to do more than prep my bait and order the necessary bits and pieces so far.  My husband leaves for work on Sunday though so I'll have all next week to work on it as much as possible without him feeling left out so hopefully I'll be able to get it done in time.   

[BlackCurtains]

Can't wait to see what you make!

[Kazzellin]

My main focus though is going to be needle felting for a while. And getting back into making miniatures. I want to open an Etsy shop before my birthday in October. So I need things to list

Ohh! Needle felting! That always looks fun, but I've enough hobbies so I shouldn't add to them. You sure you want to do Etsy, though? With the new rules and fees they've added, a lot of people with tangible good to ship out are looking into their own websites or other options. The CEO has been quoted as stating that Etsy is supposed to be a direct competitor of Amazon ( ), so a lot of what's being sold isn't necessarily hand-made items anymore, but items bought via AE and Wish and resold, just like on Amazon.

[BlackCurtains]

Yes, I've read articles and videos made by handmade sellers who say it's worth it. Besides, if I want to be serious I need to get myself out there. If I can start on Etsy and get sales then I can look into my own site, which would come with hosting fees anyway.

[Starflashbaby]

Does anyone know where to find G2 jewel eyes or what size jewel they are to buy at hobby lobby??? I'm working on a G2 Harley Quinn and I'd like to change the eye colors... right now they are a dark red I was thinking more 2 toned and what do you think if I make her Pink and blue Eyed? 

[BlackCurtains]

SS12 is the size you need. I don't shop at Hobby Lobby... I get my crystals here - Artbeads

I don't know what her regular eyes colors are but pink and blue sounds cool

[Starflashbaby]

Thank you BlackCurtains for the info. I think I'll make a thread about Harley Quinn there we can talk about her separately.

[BlackCurtains]

I worked on my Koi custom today. I tried different things for the fins but nothing was working out. I have one more idea, but it's late now so I'll do it tomorrow. I need to order tinsel from Shimmerlocks and picked a couple of the metallic colors out too. I'm trying to save some money, so I might slim down my choices later. But really I want everything on Shimmerlocks

[Starflashbaby]

BC there are a lot at shimmerlocks that I like too! I hope your custom comes out as you invisioned it. 
I have a quick question...
I've been wondering about prices lately again ..
This is what I wrote do you agree or too pricey for me...

Basic Re-root is $30.
Basic Restoration/Custom: Includes Re-root & Painting & Symbol/Eyes work: $50
Light Sculpting Includes: Horns & Accessories $60
Heavy Sculpting Includes: Wings, Clothing +: $80
Note: A Restoration That deals with repairs like Holes or Missing parts is Extra $10

So my 4 Speed would of been $60
The 2 customs I made so far were worth $50
Harley Quinn that I'm working on is back to $60

Somehow I think it should be like this..
re-root is $20
Basic Restoration/Custom Starts at $40 that is $20 re-root & $20 full body paint Eye/symbol work
Light Sculpting is $50
Heavy Sculpting  is $60-$80 depending on the difficulty???
Restorations that has holes or missing body parts is Extra $10

[BlackCurtains]

I think the cheaper prices are more realistic. I don't think many people would pay $30 for just a rehair.

[DracoKat]

Sorry if its been asked before... but can you guys recommend a decently priced airbrush tool for someone experimenting/starting out?

[BlackCurtains]

I started with a Paache double action. They are a little expensive, but very worth it. I've had mine for around 10 years and it's still like new. My compressor is small, it was meant for make-up application. I think it was around $45. I bought it from an airbrush dealer, but the website seems to be gone (and I don't remember the name of it).

[Starflashbaby]

How much is a reroot? $15 or $20 if it's more than 2 colors... hair is $3.99 most of the time it's 1 to 2 colors but sometimes it's 3-5 colors so in that case it would 3.99×5=19.95 out of $20 if I don't have the colors someone commissions.. depending on the situation...
I wish I could show pics I'm at my granny's so I have no way of doing that here. I need a desk top for that. So instead go to @Starflashbabyponies on Instagram and view my 2nd highlights above my posts. It will show what I written about my custom & Restoration Rates...
Could you all Critique it and get back to me Here. Or there let me know what I need to change. Thanks.

[BlackCurtains]

I think your commission info looks fine on IG. It's hard for other people to price things for you, because only you know how much work goes into something. The general rule is you should charge for supplies and your time. Gauging supply charges can be hard, because you can't charge someone for a whole bottle of paint if you are painting something, but you should charge something. And time yourself as you work and give yourself an hourly wage. But you also have to remain realistic because people won't buy if you price things too high. There needs to be a balance. When you're first starting out, you're prices should be lower and as you practice and build an audience, you can start raising prices.

Personally, if I was doing rehairs, I would probably charge $14 + shipping. And that's another thing to consider - shipping costs. You can fold that into your total, or charge separately. It might seem like a loss at first, but that's where the term "starving artist" comes from Sometimes you have to charge less to get your work and name out there.

[SunPony]

Pricing this kind of thing is so tough, because it is basically impossible to get paid a reasonable amount. 

Let's say a rehair takes 2 hours (finding/ordering supplies, possibly opening the pony head and cleaning out the old hair, then rehairing with a reroot tool, gluing, doing the tail). Then let's say your wage is $15/hr. That is already $30 and we haven't even factored in supplies yet (hair, glue, zipties or whatever, maybe a broken needle).

So even though $30 is more than reasonable based on that, it may be true that people won't pay it?  Well, I wouldn't simply because I am capable of doing my own rehairs, but to someone who can't/don't want to maybe they would!  You could also consider charging less for simple one hair color rehairs, vs more for stripes, tinsel, etc. Or charging more or less based on whether they provide their own hair.