How to get a commission test model approved (and avoid repaints)

Updated 4 October 2026

The test model is where a commission is won or lost. Get it approved properly and the rest of the army is just painting. Skip the approval, or get a vague "looks good" in a chat thread, and you risk repainting a squad because the client remembered the blue differently.

How do you get a commission test model approved?

Agree the brief in writing before you paint. Paint one representative model. Photograph it in daylight from the front, back and sides. Send the photos to the client with one clear question: approve, or tell me what to change. Record the approval with the date and the exact recipe it covers, and don't change that recipe afterwards without telling the client.

1. Agree the brief before you pick up a brush

Most rejected test models come from a brief that was never written down. Before you start, agree the reference images, the painting standard, the basing, what approval means, and how many changes are included.

In detail:

• Reference images. Ask the client for two or three pictures of what they want. "Dark blue" means something different to everyone.
• Standard. Tabletop, high tabletop or display. This sets how long each model takes and what the client should expect.
• Basing. Plain, textured, themed, or none. Basing is easy to forget and hard to change once the army is finished.
• What approval means. Say plainly that once the test model is approved, the rest of the order is painted to match it.
• How many changes are included. Many painters include one or two rounds of changes on the test model, then charge for more.

2. Paint the right test model

Pick the model the client will see most of: a basic trooper, not the character. It should show every main colour in the scheme. For a large model like a tank or monster, paint a test section, such as one panel or one leg.

Write the recipe down as you paint, not afterwards. The paint recipe template lists what to record.

3. Photograph it so the colours are honest

The client will judge the scheme on your photos, often on a phone screen. Shoot in daylight on a plain grey or white background, from the front, back and both sides, with no filters.

Make the photos as close to the real model as you can:

• Use daylight from a window, or a daylight bulb (around 5000K to 6500K).
• Put the model on a plain grey or white background.
• Take the front, back, both sides and one close-up of the face or the main detail.
• Don't use filters or "enhance" modes, and don't boost the saturation.
• Keep the camera at the same distance and light for every update, so changes are easy to see.

4. Ask one clear question

Send the photos together with a short summary in plain words and one direct question: do you approve this, or what would you like changed? Open-ended messages like "what do you think?" invite open-ended answers.

A good summary is one line, for example "dark blue armour, gold trim, red cloth, grey rocky base".

If the client asks for changes, ask for them as a single list, make them all, and send a second version. Keep the first version's photos, so you can both see what changed.

5. Get the approval in writing, with a date

A thumbs-up emoji in a chat app is easy to lose and hard to point to later. The approval should say what was approved (which photos, which version), who approved it, and when.

If there's ever a disagreement about the finished army, this is what you both go back to.

Ordiminis does this for you: you send the client a private link, they see the test-model photos and tap Approve or Request changes, and the approved version locks with the date. The client doesn't need an account.

6. Treat the approved recipe as fixed

Once a scheme is approved, paint the rest of the order from that recipe. If you have to change something, tell the client, show them a test of the replacement, and record it as a new version.

A paint being discontinued is the usual reason. The old version stays on record. The same habit makes repeat orders much easier.