Review Time
I took a 1 on 1 lesson with James and he was not only a fantastic instructor but a great person. He made sure I understood everything he was explaining and ensured that anything I had questions about were answered. Genuinely a great guy to talk with and would definitely book with him again.
Review for Job #1485Siege Studios excels in many areas—far beyond their incredible paintwork. From the start, their customer service made me feel like I was part of a well-managed process. The video call to finalize the painting scheme was an above-and-beyond touch, and the photo updates along the way were excellent.Unfortunately, the timeline was a major issue. I paid for my commission on June 20, 2023, with the Terms and Conditions stating work would begin within six months. I expected some flexibility, but when I checked in a year later, work had not yet started. I then sourced my own Thousand Sons army and switched to a Blood Angels commission when that release was announced. Work finally began four and a half months after the Blood Angels release—meaning, even subtracting the four-month wait for the release, it took 16 months for work to start. That’s nearly a full year beyond the promised timeline.When I asked about the delay, I was told the Terms and Conditions allowed for an 18-month wait. However, the terms I agreed to clearly said six months. While Siege reserves the right to change these terms, tripling the wait time without clear communication is unacceptable. Being told my agreed terms were 18 months felt misleading.I was also told, “we would have hoped to have started your army by the time the change in waiting list happened in June 2024, however, in May 2024 you requested that we hold your commission and switch it over to Blood Angels.” This is frustrating because:A) That “hoped” start date was still double the promised wait.B) Before switching, I specifically asked if it would delay my spot and/or if the original list would start in June and if so, I would not switch.C) Even after the Blood Angels release, it still took another four months to start.I feel some of the responsibility for delays was unfairly shifted toward my commission change, especially given I made a point to ensure that wouldn't be the case - see point "B" above.I work in a high-touch customer service business with a long project queue, so I understand delays happen. But setting accurate expectations upfront—and updating them transparently—is critical. If Siege had told me from the start, “Although the terms say six months, the current queue is closer to 12 months,” and later updated me to 18–20 months, it would still have been disappointing, but I could have planned accordingly. Instead, the lack of clear communication left me with fantastic miniatures, but also a lasting feeling of frustration.
Siege studio is well known for their commission painting but I cant say the same for their 1 on 1 online tuition. Imagine forking close to $1000 usd for private online lessons only to have your instructor give you mostly theory based lessons with some pictures and videos from youtube. It is just plain lazy to me.My experiences with online tuition has been nothing short of sub par with James their president and Ceo. Alot of the lessons James has provided during these lessons has been nothing but Theory sprinkled with some painting recipes and images. There was no practical demonstration at all and it sucks because 7 hours were pretty much wasted on Theory anyone can find online either through youtube videos or online articles at a fraction of the price.Sure James may have won some awards for painting and has years of experience. However that does not translate into being a good instructor. A good instructor tailors a lesson plan to the student and has practical demonstration to ensure the student is moving along and progressing in their journey. I didn’t feel I got anywhere through the lessons I was provided and it’s a shame.Out of curiosity I went out of my way to take a online private lesson at a fraction of the cost with a well seasoned miniature artist (not going to name who but Im talking winning best of show among some prestigious competition) through patreon and the difference is night and day. First off the patreon painter actually tailored their lesson based off of what I was asking for and demonstrated how to achieve it with guidance along the way. Something James failed to consistently do.Some of the worst part of this is the fact that when I pointed this out along with Jame’s sporadic schedule which I did not mention earlier, their customer service rep decides to say here are George’s availability. Why am I going to suddenly switch instructors all of a sudden. And then when James finally decides to respond to my email he said he would be very serious in helping me with my remaining hours. Seriously this is such a disgrace.The online tuition is nothing short of a sham. James told me that they get over 100s of students each year which translate to roughly 100k usd in Revenue. And yet when I asked for half of my remaining tuition which would be less than 500 usd as a refund I get thrown their company policy in my face. Anyways I would not recommend their online tuition to anyone. They may have amazing painters in their studio but I can say without a doubt that James is terrible as an instructor online. Dont be stupid like me and waste your hard earned money for their online private tuition.It expensive for one and the lessons you are getting are not of any value at all and you will not get anywhere at all. You are way better off using that money for private 1 on 1 lessons at a fraction of the cost with an artist on Patreon.
The team at seige delivered top quality professional work once the commission began i got regular and rappid updates each week and the comission was shipped within days of completion & final payment. Will take up further comissions with them in the future.job# 1382
Siege Studio consistently sets an exceptionally high standard with both their craftsmanship and painting quality, a standard that is equally reflected in their professional and attentive customer service. From the initial quote and project details through to the build process and regular updates, every step was handled with precision and care. Every member of the team I interacted with demonstrated outstanding professionalism and dedication. I look forward to working with them again on future commissions.
Amazing experience. The 2 days was well structured and built on the first one (albeit felt you could come to this one without doing it - saying that the airbrush and blending pieces from the first course are useful here). I liked James styles of teaching, he breaks things down and explains why he does it that way, makes it easier to think about applying in other situations. He is also very approachable to asking question, using slightly different paint schemes and giving encouragement. I really liked the idea that success for the days isn’t about the quality of what you paint but more about leaning a process that can be applied in your painting outside of the course. Can’t wait for them to develop a 3rd course as will sign up for it straight away
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