How long does a custom figure commission take?

The short answer: two to three months

A full custom sculpture commission typically takes two to three months from approved design to finished piece — roughly 8 to 12 weeks of production. Your schedule is confirmed in your private proposal before work begins, so you know the plan before you commit.

That window also depends on the studio schedule. Commissions are built one at a time, in order, so your start date depends on the projects ahead of yours. Ask about the current queue when you inquire: the production time and the wait before it starts are two different things.

What happens during those weeks

Design and sculpt. Your references become a three-dimensional sculpt. This is the stage with the most back-and-forth, because every decision after it gets harder to change.

Production in resin. The sculpt is produced, cleaned, and assembled. Fine details and delicate parts take careful handling.

Hand-painting. Every surface is painted by hand and matched to your references. This is usually the longest single stage: layered paint, shading, and detail work cannot be rushed without showing it.

Sealing, checks, and packing. The finished piece is sealed, inspected, and packed for transport. Packing and delivery are planned around the piece, and transit time is separate from production time.

What can shift the timeline

Complexity is the main variable: an intricate costume, elaborate base, or delicate accessories add work at every stage. Scale matters too — larger pieces take longer to produce and paint.

Your responsiveness matters as well. Review stages pause the clock while the studio waits for your approval, so quick, clear feedback keeps the schedule on track.

And the studio schedule itself: a full queue means a later start. If you have a hard deadline — a birthday, an anniversary, a holiday — say so in your first message. A deadline the studio knows about can be planned for; one discovered halfway through cannot.

Planning around a deadline

Work backward from the date you need the piece in hand, not the date production finishes. Insured international delivery takes additional weeks after the piece is done, and that transit time sits outside the two to three months of production.

As a rule of thumb: if the piece is a gift, start the conversation at least four months before you need it. That leaves room for the queue, the build, and the journey. See commissioning a custom figure as a gift for gift-specific planning.

The commission timeline guide walks through the general stages in more detail.